MATERIALS, CONSTRUCTION
PRnewswire | June 07, 2023
Kojo, the construction industry's leading materials and inventory management platform, today announced it has expanded to serve mechanical contractors.
"At Kojo, our mission has always been to simplify processes for our customers so that they can have more time back to do what's really important – build," said Maria Davidson, Kojo's founder and CEO. "Our mechanical Beta launch has been our most successful to date. We're thrilled that our mechanical customers are already seeing so much value with Kojo and we're excited to continue to onboard many more all over the country."
Since the offering launched in Beta, mechanical contractors have sent over 6,000 field requests to the office and created 17,000 purchase orders worth $50 million in Kojo. "By our calculation that's almost 6,000 times the field and office didn't have to call and email back and forth to figure out what was being ordered," Davidson added.
Alex Eldridge at Tharco, a leading mechanical contractor in Maryland, said, "Kojo has been really smart in the way they've customized this build for mechanical contractors. For example, there are many nicknames for parts out there and this can create confusion for communication between the field and office. Kojo has a preset catalog field users can order from that even supports slang terms for easy field-to-office part name translation. It's details like this that convinced us Kojo was for us."
The mechanical contracting market in the U.S. is huge and rapidly growing. More than $123 billion of mechanical work is done in the U.S. annually. The sector employs nearly 400,000 workers and that number is expected to grow by 5% through 2031.
Kojo's expansion into mechanical follows the launch of its Automated Invoice Matching product, which streamlines the accounting process for commercial trade contractors. This builds on Kojo's purchase order and delivery functionality, making Kojo a true all-in-one platform that allows customers to manage the full end-to-end materials procurement process. Automated Invoice Matching launched in Q2 of 2023 and to date has processed $9.2 million in invoices, catching mistakes on 27% of invoices processed.
Kojo announced their Series C in September of 2022. Kojo has now powered more than 10,000 construction projects across 47 states, saving customers 75% of the manual entry they previously had to do and reducing materials waste on jobsites by up to 90%.
About Kojo
Kojo is the construction industry's leading materials and inventory management platform. Kojo enables trade and self-perform general contractors to streamline every step in the procurement and inventory management process from takeoff to closeout. By connecting field, office, warehouse, accounting, and vendors teams on one software platform, Kojo gives contractors visibility into real-time materials spending and usage, helps them source the best prices and availability across vendors, reduces material waste, and increases labor productivity. To learn more, visit www.usekojo.com.
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ENGINEERING TECH, CONSTRUCTION
PR Newswire | June 02, 2023
OpenSpace, the global leader in 360°realitycapture and AI-powered analytics, announced today a new strategic relationship to promote greater transparency and coordination in the construction industry with Revizto, the industry-leading Integrated Collaboration Platform that streamlines and centralizes project workflows and communication. Both companies are dedicated to unlocking the potential of BIM on construction sites and improving the exchange of information between VDC (Virtual Design and Construction) and field teams.
While BIM has gained widespread adoption among design and engineering professionals, its utilization in the field has been limited. According to the report "Accelerating Digital Transformation Through BIM" by Dodge Construction Network (2021), contractors using BIM have witnessed significant improvements in quality, health and safety, cost control, schedule control, and overall business results. However, only 44% of general contractors, 35% of specialty trade contractors, and 33% of owners have integrated BIM into their practices, indicating a gap between office and field teams. On the other hand, reality capture technology is becoming widely embraced on construction sites.
To bridge this gap, OpenSpace has made substantial investments in its reality capture platform and BIM capabilities. The technology aims to simplify BIM visualization and make it actionable in the field, strengthening coordination between office and field teams. The company has already observed a 27% increase in users that utilize BIM, indicating a strong interest in combining BIM and reality capture in the field.
Revizto is collaborating with OpenSpace to deliver integrated workflows to their mutual customers. "Through our collaboration with Revizto, we can prioritize the interests of both VDC and field teams," said OpenSpace CEO Jeevan Kalanithi. "By streamlining workflows, we can enhance coordination, save valuable time on a daily basis, accelerate project completion, and enable VDC managers and field teams to be more efficient so they can focus on what they do best."
“We are excited to work alongside partners that share the vision to empower the teams on-site. With Revizto, our customers can use solutions like OpenSpace to help field teams effortlessly capture current site conditions, compare it to BIM models, and explore their sites,” said Arman Gukasyan, Founder and CEO of Revizto. “When combined with our platform, the power to break down data silos and facilitate seamless collaboration among project teams anytime, anywhere, will be easier than ever.”
Further details on the Revizto and OpenSpace collaboration will be unveiled at Waypoint, OpenSpace's virtual customer summit, on June 8, 2023. The event will feature sessions with customers, industry leaders, and innovators sharing insights, best practices, and exciting product announcements under the theme of "Simple & Fast Coordination: Connecting Field & VDC through Reality Capture." For more information and registration, please visit our event page.
About OpenSpace
OpenSpace , the global leader in reality capture and AI-powered analytics, empowers construction and real estate companies of every size to create an interactive 360° digital view of their built environment. Customers have used OpenSpace to operate more efficiently and reduce risk, capturing more than 17 billion square feet of imagery from construction projects across thousands of sites in more than 93 countries.
About Revizto
Revizto is the leading Integrated Collaboration Platform used by professionals from across the Architecture, Engineering, Construction, and Operation/Owners (AECO) industry to streamline workflows and communication with all stakeholders in a unified environment throughout the project lifecycle. The Revizto platform is intuitive, adaptable, and fully functional from any device.
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ENGINEERING TECH
PR Newswire | June 08, 2023
UES, a national leading engineering and consulting company, has acquired Riner Engineering, a geotechnical engineering and construction materials testing and inspection firm headquartered in Houston, TX.
Founded in 2006, Riner Engineering includes an experienced team of more than 170 engineers, project managers, technicians, and support staff based in offices in the Houston headquarters, Fort Worth, San Antonio, Austin, and Dallas. Riner maintains full-service soil and CMT laboratories accredited by the American Association for Laboratory Accreditation (A2LA) and by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO). The firm has successfully completed thousands of projects throughout the state of Texas and has serviced private and public clients across multiple industries. Noteworthy Riner projects include Daikin Industries' $410 million, 4+ million square foot distribution and manufacturing facility in Waller, Texas, the world's largest according to the Tilt-Up Concrete Association, and Houston Airport Systems' Mickey Leland International Terminal (MLIT), Federal Inspection Services (FIS) building, and Checked Baggage Inspection and Screening (CBIS) building at Bush Intercontinental Airport as part of the $1.36 billion ITRP program.
Riner joins the Texas Region of UES, led by Brian Powell, P.E., President of the Texas Region. Riners' leadership team will continue to operate the day-to-day business. "Riner Engineering further expands the capabilities of our region and we are excited with the experience and people that Riner brings to our Texas team," said Brian Powell, P.E.
"We're proud to announce the expansion of our presence and technical expertise in Texas," said UES CEO Dave Witsken. "Texas is a leading market for infrastructure development in the U.S., and we believe UES will be better able to serve the growing market and provide enhanced services, solutions, and support to our clients with the addition of the Riner Engineering team."
Ken Riner, P.E., President of Riner Engineering, adds, "With this partnership, we at Riner can improve our ability to provide top-of-the line geotechnical engineering and materials testing services with access to more personnel, more equipment, and more capabilities. Working in UES and UES' Texas Region allows Riner to continue performing at the highest levels of our chosen engineering specialties, with top-quality people and a wider range of tools."
With nearly six decades of experience and recognition as the premier engineering and consulting firm in the geotechnical engineering space, UES is well-positioned to serve the needs of commercial, residential, and civic customers across the country. Beginning in 2019, UES' acquisitions have included prominent engineering firms including: Universal Engineering Sciences, GFA International, Inc., NOVA Geotechnical & Inspection Services, Contour Engineering, Wallace-Kuhl & Associates, Construction Testing & Engineering, SUMMIT Engineering, Laboratory & Testing, GEOServices, McGinley & Associates, Geotechnology, Alpha Testing, GSI Engineering, Speedie & Associates, Rock Engineering Testing & Laboratory, Dan Brown and Associates, Carmichael Engineering, Faulkner Engineering Services, Grubbs, Hoskyn, Barton & Wyatt, and now Riner Engineering, which have made UES one of the largest, most resource-rich organizations of its kind nationwide.
About UES
UES is a privately held, rapidly growing engineering and consulting firm with nearly six decades of experience in geotechnical engineering, construction materials testing, building code compliance, threshold inspections and environmental consulting. With nearly 3,500 professionals across more than 85 branches in high growth markets in the U.S., UES consults on projects of all sizes for public and private clients across many industries including transportation, healthcare, commercial, education, industrial, and residential. UES was named 'Hot Firm of the Year' by Zweig Group for 2021, 2022, and 2023.
About Riner Engineering
Riner Engineering, Inc. (RINER) is a privately held Texas corporation specializing in geotechnical engineering (GEO) and construction materials testing and inspection (CMT). RINER has offices in Houston (corporate), Fort Worth, San Antonio, Austin and Dallas. RINER owns and operates truck-, track-, and buggy-mounted drilling rigs and maintains full-service soil and CMT laboratories accredited by the American Association for Laboratory Accreditation (A2LA) and by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO). RINER has a staff of 170+, including engineers, project managers, technicians, and support staff. Since 2006, we have successfully completed thousands of projects throughout the state of Texas and serviced private and public clients across multiple industries.
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