HP SitePrint for Trimble Layout - Blog by Steven Jack

ROI of Robotic Layout Systems in Drywall Construction

Wed, 09 Apr 2025 13:11:24 +0000

As technology improves, there are more options than ever for completing drywall projects and managing your business, including the arrival of robotic layout systems that can automate many of the processes you must take on every day. However, before you decide to purchase those systems for your business, you want to make sure that they'll be effective. Knowing how to analyze drywall construction costs is the first step. A cost-benefit analysis can give you a better idea of what benefits robotic layout systems will bring to your drywall construction efforts.

The Importance of Cost-Benefit Analysis in Drywall Installation

Knowing how to analyze drywall construction costs and benefits is crucial for project budgeting and decision-making. Whether you're selecting a provider for your drywall or determining whether a robotic layout system is the right tool for your needs, it's important to determine how much it will cost your business and what benefits it can bring to the table. Furthermore, it helps identify the most efficient methods and tools for getting the job done, allowing you to select the right one for your needs. HP SitePrint robots, for example, are an innovative technology that can significantly improve your drywall installation business efficiency.

Conducting an analysis before you make a purchase can help prepare you for what that purchase will ultimately look like for your business. It allows you to anticipate and mitigate any potential financial risks, ultimately leading to a better decision for your drywall business.

How to Conduct a Cost-Benefit Analysis of Drywall Installations

A cost-benefit analysis can provide you with a much more effective look at the costs of a new piece of equipment and how those costs will benefit your business over time. It can help you determine whether you're ready to purchase a robotic layout system or if you need to wait to experience maximum benefits for your business.

Start by gathering relevant data, including the costs and potential benefits for your business. Put together a business model for robotic tools that will help you evaluate how you will use those tools in your business and provide you with more information about what is necessary to be successful. Check manufacturer websites and look into a variety of tools to get a better idea of which one is likely the best solution for your specific needs.

Quantitative Approach

A quantitative approach to a cost-benefit analysis focuses heavily on the numbers and specific data. It might consider:

The cost of new equipment
The cost of hiring employees to complete the same tasks
Maintenance costs
Potential business gains for using the new model

Using this approach allows you to make a data-driven decision about the right tool for your needs and when to implement it.

Key Steps in Cost-Benefit Analysis

List all the costs and benefits associated with the project, incorporating specific cost savings and efficiency gains. These may include:

Increased on-site productivity
High accuracy in layouts
Portability and ease of use

Assign monetary values to these factors and benefits. Then, compare them to get a better idea of the right solution for your needs

Factors to Consider in Drywall Installation Costs

There are a lot of factors to consider when deciding how to analyze drywall construction costs, including:

Drywall sheets, screws, joint compound, and other materials
Wages, subcontractor fees, and labor expenses
Administrative expenses
Equipment maintenance
Site management

For example, the robotic layout system from HP SitePrint is a highly efficient solution that can lead to substantial cost savings.

How to Analyze Drywall Construction Costs

There are a lot of factors that go into determining the cost of drywall installation. Your costs are generally divided into three categories: materials, labor, and overhead. From there, each element has its own unique breakdown that you may need to consider.

Breaking Down the Cost of Drywall Installation

Consider the cost of drywall sheets, screws, adhesives, and other materials. Don't forget to include extra materials; you may need to account for human error, though using a robotic layout system can help reduce some of those material costs.

Next, factor in the expense of hiring skilled workers and labor teams who are experienced with drywall and can more easily put your system together.

Finally, factor in administrative expenses, equipment maintenance, and site management fees. In many cases, using a robotic system can help cut down those costs. For example, they can reduce labor hours and associated costs, cut down on material waste, and decrease the cost of administration for the project.

Robotic systems like HP SitePrint can be integrated into the construction process, improving accuracy and speed in drywall installation.

The Benefits of Using Robotic Layout Systems

Robotic layout systems enhance precision in measurements and installations. HP SitePrint reduces the time required for layout and installation, which means you will experience decreased labor costs. Furthermore, it can help cut costs due to less material waste.

Case Studies

Many projects have successfully utilized HP SitePrint for enhanced efficiency and decreased costs. For example, ACCIONA executed a hospital marking drywall track six times faster than they might have using conventional layout processes. Level 5 Drywall was able to reduce layout time by eight days on a medical project. These case studies are just some of the many companies that have experienced the benefits of robotic layout solutions.

The Cost of Drywall Installation with Robotic Layout Systems

Purchasing and implementing robotic systems like HP SitePrint ultimately means cost savings across projects. Reduced labor costs and increased efficiency then mean potential long-term savings. In many cases, that can mean substantial ROI based on both cost savings and productivity gains, as noted in the Level 5 Drywall and ACCIONA case studies above.

Initial Investment and Long-Term Savings

Your total cost to purchase robotic layout systems can depend on how many devices you need to buy and the solutions you need, so configure that into your process of how to analyze drywall construction costs. These systems, however, reduce ongoing labor and materials costs significantly. As you calculate the ROI of your investment, take a look at your decreased labor and material costs over time, including how you can continue to save on project after project.

Efficiency and Accuracy Improvements

Robotic systems substantially improve the accuracy of drywall installations, speeding up project timelines. As a result, they create more consistent quality in drywall installations. That can lead to improved appreciation and reputation for your business.

Reap the Benefits of Robotic Layout Systems for Drywall Construction

Utilizing robotic layout systems can go a long way toward improving your drywall installation efforts, whether you're hoping to decrease costs or improve efficiency and performance. As these technological solutions improve, it's increasingly critical for drywall installers to use them as part of their business efforts. To learn more about HP SitePrint robots and how to analyze drywall construction costs, contact us today.

Get Started Now

Introducing HP SitePrint VP 3.0

Tue, 24 Sep 2024 14:06:02 +0000

Efficiency is paramount for construction, and HP is bringing the latest enhancements to foster this, with the NEW HP SitePrint version to elevate construction site layout to unprecedented levels of productivity and autonomy.

Upgrades and Advancements

Print points up to 30% faster — Our upgraded navigation speed and strengthened robot braking capabilities ensure fast operations onsite.
Refined obstacle avoidance capabilities — A new advanced depth camera integration helps gain comprehensive spatial representations of the environment. Map unforeseen onsite obstacles, bringing incremental robot autonomy.
Real-time route adjustments — The new HP-engineered Smart Navigation System processes obstacle data captured by the depth camera, enabling seamless navigation around unexpected hindrances.
Enhanced uninterrupted operation — Navigate with confidence. The new shadowing feature prevents the robot from venturing into areas without Robotic Total Station line-of-sight, elevating productivity.

SitePrint VP 3.0 is available as an upgrade for current users or an all new HP SitePrints sold after September 10, 2024. Contact Ben Brookman, BuildingPoint Construction Robotics Account Executive, for more information at ben.brookman@buildingpointpartners.com

Download the VP 3.0 Datasheet

White Paper: Managing the impact of volatile and spiraling construction costs

Tue, 18 Jul 2023 15:32:30 +0000

Cost inconsistencies have always existed in construction, but high inflation is having a multiplying effect. It’s a worrying construction industry trend that threatens the financial health of many firms.

Find out more about how HP SitePrint can fast-track your building layouts.

Download Now!

A Guide to Digital Transformation in Construction

Tue, 18 Jul 2023 13:26:09 +0000

Construction has a reputation for lagging behind other industries in its digitalization efforts. The truth, however, is much more nuanced. In the last decade, digital technologies have created significant changes in the way construction projects are briefed, planned, designed, and assembled. However, one of the challenges is that digitalization isn’t currently implemented at the same level across the construction value chain. In particular, it’s on-site workers and trade contractors that are reluctant to adopt digital tools, despite research by McKinsey Global Institute indicating that digital transformation for construction companies can result in productivity gains of 14-15% and cost reductions of 4-6%.

For field ops leaders, digitalization presents a huge opportunity to overcome current and future challenges. Amid spiraling construction costs from supply chain issues, a lack of skilled labor and more, adopting more digital ways of working are already facilitating more cost stability, productivity, and profit for the construction companies prioritizing it.

But on-site workers are renowned for their resistance, favoring pre-existing ways of working over new approaches they see as undermining their roles rather than supporting them. So, field ops leaders have to get them on side. Here are three anxieties construction’s on-site workers have, and what you can do to put their minds at ease.

“This seems over-the-top for a company of our size.”

Too many on-site workers view digitalization as purely a solution for large companies. When most of the construction industry is comprised of SMEs, this is a problem.

David Barnes, Policy & Public Affairs Manager at the Chartered Institute of Building, notes, “A lot of these [SME] companies think they don’t have the time or capacity, whether that’s financial or administrative, to look at technology in the light that it should be.” For field ops leaders, this results in on-site workers viewing digitalization as a needless inconvenience rather than a supportive investment.

The best thing field ops leaders can do to bust this myth is point out the distinct benefits of digitalization for workers’ specific tasks. Digitalization can help SMEs because it offers benefits even when integrated into smaller parts of a project or process. Take safety inspections, for example: digitalization here is already working to make the sharing of documents faster, easier, and less error-prone. This is a very small but important part of safety inspections—that has to be right to protect employee health and business reputation. This shows how implementing digitalization can bring tangible benefits to a single task.

“I don’t understand it.”

Another popular myth about construction digitalization is that it’s too complex to understand, use, and—by extension—see the benefits of. This attitude is termed “organ rejection”: whereby a new technology solution fails to deliver visible benefits and the workforce, noticing this, refuse to adopt it.4

In many cases, however, it’s not the complexity creating the resistance. Rather, companies are implementing cutting-edge technology before they’ve figured out exactly how these can support their current operations.

This is echoed by David Philp, Chief Value Officer at the Cohesive Group “A lot of (digitalization) has been about for many years,” he says. “It’s not about trying to get better outputs. We’re very guilty of trying to digitize a broken process, then all we get is a digital broken process. We need to think more about better, more sustainable outcomes and process re-engineering.”

The best way for field ops leaders to avoid this “organ rejection” is to first look at troubleshooting their workers’ individual pain points. Take note of them and only begin to adopt digitalization, in a small way first, that works to overcome them. That way, workers begin to see clear and tangible benefits immediately and are less likely to reject the technology.

“It’s replacing me.”

The anxiety that technology will render workers unrequired and unnecessary is far from confined to the construction industry. Particularly as automation becomes more pervasive, employees across a number of sectors have expressed concerns that their job simply won’t exist in a few year times. In fact, staggeringly, 37% of Americans say they are worried about automation displacing them from their job permanently.

In reality, particularly in construction, there’s little evidence that technology is going to ‘replace’ anyone. It’s much more likely that it’ll work to help these workers realize safer and faster processes—and boost their productivity.

Field ops leaders tasked with convincing their workers of this have two options. Firstly, they should reiterate to workers that technology is there to support them and—importantly— have the knowledge and use cases to back this up. There’s the obvious argument that the workers resistant to technology on the construction site have no problem with the technology in their personal lives that makes their lives easier and more convenient. But also, construction industry-specific use cases are a great way to start convincing your workers of technology’s efficacy.

One such use case is that of multinational construction company, Skanska. They’ve invested significantly in the Internet of Things, using smart sensors, robust wireless networks, and real-time location tracking systems to transform construction sites into digital workspaces. The results? Real-time information flows, increased worker safety, and enhanced jobsite visibility, which allows teams and owners to make informed decisions while reducing risk.6

As well as educating employees, field ops leaders should invest more in adequate reskilling too. Technology won’t replace jobs but will change them. Showing employees that technology is an investment in them is paramount, and giving them the right tools and education to make the most of these opportunities is key to motivating adoption. What’s more, it’ll make the transition as smooth and productive as possible.

David Philp is clear about the importance of reskilling. “Putting technology in place doesn’t solve things unless you put the right education and processes in place,” he says. Not only will reskilling help get teams on side but it’ll also mean the entire company can maximize its impact.

The potential of technology to help the construction industry through its challenges, now and in the future, is huge. And it’s field ops leaders’ jobs to make sure this potential isn’t undermined by worker resistance.

Whether it’s concerns about future careers or misunderstandings of technology’s efficacy, workers need to be on side–and shown that technology is there to increase their safety, fuel their productivity, and aid the company’s growth and profit margins.

One piece of construction technology that delivers all of these benefits is HP SitePrint. As a robotic solution for autonomous layouts, field ops leaders can help their layout professionals complete the same high quality of work, in a fraction of the time, whilst enjoying the health benefits that come with reducing manual work.

Get Started Now

Why General Contractors Need to get Onboard with Construction Tech

Tue, 18 Jul 2023 13:05:34 +0000

Invest in the future: Why US infrastructure investment is a rallying call for future construction technology innovation

Three new bills-the US Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the CHIPS and Science Act, and the Inflation Reduction Act-will drive over $2 trillion of new infrastructure investment over the next decade, presenting enormous revenue opportunities for building contractors willing to invest in future construction technology.

However, this boom comes at a difficult time for the industry, with six in ten firms experiencing delays due to workforce shortages. While McKinsey forecasts up to 3.2 million new jobs could be created by 2032, an aging and shrinking construction workforce is creating both a drain on skills and intense competition for specialist workers, with approximately 375,000 unfilled positions as of August 2022.

How can firms future proof their operations and keep costs under control as construction demand accelerates?

The case for workforce innovation

Quit rates have been on the rise across the US. High resignations in construction have been driven by complex factors that reached a tipping point during the Covid-19 pandemic. Studies suggest safety concerns, heavy workloads, reduced access to appropriate equipment, and lack of digital infrastructure caused significant challenges for construction workers, compounded by a perception of a lack of leadership and management skills among those in charge.

Companies are being encouraged to make substantial adjustments to address these shortcomings, and skill sets highly reliant on specialist manual labor such as construction layout.

In June 2022, President Biden launched the Talent Pipeline Challenge to boost construction workforce investment. The recruitment drive is intended to prepare firms “to meet the demand of implementing the historic Bipartisan Infrastructure Law” according to McKinsey, which includes a dedicated pot of $800 million to fund job training. Construction employers are being asked to diversify they're hiring, development, and retention strategies, including investing in tuition assistance, childcare, and transportation costs.

Although this will be new and uncomfortable territory for some firms, the drive reflects a need to reverse a critical workforce trend that could derail the construction industry’s recovery.

The case for investing in future construction technology
Construction projects are growing more complex and larger in scale, with more money at stake, while the shortage of skilled labor and supervisory staff will only worsen in the absence of radical change. These are deep issues that require new ways of thinking and working.8 And, although technological innovation might not hold all the answers, it’s an important piece of the puzzle that’s worth consideration.

Companies have an opportunity to deliver more cost consistency via construction robotics and automation, enhancing their workforce’s capabilities, making forecasting easier, and ultimately leading to a better reputation among existing and prospective clients. Upgrading technology can also help drive faster, more efficient project delivery, presenting an alternative to the slow speed of manual processes. For example, a construction robot used to tie rebar on the recent Koppel Bridge project in Pennsylvania shaved 34% off job duration on the project.9 Equipment telematics on modern versions of conventional machinery can also signal when preventative maintenance is required, limiting the impact of lengthy and costly repairs further down the line.

While technology investments like this won’t solve the skills gap completely in the short term, savings will free up revenue to invest in building capability in higher-skilled areas of the workforce, while adopting advanced technology will help attract the next generation of construction talent.

Long-term ROI requires a long-term vision

Construction layout is a critical part of any construction project, but traditional methods take time to complete and require execution by a shrinking pool of highly skilled workers. At a time when demand for construction is high, our construction layout robot, HP SitePrint, helps organizations reduce layout and labor costs while minimizing the need for redos. The robot enables faster printing, better legibility, and prints on a variety of surfaces and materials so you can do layouts across different trades.

Get Started Now

Will Introducing Robots in the Construction Industry Enhance Your Workforce, Address Skills Gaps and Drive Revenue?

Mon, 17 Jul 2023 21:18:44 +0000

For over a year now, the construction industry in the US has been suffering from a paralyzing lack of skilled workers–inhibiting some companies’ abilities to deliver projects on- time and drive revenue. There are three issues at play:

An aging workforce. 41% of current US construction workers are expected to retire by 2031.
Very few new skilled workers entering the industry. Only about 9% of US construction workers are 16-24 years old; that’s less than the employment share of this age group in every other industry.
Wage inflation and project delays caused in part by the issues described above. Six in ten firms reported experiencing delays due to workforce shortages, leading to projects being cancelled or postponed.

Can wider use of robotics and automation in the construction industry support field ops leaders responsible for delivering projects on-time and on-budget, and work to fix these problems?

CAN ROBOTS IN CONSTRUCTION HELP EASE THE LOAD ON AGING WORKERS?

The average retirement age of a construction worker is 61, and studies have shown that productivity begins to decline 10 years before.4 This is, in part, due to the traditionally manual and physically demanding work required in this field.

Technology is already used across other industries to automate manual tasks. This, often, serves the purpose of helping these tasks become more accessible, and in many cases, less physically demanding. In other words, technology acts as one important method of better supporting workers.

The construction inspection force in particular is an aging one, with a median age of 53. Remote inspection technology can help these skilled workers stay working longer. Remote inspections involve an on-site person streaming video of the object to be inspected to a skilled inspector off site. Part-time remote work is often more attractive to senior inspectors because it’s safer, more flexible, and more efficient.

While some people’s initial reaction to the idea of new technology might be negative, this tends to disappear if a solution has been implemented properly and is simple to use. In fact, according to James Eaton, Head of Digital Delivery at McLaren Construction Group, people are better at adapting to use digital tools than they believe they are.

“Most of the pushback I get is not anything to do with the actual technology,” he said. “People might say ‘oh no, no, we’re not doing that’, but they’ve got a smartphone in their pocket and are quite happy to search for a song on Spotify ... they live in a world, in their personal lives, where everything is at their fingertips, but they walk through the door at work and that attitude changes in their work environment, which is a bizarre situation.”

Overcoming these cynical attitudes is less about addressing people’s ability to adapt to using a new digital platform or device, and more about understanding the context of its use, Eaton explained. “The only way to get through the [technology] adoption piece is 1) declutter it and make it very specific to the tasks that they’re doing and 2) choose a tool that’s fairly intuitive and pretty simple to use.”

CAN TECHNOLOGY HELP ATTRACT YOUNGER WORKERS?

Currently, digitalization is lower in the AEC sector than in nearly any other industry. Yet young people actively search for tech-based career opportunities. According to Quocircas’ research study on ‘The Future of Work, 2025’, 27% of young workers between the ages of 18-34 believe technology plays a pivotal role in the future workplace. 13% of employees within the same age range view working with outdated technology as a reason for leaving their current job.8 So if construction can speed up its adoption of new technologies, it might be able to better attract these workers. Conversely, it can also improve the world of work for construction workers that have been in the industry for a long time.

David Philp, Chief Value Officer at the Cohesive Group, gives the example of Scotland trialing the manufacture of the first Gen Zero classrooms (via the Built Environment - Smarter Transformation) made possible by specialist advanced manufacture equipment and processes. Not only does this attract younger people concerned with the environment, but is also an impressive feat for the construction industry–surely contributing to more interest from students about the potential of a career in this industry.

Other industries are already taking this approach. The UK Armed Forces’ Medical Emergency Response Team use virtual reality to support future training. This high-tech solution simulates a Chinook helicopter to help medical personnel train for battlefield incidents. Not only does this make simulations as realistic as possible, but this tech-led training presents a key way to excite and attract younger audiences who want to see technology integrated into every aspect of their working lives. There is no reason why the construction industry can’t do the same.

EVEN WITH A DEPLETED WORKFORCE, CAN TECHNOLOGY HELP DELIVER MORE EFFICIENCIES AND DRIVE REVENUE?

The recruitment benefit of adopting technology is one solution to the problem, but it’s a long-term one. What about companies struggling with a depleted workforce right now? What does technology have to offer them?

New technology can help stabilize construction projects, even with a depleted workforce. For example, robotics and automation in construction industry are already helping layout professionals complete jobs efficiently and cost-effectively. This frees up your workforce, enabling you to get maximum potential out of your current worker’s time. For this reason, 81% of construction companies are looking into using robotics in the next 10 years, according to ABB Robotics, while 55% said they already use robots, mostly to increase safety and sustainability on jobsites.

Get Started Now