Close
  • Latest News
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
Read Down
Sign in
Close
Welcome!Log into your account
Forgot your password?
Read Down
Password recovery
Recover your password
Close
Search
Logo
Logo
  • Latest News
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
More
    Home Latest News
    • Small Business

    Mobile Technology Positively Impacts Manufacturing, Construction

    By
    Nathan Eddy
    -
    March 20, 2013
    Share
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Linkedin

      The vast majority of decision makers at construction, manufacturing and distribution firms believe that mobile technology is positively affecting their productivity, according to a survey by business management software and services specialist Sage North America.

      The survey of 249 construction firms indicated they are using mobile devices to access company information while on the job site and to reduce travel and energy costs. Mobile-device usage has increasingly enabled the ability for construction workers to provide instant reporting while at the job site, allows decisions to be made while at the job site, ultimately cutting down on costly and time-consuming errors, the report said.

      “The construction industry particularly benefits from mobile devices, which, for example, can eliminate the need to haul bulky sets of plans and 4-inch-thick books of project specifications to the job site,” Joe Langner, executive vice president of Sage North America, said in a statement. “According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 48,000 construction jobs were added during the month of February. And, as the industry continues to grow and recover, mobile devices can certainly play a significant role in effectively helping construction businesses.”

      The most common devices used in the construction industry to access work-related information were smartphones (77 percent) and notebooks (72 percent). Surprisingly, tablets were less likely to be used remotely (26 percent). Overall, more than 75 percent of respondents, which included both decision makers and employees, have used a mobile device to access work-related information.

      Among the 217 small and midsize manufacturing and distribution firms in the United States and Canada, smartphones (78 percent) and tablets (63 percent) have especially increased in their use for remote access to business information, followed by notebooks at 41 percent. Respondents said remote access has made it easier for a sales representative within a manufacturing or distribution firm to get company information while in the field interfacing with clients, and found mobile devices decreased organizational time for sales reps and clerical staff.

      The survey also found that decision makers are using mobile applications most commonly for keeping contacts organized (32 percent), keeping task lists and assigning tasks to a specific employee (20 percent), scheduling (30 percent) and staying updated with project statuses (18 percent). Mobile applications are rarely used for managing the accounting or for creating customer invoices. These are commonly done with desktop software applications (usually accounting or ERP software).

      “Over 14,000 manufacturing and distribution jobs were added to the economy in February. As this sector continues to grow, there’s great opportunity for mobile devices to contribute to business growth, and the Sage mobile device survey shows this,” Langner said. “Mobile business applications enable seamless integration between the production plant and the office, eliminating potential bottlenecks between departments.”

      Nathan Eddy
      A graduate of Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism, Nathan was perviously the editor of gaming industry newsletter FierceGameBiz and has written for various consumer and tech publications including Popular Mechanics, Popular Science, CRN, and The Times of London. Currently based in Berlin, he released his first documentary film, The Absent Column, in 2013.

      MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

      Cybersecurity

      Visa’s Michael Jabbara on Cybersecurity and Digital...

      James Maguire - May 17, 2022 0
      I spoke with Michael Jabbara, VP and Global Head of Fraud Services at Visa, about the cybersecurity technology used to ensure the safe transfer...
      Read more
      Cloud

      Yotascale CEO Asim Razzaq on Controlling Multicloud...

      James Maguire - May 5, 2022 0
      Asim Razzaq, CEO of Yotascale, provides guidance on understanding—and containing—the complex cost structure of multicloud computing. Among the topics we covered:  As you survey the...
      Read more
      Applications

      Cisco’s Thimaya Subaiya on Customer Experience in...

      James Maguire - May 10, 2022 0
      I spoke with Thimaya Subaiya, SVP and GM of Global Customer Experience at Cisco, about the factors that create good customer experience – and...
      Read more
      IT Management

      Intuit’s Nhung Ho on AI for the...

      James Maguire - May 13, 2022 0
      I spoke with Nhung Ho, Vice President of AI at Intuit, about adoption of AI in the small and medium-sized business market, and how...
      Read more
      Big Data and Analytics

      GoodData CEO Roman Stanek on Business Intelligence...

      James Maguire - May 4, 2022 0
      I spoke with Roman Stanek, CEO of GoodData, about business intelligence, data as a service, and the frustration that many executives have with data...
      Read more
      Logo

      eWeek has the latest technology news and analysis, buying guides, and product reviews for IT professionals and technology buyers. The site’s focus is on innovative solutions and covering in-depth technical content. eWeek stays on the cutting edge of technology news and IT trends through interviews and expert analysis. Gain insight from top innovators and thought leaders in the fields of IT, business, enterprise software, startups, and more.

      Facebook
      Linkedin
      RSS
      Twitter
      Youtube

      Advertisers

      Advertise with TechnologyAdvice on eWeek and our other IT-focused platforms.

      Advertise with Us

      Menu

      • About eWeek
      • Subscribe to our Newsletter
      • Latest News

      Our Brands

      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms
      • About
      • Contact
      • Advertise
      • Sitemap
      • California – Do Not Sell My Information

      Property of TechnologyAdvice.
      © 2021 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

      Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.

      ×