Residential builders are committed to the technology investment, despite tough economic conditions.

For residential builders today, one thing seems to be ringing clear—every step you take, every dollar you spend, all needs to result in saving the company either time or money.

“Any initiatives we look at must always be cost effective and must improve the efficiency of the process without disrupting existing workflows.” These words come from Carlo Sistilli, CFO, Arista Homes Ltd., www.aristahomes.com, Vaughan, Ont., but could very well apply to just about any builder in the market today. 

All companies have pressures on their profit margins these days, forcing them to look at new ways to improve overhead numbers while becoming more effective and efficient in process deliveries. Technology can be a great way to save money and improve processes.

However, builders can be hesitant to take the steps toward new product implementation due to the costs associated with selecting, implementing, and training on a new technology package. So the main crux of technology implementation today becomes finding how to do more with less and finding the right tools to supplement the current strategy in place.

Kathi Cruz, estimating manager, David Weekley Homes, www.davidweekleyhomes.com, Houston, Texas, says the biggest factor driving technology initiatives forward today is the ability to do more with less people and with less cash flow.

“Everything we implement now needs to have a cost benefit in either time or money,” says Cruz. “We know we have to do more with less and that we aren’t going to grow back as rapidly as we had done before when the housing market was booming.”

So how do builders position themselves in a down economy? The first step becomes looking at processes and identifying how they can be improved. Next is identifying the technology that can play an enabling role; and those applications being used by builders these days aren’t your conventional systems and solutions.