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Smart Construction Technology: How to Work Smarter

September 30, 2025

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Alberta Heavy highlights how SMS Equipment is leveraging smart construction technology to boost productivity, improve sustainability, and support workforce evolution.

Featuring insights from James Barr, Manager of Smart Construction Operations, the article explores how integrated machine control, remote connectivity, and digital dashboards are transforming worksites across Canada.

James Barr, manager, smart construction operations for SMS Equipment, says today’s smart construction technology can maximize productivity and increase efficiency, which in turn can help support a company’s sustainability strategies and help it achieve its decarbonization goals.

Since many of these smart technologies are accurate to within three centimetres, that means they are better able to follow a design plan than if work is performed manually. As a result, there are fewer mix-ups on jobsites and the amount of rework can be dramatically reduced, Barr says.

“In most cases, you’re improving operator efficiency, reducing rework and moving dirt just once,” he said.

As more seasoned operators who have been operating machines for decades retire, they are often being replaced by newer workers who are still building their skills and hands-on experience. Smart technology can help bridge that gap and shorten the learning curve for less experienced operators, Barr says. It also supports more consistent performance on the jobsite, which can further reduce rework and lower emissions.

“This is a valuable tool for companies adapting to evolving skillsets on their crews,” he said. “If you have a newer operator who isn’t yet able to maintain grade on finished projects consistently, the technology helps keep them closer to target.

“Just like apprentice mechanics, apprentice operators go through a learning curve."

Komatsu Smart Construction Solutions

SMS Equipment supports customers across Canada and Alaska with a wide range of advanced equipment and technologies. The company has multiple branches, including locations in several Alberta centres such as Calgary, Red Deer, Edmonton, Grande Prairie, Fort McMurray and Acheson. It offers smart construction tools, product support, parts and state-of-the-art equipment from partners including Komatsu, BOMAG, Takeuchi and others.

One of the company’s leading products is an intelligent machine control (IMC) technology that comes installed in Komatsu excavators and dozers. IMC enables the operator to press a button and have the blade in a dozer operation follow an existing design that has been pre-loaded into the machine. If the blade is set at a 20 per cent slope, it will maintain that 20 per cent slope for the entire operation or follow the contours of a 3D model. In excavators, IMC provides real-time guidance and automated adjustments to bucket position, helping operators dig to grade faster and more accurately while reducing the risk of over-excavation.

Komatsu also offers a Smart Construction Remote system. A big part of what makes Smart Construction Remote an attractive option is that it allows design files to be transferred to target machines via computer or mobile device, meaning a site foreman doesn’t have to drive to multiple sites to do so manually, and allows office staff to remotely see what the machine’s operator is seeing.

One of the technology solutions Barr is most excited about is Komatsu’s Smart Construction Dashboard. It combines 3D design data with aerial mapping and intelligent machine data, allowing users to confirm quantities and chart progress on a jobsite on a daily basis. Want to calculate the cut/fill balance at a jobsite? Simply fly a drone over the site, capture images of the location and input them into the dashboard system, and it will perform all the calculations.

“This is exciting for customers because they can now see tangible evidence of how productive they’re being and exactly where that cut/fill balance is on the jobsite,” he said.

“We had one customer who was building a stormwater retention pond. By using Smart Construction Dashboard, they identified they were moving 2,000 cubic metres (of soil) more than what they were tendered to do … and were able to say, ‘Can we get a change order?’ It was a way for them to keep things a little more accountable.”

Barr says that most operators are able to learn the basics of operating smart technologies in a matter of days.

SMS Equipment’s Technology Solutions team takes a personalized, hands-on approach to training, meeting customers where they are in their technology journey. That often begins on the jobsite with direct support for equipment operators, but can also include classroom sessions for larger crews or companies with broader training needs. The company is focused on guiding that journey by building operator confidence, supporting adoption and helping teams unlock the full value of smart technology on the jobsite.

“We use a stepped approach,” Barr said. “We begin with the fundamentals and build from there, helping operators grow more confident as they gain experience with different aspects of the technology.”

Support continues well beyond the initial training. The team remains available to answer follow-up questions and provide ongoing guidance as customers and their teams continue to adopt and apply new tools on the jobsite.Barr says learning how to use the technology has become more commonplace on construction sites over the past decade.

“Market adoption has picked up, and that’s actually made it easier for our team to support customers,” he said. “Many have used either a Komatsu or Trimble system before, and there’s some overlap between them.”

Barr says the beauty of most integrated technology solutions is that they can be used all the way from “rough grade to finish grade.” He generally recommends that most customers begin using it at the rough grade or the stripping stage so they get the biggest benefit from it.

His advice to companies that have yet to adopt smart technology is to choose someone on staff who can champion it and collaborate closely with their equipment dealer. “Once companies find those champions, they usually take it and run with it,” he said. “We spend a lot of time identifying those individuals and we almost make them part of our team to make sure they learn everything they need to be successful.” It’s also important for companies and their teams to understand that adopting this technology doesn’t mean eliminating jobs. In fact, it’s often the opposite, says Barr.

“There’s often hesitation with new technology because people worry about job loss,” he said. “But what we’re actually seeing is the opposite. It’s creating new roles, new skills and new opportunities for growth across the industry.”

It’s no secret that the construction industry, like many other sectors, is struggling to attract and retain skilled workers. Barr says the adoption of smart technology solutions could help stem that tide.

“Younger people are getting excited about it. This is the generation that grew up with an iPad in their hands."

"Digitizing construction equipment makes it feel futuristic and I think a lot of this generation will naturally gravitate towards it.”

SMS Equipment on The Construction Show Podcast

In this special episode of The Construction Show, SMS Equipment Technology experts explore how smart construction technology is helping contractors to do more with less - and what's coming next in the technology evolution.

Listen Now

Smart Construction Technology: How to Work Smarter

Alberta Heavy highlights how SMS Equipment is leveraging smart construction technology to boost productivity, improve sustainability, and support workforce evolution.

Technology has revolutionized how work is performed on most construction sites.

Another benefit of this smart technology is that it can help address the changing dynamics of the construction industry’s labour force.

Komatsu Smart Construction Solutions

Barr says that most operators are able to learn the basics of operating smart technologies in a matter of days.

Hear from our customers on how technology is providing them with the competitive edge

SMS Equipment on The Construction Show Podcast

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