Innovation

AI and Digital Tools in Construction: What's Actually Working in 2026 Artificial intelligence has moved from buzzword to business tool in the construction industry. While the technology press has been filled with breathless predictions about AI transforming every aspect of construction for years, what's actually happening on job sites and in contractor back offices in 2026 is more measured — but also more real. According to the AGC's 2026 Business Outlook, contractors are increasing their investment in AI tools even amid broader uncertainty, driven by concrete productivity and cost management benefits that are showing up in project results. For construction...

Workforce Development in Construction: Building the Next Generation of Tradespeople The construction labor shortage is the industry's most persistent and consequential challenge. With projections suggesting a potential shortage of more than two million skilled craft professionals by 2028, the gap between the workforce the industry needs and the one it can currently access is not a future problem — it's a present crisis. The causes are structural: baby boomer retirements removing experienced workers from the trades, decades of cultural messaging steering young people toward four-year colleges instead of trade careers, and immigration policy changes that are reducing the flow of...

Tariffs and Trade Policy: How U.S. Construction Supply Companies Are Adapting in 2026 Trade policy has moved from a background consideration to a front-and-center business challenge for construction supply companies in 2026. Tariffs on steel, aluminum, imported building products, and a growing list of construction components have created a pricing environment that is difficult to predict and even harder to communicate clearly to customers. For distributors and manufacturers serving the construction market, developing a coherent strategy for managing tariff exposure is no longer optional — it's a core business competency. Which Products Are Most Exposed to Tariff Risk Not all...

Technology Transforming the Construction Site: Robotics, AI, and the Digital Jobsite The construction industry has long been characterized as a technology laggard — an industry that builds with physical materials in unpredictable environments and relies heavily on skilled human judgment. That reputation is changing fast. From AI-powered project management platforms to semi-autonomous construction robots, the jobsite of 2025 looks meaningfully different from a decade ago. For construction supply companies, technology adoption by their contractor customers is reshaping product demand, purchasing patterns, and the skills required to serve the market effectively. Drones Have Become Standard Jobsite Tools Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs)...

Construction Trends People Overlook The construction industry, often seen as traditional, is undergoing a quiet revolution.1 While headlines often focus on major breakthroughs, several crucial trends are being underestimated or outright ignored, despite their potential to significantly shape the future of building. Embracing these overlooked trends is not just about staying competitive; it's about building more efficiently, sustainably, and resiliently. Here are some construction trends that people tend to ignore: 1. The Underestimated Power of Prefabrication and Modular Construction While modular construction has been around for a while, its full potential is still largely overlooked.2 Often associated with temporary or...