The Construction Source

THE CONSTRUCTION SOURCE CANADA materials, labour, costs and schedule. That’s 15 million dollars back on the project’s bottom line!” “We branched off to create Hinton Software to develop a platform to take in data without interrupting the flow of work at the field level,” Brandon says. “Its design is for the field to use while providing the insights for management to make data- driven decisions.” “The reason this was a priority for us is that currently there are poor quality metrics that track performance on large scale projects,” he says. “And most of it is tracked post- mortem. Clients have few options for transparency. Many prime contractors avoid taking on scaffolding because the risks of going over budget on scaffolding can lead to being kicked off the project.” “We think we’re different because we want to be transparent,” he adds. “We want to present to our clients what’s really happening. We’re looking to set the standard in the industry for presenting what the real requirements of a project are going to be.” In 2020, HSS was awarded a grant by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) to develop tools that collect data and apply visual reporting and predictive analytics to scaffolding plans and activities. The data collected in that tool will similarly allow HSS to better predict material requirements, project budgets, and delivery timelines. HSS and Hintonsoft have been working with a team of students and their Professor Dr. Zhen Li from theUniversity of NewBrunswick to develop these analytics. Hintonsoft also has a new, top-secret project that will revolutionize how scaffolding and scaffolding safety training are delivered. “We aren’t allowed to say much right now until the formal announcement comes out,” Peter says, “but we can tell you that we’ve been awarded a project, a big one, to build an e-learning platform using some of the newest and most innovative technology in the world. We are going to break down barriers – societal, geographic, and financial – to empower anyone, including Canada’s most underrepresented groups in the industry, to have the ability to learn the profession.”