KDI Feb 2023 Product Update: New Supply Chain Solutions

If you're a construction professional, what I am about to say is nothing new. There is record demand for construction worldwide. At the same time, the labor force is retiring, projects are larger than ever, and of course, global supply chains are disrupted. You can pull a ton of statistics out to show some of the issues facing the construction industry today.

I've cribbed four high-level statistics that paint a picture of the industry.

• According to the NCCER 41% of US construction workers will retire by 2031
• The construction industry grew 12% between 2020 and 2021
• The industry is predicted to grow an additional 35% by 2030
• Over 70% of capital projects miss on schedule or budget.

What do these statistics have to do with a product update?

When we started the company, our goal was to fix supply chain integration and collaboration in construction. Statistics like these are our north star. On paper, our goals sound incredibly simple. Build a platform that links procurement in construction directly with their supply chains.

Never mind, our goal really isn't that simple. Construction projects are incredibly complex, as are the supply chains behind them. The larger the project, the more complicated the execution plan and the more complex the supply chains behind them are.

Construction work is stressful and time-consuming. You have more important things to do (designing and building) than searching for information. That takes us to our first major update:

Update #1: A Project-Centric User Interface

Our new user interface is project-centric. This specifically means that our new landing page opens to a project-based view rather than a package-based view. It's a small thing, but based on user feedback, we understand this is a big improvement to the experience.

The practical application of breaking projects into work packages is (hopefully) finished during planning. As a construction professional, you're more interested in what is happening in your projects today.

Update #2: A New User Interface

You probably noticed something a bit different about the look and feel of the platform in the first image. As part of this update, we moved the menus around the platform so they are more in line with contemporary software tools.

We understand that close collaboration with supply chain partners is essential to get the most out of our platform. As part of this update, we are introducing a menu on the right side that will make it easier to customize your package library and project features. This will give users the ability to work with their supply chain partners more efficiently and effectively.

Update #3: Offsite Construction Planning

Ok, this is not really a product update, but rather an internal structural update. You can build the best offsite or modular construction software in the world, but moving work offsite in its entirety is not always the answer.

Sometimes the tried and true method of traditional construction is best. Some work truly is better left to be accomplished at the construction site. For instance, there is no offsite supply chain I've ever heard of that produces a slab foundation offsite.

As many of our readers and customers know, we have dedicated services teams of professionals (program and supply chain managers, architects, engineers, and more) that have been with us since the foundation of the company 2 years ago. Figuring out which goods and services are best suited for offsite manufacturing is one of our services team's secret sauces that supercharges your use long-term use of KatalystDI.

Even if you don't have a dedicated services management contract with us, you will start to hear more from some of our best team members (I've highlighted a few of our rockstars below) throughout the time you work with us.

Customer satisfaction is important to us, and sometimes you may need an extra hand when tackling a new challenge, like figuring out what you should be paying for products and services integral to your project's success. This team is another resource you can turn to for advice.