Modern Contractor Solutions January 2025 - 18

management solution
BUILDING MATERIALS
IMPs Reduce Labor
insulated metal panels keep projects moving
By Karim Muri
C
onstruction project delays are a persistent challenge in the
industry. According to a 2023 global construction survey
by KPMG, only half of owners said their projects are being
completed on time. Depending on the project size and length of delay,
construction delays on commercial projects can significantly escalate
project costs.
Two of the major factors compounding project delays today are labor
shortages and adverse weather conditions.
Issues like these are holding up construction projects, resulting in
missed deadlines, cost overruns, and contractual disputes. Keeping
construction projects on track requires building materials like insulated
metal panels (IMPs) that are designed to accelerate construction by
reducing the need for field labor.
THE CAUSE OF DELAYS
Ongoing skilled labor shortages and workforce constraints are slowing
down construction projects. A Bureau of Labor Statistics report revealed
that construction job openings increased 60 percent in August with
138,000 more job openings in this sector than in the previous month.
That increase represents the largest month-over-month increase on
record, according to Anirban Basu, chief economist for Associated
Builders and Contractors (ABC). ABC projects that in 2025, the industry
will need to bring in nearly 454,000 new workers on top of normal hiring
to meet industry demand.
Labor shortages are also wreaking havoc on construction backlogs. A
November report from ABC showed construction backlogs are roughly
8.4 months across the country. Though some backlog is healthy for
contractors, too much can deter new clients and lead to financial losses.
As the gap between demand and supply of construction workers
continues to widen, construction project timelines are going beyond
original estimates, driving up costs and delaying projects.
Construction planning software company Touchplan recently
captured data from users on over 321,000 scheduled construction
tasks to identify the issues that are having the biggest impact on
construction project schedules. One of the top reasons for schedule
variances related to staffing/crew/manpower issues, which resulted in
65,000 variances.
Adverse weather such as heavy rain and snowstorms is another
reason why construction schedules are delayed and disrupted. Weather
conditions can slow down construction processes, disrupt schedules,
and delay work, especially during the early phases of projects.
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JANUARY 2025
Touchplan data revealed that weather-related events caused 17,350
delays in construction tasks throughout the year, impacting material
delivery, labor productivity, and overall project timelines.
FASTER BUILD SPEEDS
IMPs deliver faster build speeds compared to traditional site-built,
multi-component wall enclosure systems. A prefabricated, ready-toinstall,
single-component system, IMPs require only one type of installer,
rather than multiple trades, reducing the need for field labor. At a time
when labor is in short supply, reducing the need for multiple trades is
critical to help keep projects on schedule.
IMPs also provide strong spanning capabilities. This time-saving
feature allows large areas to be covered quickly, which helps accelerate
speed of build.
A time-lapse video can show that it can take half as much time to
install IMPs compared to traditional multi-component wall systems.
All of these features allow IMPs to provide a weathertight building
envelope in reduced time, delivering a speed-of-build advantage that
gets projects dried-in faster, allows trades to move forward with interior
work sooner, and minimizes construction delays.
OTHER KEY BENEFITS
Speed of build is not the only advantage of IMPs.
IMPs also deliver unmatched thermal efficiency and a full vapor and
water barrier, offering high R-values of up to R-8.0 per inch. An energywww.mcsmag.com
http://www.mcsmag.com
Modern Contractor Solutions January 2025

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