Posted on Fri, May 27, 2011
Last night, with only hours before three provisions were set to expire, President Obama arose early in the morning in France in time to review, approve, and sign an extension of the Patriot Act. Except that he didn't actually do any signing. Instead, the President authorized the use of an autopen, a machine which holds a pen and signs his signature.
With the adoption of the Uniform Electronic Transactions Act (UETA) and the Electronic Signatures in Global and National Commerce Act (ESIGN) by all but three states, electronic signatures are now legally recognized and commonly used in business, and in particular, for payroll transactions. Those states (IL, NY, and WA) that have not, have their own statutes pertaining to electronic transactions.
Even contractors performing work on government projects under the Bacon-Davis Act are allowed to use electronic signatures as long as they submit a Statement of Compliance that is signed and submitted after every payroll cycle.
So how are signatures captured electronically
in a mobile time tracking system? Our customers using mJobTime capture signatures using smartphones devices with built-in capabilities like the ES400, or by using a usb-connected digital signature pad.
As stated in ESIGN and UETA, electronic signatures have the same legal weight and effect as handwritten ones, and without all the paper, are much more environmental friendly.
Not only do electronic signatures help the environment, but by eliminating all of the paper that would otherwise be used, they can also reduce costs substantially. However, the biggest advantage of electronic signatures might be the increased efficiency they produce as well as the convenience they offer.
Posted on Sat, May 21, 2011
Modular home construction started gaining acceptance in the early 20th century. Sears Roebuck Co. sold between 70,000 to 100,000
pre-fabricated homes between 1908 and 1940. The market continued to grow and evolve through the remainder of the 20th century and into the 21st century.
But modular building for commercial use seems to be a market now gaining momentum.
In its latest SmartMarket Report -
Prefabrication and Modularization: Increasing Productivity in the Construction Industry, McGraw-Hill Construction details the benefits available to users. Of the more than 800 architecture, engineering and contracting (AEC) professionals surveyed, 66% report improved project schedules, 65% report decreased project costs, and 77% report reduced construction site waste.
It is the last item that suggests the importance of the green benefits of modular construction:
- Less construction waste - materials that may have been assigned to one project can be re- allocated to another
- Portability - modular buildings are considered permanent structures, but if necessary, they can be disassembled, moved, and re-assembled
- Fewer site disturbances - jobsite traffic is greatly reduced, especially for vendor deliveries.
- Improved indoor air quality - the potential for high levels of moisture being trapped in the new construction is eliminated
- Reduced construction schedules – because site preparation and construction take place at the same time, most projects can be completed 30 percent to 50 percent sooner.
Sustainable Living Innovations, a consortium comprised of consultants from architectural design, construction, MEP(mechanical, electrical, and plumbing), and structural engineering, bills itself as the only “pre-fabricated system on the market that is scalable for mid-rise structures”. Their
system involves pouring separate concrete floor slabs on the footprint of a building, erecting a prefabricated steel frame around it to form the structure and then using hydraulic jacks to lift into place the roof and floor slabs already fitted with walls, cabinets and fixtures.
Royal Concrete Concepts of West Palm Beach, Florida offers their modular system as a building solution that can be shipped and constructed quickly almost anywhere. A well-documented success in Haiti following the recent devastating earthquake there has RCC now setting their sights on a much bigger market. A $55-million terminal for Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd at Labadee, 85 mi away, suffered no damage. It had been delivered by Allied Builders of Fort Lauderdale, only weeks prior, and was constructed of precast concrete panels and modular units that RCC specifically engineered to be hurricane- and seismic-resilient. Allied is now planning to use RCC for rebuilding projects in Haiti, says Alex Fullerton, Allied manager.
So what are the disadvantages of modular building?
- Limited Customization - Modular buildings can be customized to a certain extent, but these designs have limits on changes to the shape or look.
- Limited Service Area - Since the modules are constructed in a factory and then shipped to the building site, the building site needs to be within 300 miles of the factory. The costs and transportation dfficulties greatly increase for building sites farther than 300 miles.
- Confusing Zoning Rules - Since modular buildings are just now becoming popular, local zoning boards must develop a better understanding of this type of structure.
Do companies like Sustainable Living Innovations and Royal Concrete Concepts represent the future for commercial construction, or will their limitations confine them to a niche-market status?
Posted on Fri, Apr 15, 2011
People often ask us, “What choices do I have for getting my mobile time tracking data from the field back to the office? Do the options depend on what type of device I’m using? What are the costs associated with each?
These are all excellent questions, and we’d like to list our responses by type of device as follows:
Mobile Hand-held Devices Using Wi-Fi Communication
• Using any available public wireless network including McDonald's, Starbucks, hotels, airports, cafes, restaurants, and other public establishments. Some charges may apply.
• Through companies offering high speed wireless Internet through Wi-Fi "Hot Spots" nationwide such as Boingo or iPass. Currently, their plans start at $7.95 month,
• Through your own wireless network if you have one. No additional costs are involved.
Mobile Hand-held Devices With Cellular Data Plans
• Through a cellular data plan anywhere or anytime cellular service is available (be sure to check with your cell service provider). Cellular data plans can vary widely by carrier and usage, so be sure to do your homework. At last check the cost of these plans ranged from $25 to $40 per month for data only. Adding texting will increase the cost fairly substantially.
• Using Bluetooth to connect an otherwise disconnected device to the internet via your cell phone. The cell phone must have a data plan. You can pair the device with the phone and relay the sync data thru the phone. However, this scenario requires Phone-As-Modem service on your phone or smartphone, and these plans can range from $30 to $80. Also, T-Mobile does not support its phones as a modem.
PC Workstations, Netbooks, Laptops and Tablet PCs
• Utilize any internet connection available to sync - high-speed, pay as you go dialup, or the Wifi plans mentioned above,
• Mobile broadband aircards or built-in access cards enable a connection to the internet via the cellular provider’s network. A data plan is required. Be sure to shop around for data plans and aircards for each carrier. Aircards retail for around $250, but with special pricing can be much less expensive or even free!
Wall Mounted Time Clocks
• Connect the device via serial (RS232/RS485), modem or Ethernet
• Download your data to any portable laptop, netbook, etc., and then sync thru any of the sync methods mentioned immediately above
Which Option is Best?
Which method you select will be determined in large part by the dynamics of your particular situation. If your employees report to the office at the beginning and end of the day, then easily your best choice would be to sync through your own wireless network or via a cable connected to a workstation on your local network.
If they go directly to a jobsite or other location, and a public wi-fi hotspot is readily accessible during the day, then that would probably be the optimal solution. If no hotspot is available, then your choices would probably come down to either employing a cellular data plan, or a utilizing a plan through a wireless communication services provider like Boingo or iPass.
If you are considering a mobile time tracking application like mJobTime and have questions regarding syncing or any other issue, please feel free to contact us at 800-387-1109 or at
info@mjobtime.com.
Posted on Fri, Apr 08, 2011
It’s the middle of your work afternoon, and all of a sudden you hear that sweet little warning beep that tells you your smartphone battery, the one you use for phone calls, emails, news and weather updates, and especially for that fantastic mobile time tracking software application you can’t do without, is about to die! At this exact moment you start thinking to yourself – why isn’t my battery lasting longer?
Smartphones in general tend to be prone to shorter battery life because of all of the capabilities built into the phones. We’re here today to offer some tips that will hopefully extend the life of your battery, and what to do in case it still doesn’t last as long as you need it to.
Screen Brightness – If you’re getting a good tan from your smartphone screen, chances are that your setting is a little high. Turn it down to the lowest level that you can accept and do the same for the Backlight setting.
Email – most email programs utilize “Push” technology where email messages are delivered to you instantly or according to a pre-determined interval that you have set. Although undoubtedly, you are a very important person who needs to be updated often, your battery will continue to bring those messages for a longer period of time between charges if you will change the setting to “Check Manually”.
Wi-Fi – Wi-fi is not a real popular feature among cell-phone network providers because it allows you to send data via the Internet without one of their expensive little data plans. The one small problem with Wi-fi is finding an access point, and your device can use a whole lot of juice just trying to detect one. If you won’t be needing Wi-fi for a while, or maybe you’re in-route to a location where you will be using it, just turn it off until you need it.
Apps – Okay, so admit it, you use Facebook and Twitter on your smartphone! Do you really have to be notified immediately if someone Tweets you or sends a Facebook message? Didn’t think so. You can extend you battery life substantially if you turn these apps off when not using. Same goes for those services that help you locate the nearest Starbucks!
Other Tips(Duh!)
- Recharge early and often
- Carry a battery extender
- Carry a fully-charged spare
We hope these tips will help you avoid problems relating to short battery life. If you have any additional tips or comments we hope you’ll share them with us.
Posted on Mon, Apr 04, 2011
Probably the biggest factor in deciding upon a time tracking application is determining what application meets your most important needs at the lowest possible cost. No system can be the right solution for everybody. Low price systems will save you money, but will they do what you need them to do? High end systems may meet your requirements but can also have many features that you may never use.
Although an in-depth discussion is beyond the scope of this article, here are a few points to consider:
- Begin with a needs analysis. Identify your current processes that can be vastly improved through the use of mobile technology. It is very important that, in conducting your needs analysis, you include employees from many different areas of your business – field operations, accounting, payroll, and any other department that will be affected.
- Investigate. Be diligent in not only seeking possible solutions, but in analyzing each viable option to a very detailed level. The more you learn about each application, the better informed you will be to make the right decision.
- Conduct a thorough financial analysis of savings and costs. Determine the savings to be received for each change in process. If it takes X amount of time before a change, and it takes Y amount of time afterwards, one can calculate the difference of X minus Y as a savings resulting from productivity improvement. Obtain an accurate estimate of the cost of the software including the price of all licenses or subscriptions, installation and training costs including travel expenses, the cost of annual maintenance, and any customization costs that may be needed. In many cases, you will also need new or upgraded hardware on which the software will run. Determine this cost along with any associated expenses. The total of software costs, hardware costs, and any other costs will be weighed against the calculated savings over a 1 to 3 year period to determine the net benefit.
Businesses are much more likely to invest in items that achieve payback quickly. A good rule of thumb is for a company to be able to recover their costs within no more than 12 months. A mobile time tracking software solution that is a great fit will, in all likelihood, allow companies to recoup their investment in even less time.
If you need assistance in calculating your ROI of mobile time tracking software, please call us at 866-922-8463 or email us at info@mjobtime.com.
Posted on Wed, Mar 30, 2011
Welcome to the latest edition of MobileTime, a blog about the issues affecting mobile time tracking, and the Construction Industry in general. Our goal for this blog is to provide useful, helpful information presented in a concise format to our customers and all others who might benefit. Today's article will feature select news topics regarding the construction industry as a whole.
Private sector adds 201,000 jobs in March: ADP - 3/30/11
Figure is in line with economists‘ forecast and shows that the economy continues to recover at a reasonable pace.
Economist: Two more years for construction to rally - 3/25/11
Speaking at ConExpo-Con/Agg 2011 in Las Vegas, the chief economist for the Portland Cement Association stated that even with modest signs of economic growth, tough conditions will permeate the construction industry for at least two more years.
Japan’s Post-Earthquake Rebuilding Begins With Prefab Housing for Evacuees - 3/27/11
In a sign of the changing times, prefectures in Japan will assist the estimated 243,000 displaced refugees by building prefab homes to serve as temporary housing.
Price Escalations May Lead Aggressive Bidders To Default – 3/23/11
Construction prices rose 6.1% between February 2010 and February 2011, while prices for finished buildings remained nearly flat according to the U.S. Labor Dept.’s Producer Price Index.
Office Markets Look and Feel a Lot Better — But Higher Rents Still Some Way Off
According to a recent Colliers International report, U.S. office vacancy rates are down sharply signaling that the U.S. office market has unquestionably turned the corner.
February Construction Slips 4% - 3/16/11
New construction starts in February fell 4% from the previous month, according to a recent report by McGraw-Hill Construction. Starts continue to fluctuate within a set range, but job growth seems to be picking up, vacancy rates are beginning to recede, and interest rates remain low.
Posted on Wed, Nov 17, 2010
News Release
Contact:
Richard Daniels
VP/CFO
+1 800.387.1109
richard.daniels@mjobtime.com
mJobTime Accepted Into Viewpoint Construction
Software's New Development Partner Program
BEAUMONT, TX, November 17, 2010 – mJobTime Corporation is pleased to announce that it has been accepted into Viewpoint Construction Software’s new Development Partner Program.
“We are very excited to be one of the first members to be accepted into this program,” said Richard Daniels, Chief Financial Officer of mJobTime Corporation. “Viewpoint has long been recognized as an industry leader in integrated, construction-specific software with consistently high customer satisfaction rates and cutting-edge technology.”
Through this partnership, mJobTime and Viewpoint Construction Software will have better access to each other’s technology platform, training, learning materials and more. This will allow the two companies to further integrate their products and provide their mutual clients with a synergistic solution for their needs.
“The heightened awareness and increased demand for our Viewpoint V6 Software, along with requests for integration to unique software suites helped us realize the need for a comprehensive program that will assure our customers compatibility with data migration,” explained Viewpoint CEO, Jay Haladay.
Haladay concluded, “We are committed to the long-term success and growth of this program and establishing strong relationships with our partners. We’re confident that the Viewpoint Development Partner Program is the right solution for accomplishing those objectives.”
About mJobTime Corporation
mJobTime Corporation is a leader in mobile time tracking software solutions for the construction industry. For more than 15 years the company has delivered easy-to-use, scalable and customizable software that allows organizations to successfully manage their mobile workforce. The flagship product, mJobTime, delivers a substantial savings of time and money to businesses of all sizes by significantly improving and streamlining control over labor, equipment, and activities at the job site.
About Viewpoint Construction Software
Viewpoint Construction Software provides construction professionals with integrated, configurable applications for all aspects of project management, financial planning and day-to-day operations. Utilizing an award-winning Microsoft®.Net Framework and SQL Server database, Viewpoint Construction Software delivers a rock-solid software solution that’s as reliable and important as any tool on your site.
Posted on Thu, Jun 17, 2010
News Release
Contact:
Richard Daniels
VP/CFO
+1 800.387.1109
richard.daniels@mjobtime.com
mJobTime Introduces Version To Run On BlackBerry Devices
BEAUMONT, Texas., June 17, 2010 – mJobTime Corporation, a leading provider of wireless time tracking solutions for the construction industry, today announced the launch of mJobTime for BlackBerry. With this new development, the BlackBerry becomes the latest in a series of devices that can integrate with mJobTime’s mobile time tracking software. These include smartphones, laptops, netbooks, tablets, desktops, time clocks, and biometric devices.
BlackBerry is a line of mobile e-mail and smartphone devices developed by Canadian company Research In Motion (RIM) and is the most popular smartphone among U.S. business users. In the United States, BlackBerry handsets are the best-selling smartphones. According to a March report from ComScore, 42.7 million Americans currently use smartphones, of which 43 percent are RIM handsets.
About mJobTime Corporation
mJobTime Corporation is a leader in mobile time tracking software solutions for the construction industry. For more than 15 years the company has delivered easy-to-use, scalable and customizable software that allows organizations to successfully manage their mobile workforce. The flagship product, mJobTime, delivers a substantial savings of time and money to businesses of all sizes by significantly improving and streamlining control over labor, equipment, and activities at the job site.
Posted on Wed, Apr 14, 2010
News Release
Contact:
Richard Daniels
VP/CFO
+1 800.387.1109
richard.daniels@mjobtime.com
mJobTime Corporation Signs Agreement With Leading Technology Provider
BEAUMONT, TX, April 14, 2010 – mJobTime Corporation today announced the signing of an agreement with Sunrise Technology Group, Inc., a leading provider of technology solutions for the construction industry. This agreement allows Sunrise to offer mJobTime mobile time tracking software solutions to their existing Construction Manager and Maxwell Management Suite customers in the Carolinas and provide a local presence for this solution.
“We are extremely excited to join forces with Sunrise Technology Group,” said Rich Daniels, Vice President and CFO of mJobTime Corporation. “With their long history of providing outstanding service to construction companies in the Southeast, Sunrise understands the needs and issues of their customers and can provide appropriate solutions.”
“At a time when efficiency and productivity are critical to construction companies, mJobTime Corporation’s wireless time tracking software will help Sunrise’s customers remain competitive. Tracking and controlling labor costs leads to immediate and measureable gains in productivity by increasing operational control and improving efficiency both in the field and in the office.” Daniels said.
According to Steve Maddox, Principal of Sunrise Technology Group, Inc., “we were looking for a solution that we could represent to our clients that offered a tight integration with our existing applications. We have worked with other time tracking solutions in the past but none of them provided the complete integration that this product allows. Capturing labor hours in the field, along with other field related information, is a time consuming yet critical part of managing labor costs in the construction industry. Most construction companies still rely on paper forms that are filled out after the fact with little accountability and inadequate accuracy. Then the forms have to be approved by management and sent to the office where they can be entered manually into job cost accounting systems such as Construction Manager and Maxwell Management Suite.” Maddox went on to say, “now, with this new solution, customers can have foreman or superintendents clock employees in and out or fill out timesheets, using a field device for easy entry of time and cost codes, sent wirelessly to the office for management approval and importing into their accounting systems for final review and processing.”
Sunrise will be presenting this industry leading solution at their users meetings being held throughout the Carolinas in late March and April. Contact Sunrise sales for more information.
About mJobTime Corporation
mJobTime Corporation is a leader in mobile time tracking software solutions for the construction industry. For more than 15 years the company has delivered easy-to-use, scalable and customizable software that allows organizations to successfully manage their mobile workforce. The flagship product, mJobTime, delivers a substantial savings of time and money to businesses of all sizes by significantly improving and streamlining control over labor, equipment, and activities at the job site.
About Sunrise Technology Group, Inc.
Sunrise Software, Inc and affiliated company Sunrise Technology Group, Inc. is the Southeast’s leading provider of construction-specific accounting, job cost, service management and project management solutions. Since 1984, Sunrise has worked exclusively with the construction industry and an experienced staff of industry veterans provides their 500+ contractor clients with award-winning telephone support, training and consulting services.
Posted on Thu, Jul 02, 2009
News Release
Contact:
Richard Daniels
VP/CFO
+1 800.387.1109
richard.daniels@mjobtime.com
mJobTime Named To Constructech 50 Hottest Companies List For 2009
Beaumont, Texas., July 2, 2009 – mJobTime Corporation has been selected as one of the 50 Hottest Companies by Constructech magazine. The Beaumont-based company is the developer of mJobTimeTM, one of the construction industry’s leading wireless software solutions for tracking labor time, equipment time and daily logs.
The Constructech 50 Hottest for 2009 is a listing of the most influential construction technology providers with a strong ongoing market presence. Winners were selected by the editors of Constructech magazine with assistance from its editorial advisory board.
“The Constructech 50 Hottest honors the hard work and innovation these exceptional companies have shown,” said Mike Carrozzo, chief editor of Constructech. “Although economic turmoil has impacted the construction industry, this year’s winners have demonstrated original and creative thinking and product development that enables the industry to solve problems and improve efficiency and production.”
“Constructech magazine strives to provide readers with the winning solutions and the necessary information that will improve business practices,” said Peggy Smedley, editorial director of Constructech. “This compilation of solution providers who make up the Constructech 50 Hottest companies, as well as the industry insight found throughout the Constructech IT Playbook, arms readers with the knowledge they need to make successful implementations now and into the future.”
About mJobTime Corporation
mJobTime Corporation is a leader in mobile time and attendance software solutions for the construction industry. For more than 15 years the company has delivered easy-to-use, scalable and customizable software that allows organizations to successfully manage their mobile workforce. The flagship product, mJobTime, delivers a substantial savings of time and money to businesses of all sizes by significantly improving and streamlining control over labor, equipment, and activities at the job site.
About Constructech Magazine
As the only publication focused exclusively on the technology needs of the construction professional, Constructech magazine is the industry’s advocate for driving technology initiatives forward and bringing visionaries together. Focusing on both the commercial and residential sectors, Constructech takes the perspective of the construction professional in uncovering the true value of information technology tools, automated home technology options, and building control automation.