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For many years, paper was ubiquitous in the construction industry. From invoices to drawings, paper was everywhere – but this is all beginning to change. With the role of technology in construction continuing to grow, the modern jobsite has been forced to adapt and improve. One of the biggest improvements that many companies have adopted is going paperless.

Since technology is already being integrated into your day-to-day operations, it only makes sense to take the next step and eliminate paper. While this may seem like a no-brainer for enterprise-level construction companies, medium and smaller sized companies can also benefit from going paperless.

The Environmental Costs

Each year, more than 300 million tons of paper are consumed worldwide. Canada is the one of the world’s largest consumers of paper (second to only the US). Although first world countries make up a small percentage of the world’s population, they consume a disproportionate amount of paper compared to other countries. This results in deforestation, an increase in solid waste, and significant contributions to air and water pollution. Moving towards a paperless jobsite reduces your negative impact on the environment.

Sustainability is Good Business

Maybe you haven’t taken the time to think about your environmental footprint, and that’s okay. Many businesses are so focused on their bottom line, that they don’t consider how sustainability practices can have an overall positive financial impact. You may be surprised to learn that adopting sustainable practices is also good business. These practices help you to be more competitive and more attractive to consumers.

Increased Productivity and Lower Costs

If you’ve ever forgotten an important document or building plan and had to waste time driving back to the office, you understand the value of having access to documents in the cloud. Not only does a paperless jobsite eliminate the need to carry paper copies, but going paperless also helps cut down on administrative costs.

Handling paper can account for 30 percent of your organization’s overhead. This number takes into account the average number of hours workers spend on tasks such as filing, distributing, creating, retrieving, and destroying documents. A 2014 AIIM report showed that more than half of respondents see a return on their investment within a year of implementing paper-free projects.

How Can ToolHound Help?

ToolHound offers equipment and tool management software that is an integral part of any effort to reduce paper on the job site. Here are a few Toolhound Solutions that can help your company go paperless:

• ToolHound Purchasing Module – If you are still using a paper-based system for tool inventory tracking and purchase ordering, then ToolHound’s Purchasing Module is an excellent solution for you. It allows you to monitor item availability and usage to generate purchase orders.
• ToolHound 5 – ToolHound 5 offers paperless tool tracking and consumable tracking.
• Maintenance Module – The ToolHound Maintenance Module eliminates the need for paper work orders and service tasks.

If you have been considering reducing your paper consumption or going to a completely paperless jobsite, now is a good time to investigate tools that are specifically designed for the construction industry, such as Toolhound’s construction inventory management system.