Concrete Products

MAY 2012

Concrete Products covers the issues that attract producers of ready mixed and manufactured concrete focusing on equipment and material technology, market development and management topics.

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FEATURE TRUCKS & COMPONENTS TWISTED PAIR SOLUTIONS WAVE PUSH-TO-TALK SERVICE The construction industry heavily relies on various moving resources to work in unison for efficient job completion. This includes mobile, office and dispatch workers, suppli- ers and distributors, as well as fleets and equipment. One essential component to maximizing the productivity of these often-dispersed entities is effective, clear, real-time communication. Historically, construction and concrete work crews had restricted communication options. Radios, which offer the immediacy and reliability of push-to-talk communica- tion, are limited in their range as they are built on private networks. Radios also require expensive, continual upgrades and the bulky, single-purpose devices do not offer benefits beyond voice communication. Similarly, car- rier-based solutions offer a radio over a cel- lular network and while these devices are more practical and less expensive, they also lock users into a specific device and service provider and still limit the functionality and coverage area based on the provider. Today, with the proliferation of smart- phones, tablets and other communication devices, there is an easier, more cost-effec- tive way to achieve real-time, push-to-talk communication between teams of mobile workers through software applications. Software solutions allow these devices to connect at any time, over any data net- work, essentially creating a single, geo- graphically unrestricted network. Software allows companies to leverage their existing communication infrastructure to experi- ence seamless two-way communication be- tween work crews and teams. WAVE Connections is a next-generation, push-to-talk service that has proven the value of software-based communications, helping construction workers and their service providers connect more quickly, using the mobile devices they already carry. The communications service operates from any smartphone or tablet, allowing users to download an application and push-to-talk with each other from their Android, iPhone, Windows Mobile, or BlackBerry de- vice without the hassle of stopping to place calls. And, unlike other push-to-talk op- tions, WAVE Connections works with any carrier, over any 3G/4G or Wi-Fi network. WAVE Connections improves teamwork by reducing human latency, making all individ- uals involved with a project readily avail- able. Crew efficiency and worksite productivity are improved when workers have network and device independence, al- lowing collaboration to occur from any loca- tion at any time on any device. For example, with a foundation concrete pour, the service would allow a ready-mixed producer and a truck dispatcher to communicate seamlessly and instantly with each other, allowing for more timely deliveries with less idle truck time on site. Similarly, a construction proj- ect manager could easily communicate on his Android phone with the superintendent at another job site on his Blackberry, with crews on their radios and even with the ad- ministrative assistant on a landline phone. In addition, WAVE Connections allows users to extend other smartphone capabilities be- yond voice, including data, location and presence, over any carrier data or Wi-Fi net- work. For example, GPS capabilities can help companies keep track of their equipment trucks and crew locations, allowing them to deploy resources as needed. Data collection devices can also be integrated, allowing the flow of information to improve and, in turn, enhance decision-making and approval processes. Software integration can also fur- ther improve task allocation and mainte- nance processes as well as monitoring work progress and crews' health and safety. Prepared by James Mustarde, Marketing Di- rector for Twisted Pair Solutions, a specialist in critical communications applications for commercial, public sector and defense or- ganizations and operator of WAVE Connec- tions, the world's first device, network and location independent push-to-talk service. He speaks and writes on the benefits of se- cure and interoperable software-based uni- fied communications for mobile workforces. Contact: james.mustarde@twistpair.com Built on technology deployed by government and military organizations around the world, WAVE Connections provides users with the same reliability and security in their business' critical communications. Additionally, it is the only push-to-talk service that doesn't lock its users into a two-year contract. Users can change or upgrade their service at will, add or remove users and channels without penalty, and only pay for those services that are used during the monthly billing cycle. 30 | MAY 2012 WWW.CONCRETEPRODUCTS.COM

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