Are you investing in construction technology? One construction company is investing in technology in a big way—by acquiring some well-known technology providers.
Kiewit Corp., www.kiewit.com, Omaha, Neb., a commercial building firm focusing on commercial, education, government, healthcare, transit, and other types of construction projects, has been a big advocate of technology, investing in systems for years. However, now, the company has formed a wholly owned subsidiary called KTI (Kiewit Technology Inc.), and is giving a whole new meaning to the phrase ‘construction-technology acquisition.’
Just last week, KTI announced the acquisition of et alia, www.etalia.com, a SAP channel partner dedicated to developing, selling, and implementing technology. KTI’s other subsidiaries include Hard Dollar Corp., www.harddollar.com, and Aeka Consulting, www.aekaconsulting.com.
At the helm of this new venture is Bill Ponseti, chief executive officer, KTI, who has had experience at both construction firms and technology companies. He was formerly CIO at Roy Anderson Corp., www.rac.com, Gulfport, Miss., and vice president and GM of global industry business unit for engineering construction and operations at SAP, www.sap.com, Walldorf, Germany. He says with this latest acquisition of et alia, KTI has a comprehensive portfolio of solutions for the front-office, back-office, and field needs of construction and engineering companies.
With the acquisition of et alia, KTI plans to expand its solutions to help construction and engineering companies maximize ERP (enterprise-resource planning) tools.
More specifically, construction firms should keep a close eye on KTI in the future. The organization is positioning itself to offer a full suite of responsive, realtime data visualization tools to help connect all facets of construction and engineering operations.
The construction industry has heard similar messaging from a number of the large construction-technology providers that have made acquisitions in an effort to create a complete solution set, but it will be interesting to see how the subsidiary of a construction firm approaches this. Stayed tuned. The construction industry is bound to see more from KTI in the months to come.
