Pomerleau and Zetane Systems announced a new innovation initiative to promote the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in the construction industry. The project received support from INVEST-AI of IVADO Labs that will cover a significant portion of the costs.
Pomerleau will extend its partnership with the Montreal-headquartered technology company specializing in industrial applications of AI to further develop predictive algorithms following their joint proof-of-concept project completed in 2021.
Zetane will now scale and deploy the technology to provide new means to avoid costs, reduce risks and optimize pre-construction planning. New technologies to maintain the sector’s competitiveness are of heightened significance: disruption from the pandemic caused construction costs to soar, which Statistics Canada estimates to have inflated the price for non-residential projects by 8.3% and residential projects by 20.3% in Q3 of 2021.
Major construction projects require diligent oversight and planning to ensure safety and to adjust estimated project costs and engineering specifications. By training algorithms to identify patterns in information, Pomerleau aims to automate some of these oversight tasks and equip its teams with better decision-making tools. One particular area of focus is the extraction of information from voluminous documents outlining client specifications and subcontractor quotes. Of broad benefit to all stakeholders in the pre-construction phase of a project will be a more rapid reassessment of changing construction plans.
“This project is yet another example where Pomerleau is at the forefront of innovation by leveraging the technological prowess of the Montreal startup ecosystem and the generous support of IVADO Labs’ INVEST-AI program. We chose Zetane based on their unique methods and tools, and our specific needs, for producing AI solutions for industry by their team of skilled industrial AI specialists,” stated Pomerleau’s Vice-President of Innovation and Technologies, Eric Lessard.
“We know first hand that AI is transforming the construction industry for the better. Zetane is already working on cutting-edge AI projects that range from simulations for training construction crane operators to optimizing the production of lumber-based construction materials, so the potential for the technology to cut costs and increase efficiencies is multifold. We thank Pomerleau for trusting us with this strategic initiative and InvestAI for providing outstanding opportunities for collaboration with Pomerleau to solve complex challenges in business,” said Guillaume Hervé, the CEO and co-founder of Zetane.
