Conquer Labor Shortages with Pro Apps for Construction and Manufacturing

Quickbase Staff

4 months ago

There’s no denying that many industries and companies are facing a labor shortage.

Currently, over 25% of workers in manufacturing are aged 55+, meaning many of these folks will be looking to retire in the coming years -- and these experienced aging workers take with them a wealth of tacit industry knowledge that further widens the skills gap. As retirements occur and manufacturing capacity expands, some estimate that manufacturing could need 3.8 million new employees by 2033, but only half of these jobs will be filled (1), ultimately contributing to a growing labor shortage.

In construction, over 21% of workers are aged 55+. Due to the physically demanding nature of the job, workers tend to retire at a relatively young age, resulting in a smaller group of older employees. It can also be difficult to recruit young employees into certain sectors of construction that require training and apprenticeships (1). In 2025, it’s expected that the construction industry will need over 450k new workers (2). The disconnect between retirement, the demand for new workers, and difficulty recruiting younger workers could leave a substantial gap in the workforce.

Being understaffed comes with many challenges, like project delays, coordination and communication issues, and sometimes even safety concerns.

But you’re not in it alone. Our pro apps for construction and manufacturing help you maintain efficiency even with a leaner workforce. The apps consider the unique challenges your business faces and provide solutions to help you navigate them.

All apps are available now to install on The Exchange.

Pro Apps for Manufacturing

If you have a shortage of workers, it can be difficult to staff your shop floors adequately, maintain consistent productivity, stay on top of safety, and avoid delays. As orders are backlogged, resources become strained and can hurt your bottom line.

The pro apps, Shop Floor Management Solution and Site Safety Audits, are designed to help you navigate workforce shortages, keep production team schedules on track, and uphold quality standards, ensuring your shop floor continues to hum efficiently.

Shop Floor Management Solution (SFMS) App: Optimize shop floor operations and enhance workforce coordination. This app gives you total control so that you can reduce cycle times, minimize defects, and optimize asset use for higher yields. With daily heat maps, certification status visuals, and shift action assignments, you can improve communication across multiple shifts and departments, helping to keep production aligned.

Site Safety Audits App: Ensure safety compliance and protect your workers on the plant floor. Use this app to streamline inspections, identify hazards, and support OSHA and EHS compliance. With customizable checklists and real-time reporting, you can maintain a safe work environment for your teams and reduce the risk of accidents. 

Pro Apps for Construction

If you’re understaffed, it can be difficult to find the right crew for your projects, keep projects on schedule, and ensure job site safety. As projects are delayed, it becomes even more challenging to win additional work and can cause financial strain on your business.

The pro apps for construction are designed to help you stay on schedule and within budget, reduce safety risks, improve your bid processes, and avoid financial setbacks.

CRM and Bid Management App: Improve your bid process and win more work. This app helps you manage bids from takeoff to finish with clear visibility and control to keep everyone in the loop and win more projects.

Site Safety Audits App: Ensure job site safety and compliance. With this app, you can easily spot, prevent, and fix safety issues on site so you can maintain compliance and protect your crew. 

Prefab Tracking App: Improve coordination and prefab visibility. Use this app to enhance communication and oversight across your teams involved in prefab work and stay on track and within budget by managing your resources wisely. 

How to Install a Pro App

Installing an app is simple and should only take a few minutes! Watch the short video below to learn how to access the Exchange and find and install apps.