RQ Construction was having difficulties finding enough qualified drywall finishers at its worksites across the U.S. and in international locations in the Atlantic. RQ wanted to implement solutions to alleviate this, including the use of technology tools.

The drywall space, just like the broader construction industry, is facing dire labor challenges. In fact, because drywall finishing is one of the most labor-intensive trades in construction, these challenges are even more pronounced. Consider the following statistics, with respect to drywall finishing:

• Forty-one percent below average productivity (vs. other construction areas).
• Eighty percent of contractors cannot find labor.
• Twenty-five percent of workers have chronic injuries, mainly stemming from shoulder stress and falls from heights.

With one in four construction workers now reaching age 55 or above, it is estimated that over 40 percent of the entire construction labor pool will retire in the next 10 years. While this impacts the entire industry, the drywall trade feels the pressure even more in light of the abovementioned challenges.

Background

RQ Construction is a privately held design-build company headquartered in Carlsbad, California, that employs about 1,000 people across the United States. RQ has developed a reputation of providing quality design and construction services in a timely and cost-effective manner. Its construction projects are wide-ranging and include facilities in the aviation, educational, health care, hospitality, housing, maintenance, military and training spaces. The projects span the entire U.S., as well as international locations in the Atlantic. At RQ, the core values focus on safety, ethics, innovation, people, teamwork and discipline.

Challenge

As mentioned, RQ’s major challenge was finding the skilled drywall finishers needed for its projects. This was exacerbated by the following:

• Its customers require Level 5 drywall finish, which is the highest, premium level of finish. This finish is also the most intricate and needs the most skilled workers.
• The remote locations of its projects limit worker availability at those locations. Often, RQ had to bring in resources from other locations.
• The variability in the skill sets of drywall finishers. This variability was reflected in the output of the workers, both in terms of quality and productivity.

Solution

RQ chose Canvas because it was an advanced technology solution that could easily be deployed at any location, however remote. Canvas drywall machines feature a patented two-day finishing process and can deliver both Level 4 and Level 5 finishes (spray and sand) consistently through precision material application. This is in contrast to a typical five-day process.

RQ started with two Canvas drywall machines at commercial projects. Canvas trained multiple operators to use the two machines at different RQ project locations, including tropical locations, where humidity typically makes drying times longer than normal. This training ensured that operators could produce professional drywall finish, even though many of them were not in the drywall field by trade. With this success in the field, RQ quickly added a third Canvas machine.

“By partnering with Canvas, we are able to stay true to our vision of improving quality, reducing costs and decreasing cycle time for our customers while strengthening the safety and innovation aspects of our core values,” said Levi Litke, self-perform leader at RQ Construction.

A handheld tablet and controller screen.

Photo courtesy of Canvas

Results

RQ was able to see significant productivity and schedule improvements to complete Level 5 drywall finishes vs. the traditional manual process. The company was able to achieve:

• A 25 percent reduction in labor hours. In one instance, this was equivalent to 85.5 hours.
• A 50 percent schedule reduction in the coat and drying cycles.

For job sites located in tropical, humid locations, this reduction in drying cycles allowed RQ to do away with costly dehumidifiers or air conditioning units.

“Canvas’ innovative machines have helped us cut down our Level 5 drywall finish by approximately 50 percent, allowing us to complete projects ahead of schedule – we are shaving off days and even weeks,” Litke said. “They lift the burden off the worker’s body while reducing the barriers to staffing quality workers.”

Through the Canvas machines’ precise material application, RQ was able to achieve certainty in terms of the amount of drywall material needed at job sites. This has resulted in improved cost estimates and budgeting for the company.

Using Canvas machines also reduced the burden on workers’ shoulders and backs, leading to fewer injuries and decreased downtime. RQ can now offer a work environment that is safer than ever before.

Staffing drywall projects has also become much easier for RQ, as it can now attract new workers to the trade by training workers without drywall experience to operate Canvas machines.

Through its partnership with Canvas, RQ is able to fulfill its vision of improving quality, reducing costs and decreasing cycle time for its customers while strengthening the safety and innovation aspects of its core values.