Artificial intelligence (AI) and IoT can be added to cranes to improve the management of construction sites through a partnership between Montréal-based Creo and Versatile, an Israeli company specialising in the collection of metadata.

A total of $80m in funding has been raised to develop the technology behind CraneView, designed by Versatile, which, when mounted under a crane hook, collects continuously thousands of data points using sensors. Once analysed, this information can streamline decision-making on sites, optimise processes, improve team productivity and construction site safety, prevent delays, and check the condition of materials.

“We believe that facts do not lie, and that using measurable data will make the construction industry’s processes more transparent and efficient,” said Enzo Conte, CEO of Creo. “Deploying artificial intelligence on construction sites is a logical next step for the improvement of Creo’s project management services.”

Innovations and process improvements in the construction industry have always been important to Creo’s founders Jean-François Bertrand-Pelletier, and Enzo Conte. Together, they accumulate over 30 years of experience in major urban projects such as the city of Québec’s tramway and the Chum health centre in Quebec. Starting in 2010, they were among the first in Quebec to use cloud-based collaborative platforms and to implement recognised project management best practices.

Creo is composed of 20 experts who support companies optimising their operations by analysing their data. Therefore, this digital transformation enables informed decision-making using business intelligence.

“The construction industry is innovative, forward-thinking and worthy of the world’s leading technology investment,” said Meirav Oren, CEO of Versatile. The $80m investment is part of the second phase of funding, which comes mainly from technology companies such as Insight Partners and Tiger Global Management. The first