Crane-mounted sensor and jobsite intelligence startup Versatile announced on Sept. 14 that it has secured $80 million in Series B funding. This comes on the heels of a $20 million Series A funding round secured in December 2020.

Working on an urban construction site, it’s a common observation that the cranes set the pace of the project. Managing hook time is key to productivity, and it’s been no different for Gilbane Construction Co. providing construction management at-risk services for the new Virginia General Assembly building in Richmond, Va. 

Hawaiian Dredging has used manual processes to track the productivity of the cranes on its jobsites in the past, but a deployment of Versatile's CraneView sensor package is automating some of that tedious and difficult work.

Efficiencies in design, construction and building use are being unlocked thanks to analysis and proactive changes informed by construction data. Even 3D printing for a NASA project on structures on Mars is on the table.

The World Economic Forum has named crane-sensor maker Versatile as one of its 2020 Technology Pioneers, an annual selection of technology start-ups and emerging companies that it thinks show promise.

After working though a recent pilot project, Turner Construction has found that a smart IoT crane-monitoring device from tech company Versatile is changing the way they run their cranes, with real benefits for productivity and weeks shaved off of construction schedules.