Reimagining Construction with L&T: A Real-World Take on Digitization

The construction and infrastructure industry has grown exponentially in recent years, and we’re not blind to this growth or its future. The results are shockingly BIG and right in front of our eyes every time we step outside. Vast roads, buildings shaped like dreams, and a rich, tasteful infrastructure landscape — nobody wants to settle for “basic” anymore. Everyone wants their creativity to run wild.

So, how does the construction industry bring this creativity to life and meet the demand? The old way.

All that climbing up, only to jump back down again. Seriously, this industry embraced every single industrial revolution with open arms… until now — the Digital Age. The industry has expensive machinery, advanced tools, and high-tech vehicles at its disposal! And let’s be honest — these additions have helped business in a big way.

So, it begs the question: why is the construction industry still hesitant to catch up with the digital age? Because, in my opinion — it’s great! Everything becomes faster, more controlled, accessible, and endlessly scalable. Yet, for many, it remains uncharted territory.

But I’m not here to bore you with unproven stats and charts. Instead, let me show you the real-world impact digitization can have on everyday operations through the lens of an industry leader – enter, Larsen & Toubro.

Larsen & Toubro – The Building Blocks of Complexity

Larsen & Toubro Construction, India’s largest construction organization and ranked among the world’s top 30 contractors, has been transforming cityscapes and landscapes with structures of immense size and grandeur for the past 8.7 decades. The company’s capabilities span the entire gamut of construction — Heavy Civil, Transportation, Smart World, Communication, Power, and more — with services extending across all core sector industries and infrastructure projects.

As massive as Larsen & Toubro is, not everything operates under one roof. Simply put, L&T is a giant in the industry, but there’s still room for improvement — especially when it comes to managing field activities for one of its independent companies (ICs): L&T Transportation and Infrastructure (TI).

Moving Hurdles to Make Paths – The Transformation

We know that construction is by no means an easy business. In the case of L&T TI, long roadworks posed a significant challenge. Roadworks differ from standard construction projects — they are more complex and span longer distances than the average construction site. Add to that the heavy paperwork and slow communication involved in managing RFIs (Requests for Inspection) across various chainages on the roads.

Site Engineers frequently raised RFIs during ongoing construction. However, they couldn’t simply raise an RFI and continue with their work. First, they had to submit the RFI to their internal team for approval. Only after receiving approval could they proceed.

Now, you can imagine how much time this process consumes in the day-to-day operations of a construction site. Having to raise, review, and approve so many RFIs regularly is simply not sustainable — it takes up far too much valuable time.

The Turning Point 

We saw a problem and pitched L&T TI our digital solution — Pro-Inspector. It’s a tool that automates field audits, inspections, safety walks, and work permits through its rich checklist engine and dynamic reporting features. The built-in camera function makes it easy to capture evidence of non-conformities, while also helping monitor and track site performance — enabling quicker, more informed decision-making.

With Pro-Inspector, the L&T team significantly reduced the time spent on routine tasks. Since all RFIs (Requests for Inspection) were now raised over the cloud, the Planning Team could review and approve them instantly, and forward them to clients with just one click! The approval cycle was streamlined — as soon as an RFI was approved, Site Engineers received push notifications in real-time, allowing them to start work without delay. This end-to-end automation dramatically boosted efficiency and saved countless work hours for L&T TI.

Explore Other Features That Helped L&T Thrive.

Beyond streamlining RFIs, Pro-Inspector delivered a full suite of features that empowered L&T to operate faster, smarter, and more efficiently:

• Customizable Digital Checklists:
  Tailored to different types of inspections — from safety walks to quality audits — reducing redundancy and improving compliance.

• Real-Time Data Sync Across Teams:
  Ensures that site engineers, planning teams, and clients are always on the same page with real-time updates and centralized access.

• Offline Functionality for Remote Sites:
  Enabled field teams to conduct inspections and upload data even in areas with poor connectivity — syncing seamlessly once online.

• Photo & Video Evidence Capture:
  In-app camera support allowed users to document non-conformities with visual evidence, reducing disputes and improving clarity in reporting.

• Automated Reports & Dashboards:
  Instant generation of performance reports, audit summaries, and compliance dashboards, helping leadership make fast, data-driven decisions.

• Task & Issue Tracking:
  Non-conformities and safety violations could be assigned, tracked, and closed with clear accountability, reducing turnaround time.

• User Role Management:
  Enabled proper access control and responsibility segregation across contractors, engineers, and approvers within the project.

The L&T team recognized the importance of digitization and embraced Pro-Inspector wholeheartedly. Today, the platform helps them run operations more smoothly while also giving them a competitive edge — all without significant investment. The time saved is now redirected into more productive work.

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