AI for the Trades: How Granular Data is Reshaping Construction

SAN FRANCISCO, CA – May 18, 2026 – In a move signaling a significant technological shift for specialty trades, Performance Contracting Group (PCG), the largest drywall and ceiling contractor in the United States, has entered into a multi-year enterprise agreement with AI-powered construction technology firm Track3D. The deal establishes Track3D’s Reality Intelligence platform as the new standard for progress monitoring across PCG’s most complex projects, highlighting a growing trend of digital transformation reaching the vital, yet often underserved, specialty contracting sector.

PCG, a titan in the industry managing approximately 12,000 projects annually, is deploying the technology to automate and refine how it tracks its intricate work. Since the rollout began, Track3D has already been applied to over $413 million in active project value, demonstrating the scale of the implementation. The partnership underscores a pivotal moment where cutting-edge AI is being tailored not just for general project oversight, but for the highly detailed needs of the craftspeople executing the work.

Closing the Tech Gap for Specialty Trades

For decades, the benefits of construction technology have disproportionately flowed to general contractors (GCs), who focus on the big-picture orchestration of a job site. Software platforms have traditionally mirrored this perspective, tracking progress in broad strokes. A GC might track 'drywall installation' as a single line item, but for a specialty contractor like PCG, that single item fragments into a dozen distinct, critical tasks: framing, hanging, taping, finishing, and more. Each carries unique labor costs, crew assignments, and billing implications.

This discrepancy has left specialty contractors in a lurch, often resorting to time-consuming manual methods—spreadsheets, photos, and physical walk-throughs—to track their progress with the necessary level of detail. The press release highlights a stark example of this inefficiency, noting that Track3D replaced a process where two PCG team members spent up to three days each week manually compiling progress reports. This single automation saved the team up to 48 hours of administrative labor per week, freeing them to focus on field execution and proactive problem-solving.

“Tracking the granular detail a trade partner demands, tying installed work directly to our specific cost codes, isn’t something legacy platforms were built to handle,” said Brett Dahmer, CFO of Performance Contracting Group, in the announcement. “Track3D didn’t ask us to fit our work into their model. They built on how PCG operates, automating our reporting process and giving our people their time back.”

This 'field-first' approach addresses a critical market need. The construction industry is rife with data, but that data is often siloed and underutilized. By creating a platform that speaks the language of the trade—linking directly to PCG’s internal cost codes for 65 unique drywall and ceiling elements—Track3D provides a solution that integrates seamlessly into existing workflows rather than disrupting them.

The Engine: How Reality Intelligence Works

At the heart of the partnership is Track3D's Reality Intelligence platform, an AI-first system designed to convert raw site data into actionable business insights. The platform functions as a unified hub, ingesting reality capture data from a variety of sources, including 360-degree cameras, laser scanners, and even LiDAR-enabled smartphones. This visual and spatial data is then processed by a powerful AI engine.

The AI uses advanced computer vision to automatically identify and quantify installed components, comparing the real-world progress against Building Information Modeling (BIM) designs and project schedules. This automated analysis powers two key features: ProgressTrack, which provides real-time, objective data on what has been completed, and DeviationTrack, which flags discrepancies between the plan and the on-site reality before they become costly rework.

This technology is what enables the system to move beyond simple photo documentation to provide true, quantifiable intelligence. For PCG, this means the platform can automatically distinguish between 'framing installed' and 'drywall hung,' log the quantities, and map the progress directly to the corresponding financial cost code. This automated, objective verification streamlines billing, improves forecasting, and provides an indisputable record of work completed.

“Track3D is built field-first, and working with PCG pushed us to go even deeper to track at the specificity their work demands,” noted Chaitanya NK, Co-Founder & CEO of Track3D. “That collaboration shaped how we evolved the platform, and seeing it translate into real impact across their portfolio is what makes partnerships like this worth everything.”

A Market Validation and Competitive Push

The adoption of such advanced technology by an established industry leader like PCG, founded in 1963, serves as a powerful validation for the entire construction technology sector. It demonstrates a clear recognition that embracing digital tools is no longer optional but essential for maintaining a competitive edge in an industry grappling with labor shortages, supply chain volatility, and tight margins.

This partnership builds on Track3D's growing enterprise momentum. The company previously announced a similar agreement with Hensel Phelps, one of the nation's largest general contractors. By securing enterprise deals with leaders from both the GC and specialty trade sides of the industry, Track3D is proving its thesis that both groups need different, tailored views of the same underlying site data.

Investor confidence in this strategy is strong. Track3D has raised a total of $14.3 million in funding, including a $10 million Series A round in late 2025. This capital is fueling its expansion in a fiercely competitive market. The construction AI and reality capture space includes major players like OpenSpace, Doxel, and Buildots, all of whom have also raised significant funding. Track3D's strategic focus on providing deep, trade-specific granularity appears to be its key differentiator in this crowded field.

As major players like PCG set a new standard for operational efficiency, the pressure will mount for other specialty contractors to adopt similar tools. The quantifiable benefits—research suggests such platforms can reduce rework by up to 20% and improve schedule adherence by over 10%—are too significant to ignore. This agreement is more than just a contract; it is a glimpse into the future of construction, where data-driven precision empowers the skilled trades that form the backbone of the industry.