Dr Steven Farmer, CEO at Alconex, explains how infrastructure and solutions company Alconex highlights the importance of human involvement in digital innovation.

In a sector long dominated by paper trails, manual processes and legacy systems, digital transformation can sometimes feel more like evolution than revolution. But Alconex, supported by its multi-award-winning app UtiliMate, is proving that innovation, when done right, can be both disruptive and deeply human.

Alconex’s commitment to innovation and digital transformation has earned it significant recognition across the industry so far in 2025. The company was proudly awarded the UK Digital Excellence Award for Standout Mobile App, which has redefined how utility operations are managed in real time. In addition, Alconex was named Digital Contractor of the Year at the prestigious UK Digital Construction Awards, in recognition for its leadership in leveraging technology to drive efficiency, safety and scalability on complex infrastructure projects. Further cementing its reputation, Alconex has also been shortlisted as a finalist for the Digital Excellence Awards at the Construction News Specialist Awards, highlighting its continued impact and influence within the broader construction and utilities sectors.

At the heart of Alconex’s success lies a powerful idea: technology alone doesn’t drive transformation, people do. While the utilities industry grapples with an aging workforce and complex safety and compliance requirements, Alconex has set itself apart by focusing on technology that works for people, not the other way around.

The company’s digital journey began with a clear mandate: build a solution that not only meets the high bar of utility safety and quality standards, but one that field teams would want to use, rain, sleet or shine. That solution became UtiliMate, a mobile-first app designed to function seamlessly in the unpredictable conditions of UK worksites and to be as intuitive as using a smartphone.

The secret? A deep understanding that digital transformation is 50% about technology, and 50% about anthropology.

Alconex’s developers worked closely with field teams, creating simple, intuitive interfaces, such as radio buttons and drop-down menus, that minimized time spent on screens and maximized ease of use. Rather than deploying the solution from a distance, the team went on-site, walking crews through real-world use cases, gathering feedback and iterating based on what users actually needed. This boots on the ground approach not only improved adoption, it turned frontline workers into co-creators of the digital future.

But innovation at Alconex isn’t just about user experience it’s also smart business. In an industry defined by tight margins, UtiliMate delivers a clear return on investment. By digitizing work track sheets supplemented by progress photos, safety documentation and quality checks and then making all this information instantly accessible to commercial teams and clients via a real-time dashboard, the app significantly reduces administrative overhead while increasing transparency and efficiency.

This shift isn’t just about saving time; it’s about unlocking scalability. With over 200 live projects across the UK for over 100 separate customers, Alconex now has a platform that supports sustainable growth, enabling the company to manage complexity without adding unnecessary layers of administration or cost.

Innovation is one of Alconex’s core values and continues to drive its strategy. With new developments on the horizon including AI-powered analytics and predictive insights the business is well-positioned to remain ahead in an increasingly competitive utilities and energy landscape.

As digital transformation accelerates across infrastructure sectors, Alconex offers a compelling blueprint: start with people, build with purpose and let innovation flow from the ground up.