Global Standards, Local Solutions: McLaren’s Smart Approach to Digitalising UAE Construction.

McLaren manages vast, diverse labour forces across complex, zoned construction sites in the UAE. The company needed a single source of truth, one system that could connect people, presence, and processes to provide real-time visibility of who was on site, where, and when. The standard McLaren/innDex approach utilised so effectively in the UK needed tweaking as the regional context presented unique challenges that required a custom approach.

Adapting to the UAE Context.

The UAE construction market operates differently from the UK in several key ways. Labour forces are often composed of large numbers of migrant workers from multiple countries, speaking different languages. Many operatives lack personal digital access, they may not have email addresses or smartphones, making standard digital workflows impractical. Additionally, local process norms and legislative frameworks shape how site operations and compliance must be managed.

Recognising this, innDex and McLaren worked together to redesign the workflow for the region retaining the same end goal of accurate, real-time visibility, but adjusting responsibilities and tools to suit the on-the-ground realities.

A Customised Approach.

Instead of relying on every worker to create an individual account, McLaren’s timekeepers now handle bulk onboarding through innDex. This allows entire teams to be uploaded in one go, accelerating setup while maintaining control and data accuracy.

On site, McLaren implemented a zone-based, mixed-hardware approach to match the flow of people through the project area. Operatives and subcontractors first pass a face scan at the bus drop-off point, ensuring immediate identification on arrival. At the office security area, tablet-based scans manage controlled entry, while turnstiles at the physical site boundary act as a hard control point.

This layered system captures clean, real-time presence data wherever a person crosses a threshold. It supports live roll calls, accurate time and attendance tracking, and gives McLaren confidence that only authorised personnel are in the right areas at the right time.

Early Outcomes and Benefits.

The impact was immediate. McLaren now benefits from live, undisputed presence data, giving site teams full visibility of everyone on site including subcontractors and consultants.

Accurate time records have revealed extended working patterns for some staff, insights that are helping the company manage fatigue risk and optimise resourcing. The system has also improved subcontractor oversight, allowing managers to confirm that the right engineers and supervisors are present when needed, strengthening both assurance and planning.

Crucially, this data foundation sets the stage for progressive consolidation. With access control and timekeeping now anchored in innDex, inspections, asset tracking, and other workflows can be brought into the same system, reducing tool sprawl and simplifying reporting.

Current Rollout.

The zone-based access control and time capture system is already live across McLaren’s UAE projects, operating seamlessly from bus drop-off to office entry and site boundary. All employees have been uploaded into innDex, and timekeeping is now under active trial. Meanwhile, teams are beginning to transition inspections and asset management away from paper-based or fragmented systems, integrating them into the innDex platform for a unified experience.

What’s Next.

The next evolution focuses on subcontractor bulk uploads of their own teams, shifting the administrative burden away from the McLaren team, sharing the load down the supply chain whilst still keeping McLaren firmly in control through a review and approval process. This will streamline the onboarding of mid-tier subcontractors, narrowing the operational “diamond” and making the system more efficient at scale.

As more workflows such as inspections, inductions, and competence records move into innDex, McLaren will achieve full “single-pane” visibility of its operations. The end result mirrors the outcomes seen in the UK: comprehensive dashboards, clear reporting, and precise visibility of workforce competence and attendance.

Why It Matters.

McLaren’s success lies in its pragmatic approach. Rather than imposing a UK-shaped process on a UAE-shaped reality, the company, with innDex’s support, kept the destination the same: best-in-class visibility and control. But the path to get there was tailored to the local context respecting workforce dynamics, shifting admin tasks to the right level, and aligning technology with actual site flows.

This is what true digital transformation looks like in a new market: the same standard, achieved through a different journey.