Your work sites are becoming connected. Digitisation is taking place across all sectors, and construction is no exception.
Indeed, the construction sector’s digital transformation is growing exponentially with the development of digital tools. The new term for this is Construction 4.0, symbolised by efficiency, mobility, and responsiveness.
According to a worldwide study conducted by the International Data Corporation (IDC), “72% of construction companies worldwide say that digital transformation is a key priority in terms of pursuing essential changes related to their collaboration process, business model, and information ecosystem” (see: source).
Digital technology at the heart of the construction sector.
An entire ecosystem built around innovation in the construction sector now exists, providing gains in productivity and speed: covering everything from project design and planning to construction, management, and maintenance. Digital technology is therefore enabling construction trades to work more collaboratively, more quickly, and more responsively throughout the duration of the work site. After all, there are numerous challenges to be met: productivity, efficiency, and above all sustainability.
Digital technology is already impacting the way in which buildings and infrastructures are constructed and monitored. Yet the development of digital tools in the construction sector remains highly heterogeneous. Indeed, many companies still struggle with digital tools and construction software, despite their widespread use. There are many innovations that improve building management, though the central issue is not the existence of such tools, but their adoption by professionals and their interoperability and interconnectivity.
In addition, faced with the Covid-19 crisis, construction companies have come to understand the impact and benefits that digital technology can bring to this sector.
Future work sites 4.0.
We are gradually moving towards automated and highly optimised building sites, thanks to project automation (launched in the United States and Japan due to a shortage of workers in the construction sector), project management using tablets for building information modelling (BIM), 3D printers, site apps, site management and monitoring tools, etc. These technologies are bringing real modernity to the sector, and enhancing work quality while reducing costs.
Above all, these solutions are helping to overcome ever-greater constraints in project completion: increasingly short execution times, limited budgets, higher quality requirements, and the need to find the best talents at the right time.
For construction companies, there are now two digital drivers of operational efficiency:
- interactive and collaborative working processes
- connected resource and equipment management
Digital technology and productivity in the construction sector.
There is no doubt that digital technology can improve productivity in the construction sector. But for the time being, according to a study produced by McKinsey, there has been no such productivity increase in the industry(see: source).
Why?
Complicated coordination between operators on work sites, potentially inadequate collaboration, and a lack of skilled labour, can all lead to errors by workers in the field… Digital transition is certainly helping to introduce construction solutions that take time to adopt, but that’s not all!
There is also a whole training sphere to consider, as well as change management. It is necessary to train the various operators on site – including site forepersons and works supervisors, for example – giving them an understanding of the digital era and all the expertise they need to successfully manage the sites and offer good support.
We are moving from a largely non-digitised sector to one referred to as 4.0. Construction has become a growth sector for digital technology. Cloud solutions enabling high productivity are constantly being developed. Today, the Cloud has many advantages that cannot be ignored: The Cloud is taking over the construction sector.
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