The world around us is evolving at a frightening pace. For the past few years, digital transformation has been the main trend in pretty much every industry, bringing with it a slew of benefits like better productivity, improved efficiency and cost savings. What happens when you talk about digital transformation in the world’s largest and most traditional industries – construction, also considered one of the least digitised sectors. There is huge potential and a lot of opportunities ahead. For instance, virtual and augmented reality in construction can give homeowners an idea of what their future home might look like. Here are 3 ways construction businesses can benefit from digital transformation and construction automation.
Benefits of digitalization in construction
Improved productivity
According to a McKinsey study, the labour productivity growth in the construction sector was around 1% per year over the last 2 decades, globally. If digital transformation in construction is allowed, construction productivity will receive a boost and there’ll be substantial benefits. The change, due to digital construction tools and digital construction platforms will be seen in 3 different levels. At the position level, digitalisation in construction industry can boost the efficiency of managing machines, men, material, environments and methods. For instance, IoT equipment like intelligent helmets can convey the real-time position of on-site personnel. AI+5G technology allows for unmanned operation of machines. AI technology like intelligent rebar counting can save a lot of effort for material management. Thus, Internet of Things (IoT) in construction is the way forward. At the project level, there will be integrated management of all production elements, process and data dramatically facilitating project collaboration. At the corporate level, digital transformation and real-time sharing of related data will ensure project-enterprise integration, allowing for better allocation of resources and data-driven decision making. All in all, construction technology will improve with construction innovation taking place
Collaboration facilitation and environmental sustainability
There are multiple independent subcontractors and suppliers involved in a construction project. By going digital all stakeholders that would earlier work in silos can be connected. Construction data analytics, construction communication technology , BIM and real-time data exchange can help boost communication, speed up the workflow and optimise processes. Accumulation of corporate data assets is also very important, as all data accurately reflects real project dynamics which can support project decision making and project management. The construction industry consumes a lot of raw materials, generating a lot of overall global waste and around 40% of the world’s carbon dioxide emissions. In recent times, sustainable construction has become a key point. The implementation of digital technologies will improve environmental sustainability because buildings will be more environmentally-friendly designed, resources will be better allocated and energy will be saved in the operation and construction process.
If you want a competitive advantage in construction, it is time for your firm to go digital. And this isn’t about just one or two processes. The whole process and each and every element of it must be digitalised for this to work. In today’s construction industry, going digital can give you a good competitive advantage. Make sure you get it!
