Experts weigh in on why the construction industry should embrace digital innovation.
While technological advancement has spurred growth across most industries, commercial construction has lagged behind in some respects. At this year’s European ConTech Summit, several leaders in the industry spoke on why the construction industry should embrace digital innovation more fully.
According to Thomas Goubau, CCO of LetsBuild, “People don’t use data. At the end of a project, the data gets put in a box. What’s needed is adoption on site. We can achieve a 45% reduction in project costs, but people need to organize themselves.”
Ulrik Branner, Chairman and Partner at GenieBelt agreed, highlighting the importance of investing in technology. Branner explained, “The reality is that only about 3% (of businesses) see technology as an investment and spend 3-4% of their revenues on it. The rest spend 1% and see it as a cost. The 3% are making 12-15% margins while the rest are still making 2-2.5%.”
Matthew Jackson, Global Technical Director at BIMobject, emphasized the role that technology can play in improving construction communication and efficiency. He likened construction without technology to “an orchestra without a conductor. We sound terrible when we work together. We don’t have a common understanding of what we want to do.”
Finally, Suzannah Nichol, Chief Executive at Build UK, drove these points home when she emphasized the doors that the construction industry could open with the use of technology. She stated, “The potential for digital tools in our sector is absolutely enormous. They ‘ve got a lot of potential in offsite, in design, in the true implementation of BIM. The opportunities are endless but we need to change some of our business practices, so we can realize the potential.”
This is what construction leaders have to say about why the construction industry should embrace digital innovation. Interested in staying on top of the latest construction news? If so, then turn to the experts at Proforma Construction. Serving Pleasanton and the surrounding California area, our highly-trained team is ready to make your commercial construction dreams a reality.