Since the prime ministers pledge to “build, build, build” and to build back “better, faster, greener and bolder” for post-COVID economic recovery, many construction professionals are questioning whether this is an opportunity to speed up the industries slow digital revolution as well as levelling up regional economic disparity and improving productivity levels.
Many construction firms are looking at ways in which we can build back smarter. The traditional infrastructure delivery model can often cause frequent delays, overruns and poor quality, which is something the industry as a whole is keen to overcome by embracing digital.
According to McKinsey, the construction industry is one of the least digitised industries not only in the UK but globally. But the pandemic changed things and forced the sector to embrace digital and speed up its transformation to overcome lockdown and remote working. And now the ball is rolling it’s time to look to the future and build on this momentum.
A recent survey of 400 senior decision makers across the infrastructure sector found that 95% believed that digital innovation would be increasingly important after the COVID-19 crisis and there was a broad belief that adoption of digital will be crucial to accelerating growth.
Using the latest digital tools, the construction industry has the opportunity to not only help shape the UK recovery but also put the UK on the path to a more productive, sustainable and innovative future.
Automation, artificial intelligence and machine learning have the power to transform how we design, build, operate and maintain vital national infrastructure. The crisis has further identified where the shortfalls across the industry are and has driven home the importance of digital transformation in the construction industry.
During the crisis, digital technology has kept the wheels turning and has even increased productivity in some areas and COVID-19 has proved that digital transformation is now essential in shaping and creating a new approach to infrastructure delivery.