Indeed, coronavirus has been a catalyst for many shifts in behaviour and perspective, whether that’s recalibrating our view of what constitutes a good work-life balance or reinforcing the value of face-to-face meetings.

For many sectors of industry, one major change for which COVID-19 is responsible is digital transformation. In its global survey of senior executives, consulting firm McKinsey found that the digitization of customer and supply-chain interactions, already gathering pace pre-pandemic, was accelerated by three to four years in just a few months of lockdown. More startling is the fact that the share of digital or digitally enabled products within company portfolios jumped forward by as much as seven years.[1]

Of course, the real pace of change will be felt differently within each industry and individual organisation, with more significant impacts felt by major players before they ripple through to the long tail of smaller companies over time.

Construction has certainly not been immune to digital’s growing influence, and, for many, the sector is now being presented with a golden opportunity to capitalise on the momentum kickstarted by the pandemic. After all, the enforced nature of lockdowns and social distancing proved that it was possible – if not always desirable – for certain aspects of building projects to be managed via a screen rather than on site.

And for a project-based industry, where stakeholder collaboration and communication are critical factors in improving productivity and efficiency, digitisation has great potential. Furthermore, beyond its operational benefits, a more digitally driven sector presents a stronger draw for the talent of the future.

To date, however, progress has been slow. The sector has not exactly embraced technological change, with blame often placed at the door of an ageing workforce. Analysis of the global construction sector by IDC found that almost 60% of construction firms remain in the early stages of their digital transformation journey – despite almost three-quarters stating it as a priority.[2]

The UK has led the way in the area of building information modelling (BIM), but this focus has not led the sector to its digital panacea as might have been hoped. In September 2021, a decade on from the government’s BIM mandate, the Construction Innovation Hub – which brings together the Building Research Establishment (BRE), the Manufacturing Technology Centre (MTC) and the Centre for Digital Built Britain (CDBB) – published The Digital Innovation Imperative, which contained a rallying call to “accelerate the pace of innovation and adoption of digital technologies” if construction is to meet the demand to “build back better”.[3]

Achieving this goal, the report says, is about focusing on six core digital capabilities: governance, value, systems thinking, information management, built and natural environment, and skills. This gives an indication of the far-reaching and fundamental nature of digital transformation: it’s not just about having access to data, it’s about extracting value from it; it’s not just about deploying technology, it’s about making it the crucial enabler within the organisation. It’s about enabling the rapid sharing of information across supply chains to feed responsive decision-making and fuel-efficient operations.

At Eden Façades, we might still be in the foothills of such a digital transformation, but we are committed to our path. Our efforts have focused on the three key pillars of communication, operational efficiency, and learning and development, with a view to exploring how digital can further enhance our approach to areas such as health and safety.

For example, the video platforms that were a hallmark of lockdown have become a permanent fixture of our communications as an effective replacement for face-to-face meetings where appropriate. Operational efficiency, meanwhile, has been improved by the implementation of a paperless online QA system to streamline information sharing and avoid duplication of effort.

But arguably the most exciting area of digital progress is in learning and development. This includes the introduction of 4D tools to our health and safety training and also the use of e-learning to ensure our team – including our apprentices – are equipped with the skills they need.

Innovative technologies, including drones and robots, are beginning to perform observational or operational tasks that would not have previously been possible, safe or cost effective. And, in time, it is not difficult to see how emerging technologies, such as AI, VR and the Internet of Things (IoT), will usher in the possibility of virtual-reality training environments or connected construction sites feeding data scientists with the information to pre-empt problem situations even before they arise.[4]

It’s clear that this exciting vision of the future won’t be without its challenges in terms of maintaining data security and ensuring workforce safety. But it’s also clear that the crisis of Covid has given the sector a digital wake-up call and we must now grasp the opportunity to embrace the technological change in front of us.

To find out more about how our processes, or talk to us about an upcoming project, get in touch on 01268 744199 or email office@edenfacades.co.uk

[1] https://www.mckinsey.com/business-functions/strategy-and-corporate-finance/our-insights/how-covid-19-has-pushed-companies-over-the-technology-tipping-point-and-transformed-business-forever

[2] http://constructioncloud.autodesk.com/rs/572-JSV-775/images/Autodesk-IDC-Digital%20Transformation_The-Future-of-Connected-Construction.pdf

[3] http://www.infrastructure-intelligence.com/article/sep-2021/digital-transformation-key-government%E2%80%99s-call-build-back-better

[4] https://www.technologyreview.com/2018/06/12/142366/ai-could-help-the-construction-industry-work-faster-and-keep-its-workforce-accident-free/