Question

INNOVATION IN THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY
The construction industry has been criticized because of its low productivity and quality in comparison with other industries. One of the main reasons is the industry suffers from a lack of innovation. Thanks to digitalization, innovative technologies and new construction techniques had been introduced recently. This is reflected with the rapid emergence of augmented reality, drones, 3D scanning and printing, Building Information Modelling (BIM), autonomous equipment and advanced building materials. By adopting and exploiting these innovations, companies will boost productivity, streamline their project management and procedures, and enhance quality and safety. However, the adoption rate of innovation in the Malaysian construction industry is still low. One of the reasons is due to the lack of awareness. For this, the Construction Industry Development Board (CIDB) has taken initiative by inviting everyone to participate in the Innovation in Construction Industry Awareness Campaign 2020. Your company is taking part in this campaign with the purpose to create awareness among the construction industry players on the available innovation that can be used in the construction industry to increase their productivity.
For this, your company are required to prepare a report that contains information on the innovation available in the construction industry in terms of:

a)   The definition
b)   The purpose
c)   The benefits

Answer 1

Construction is commonly characterized as a ‘backward

industry’, and in particular, one that fails to innovate in

comparison to other sectors. The benchmark sector that

has served as the stick with which to beat construction is

the motor vehicles industry. From the Bauhaus of the

1920s to the Egan Report (Construction Task Force,

1998) of the 1990s critics of the industry have admired

the continuous flow and falling real costs of car produc-

tion. In particular, housing – the ‘industry God forgot’

(cited in Lawrence and Dyer, 1983, p. 158) – has been

attacked and critics have asked themselves ‘where is the

Henry Ford of future housing systems?’ (Miles, 1996).

This question rather ignores the fact that Foster Gunnison

had already been acclaimed the ‘Henry Ford of housing’

in the 1940s, yet had failed dismally in his ambition to

apply the production techniques of the motor vehicles

industry to housing production (Hounshell, 1984).