Is the UK construction sector ready to embrace Industry 4.0?

12 Nov Is the UK construction sector ready to embrace Industry 4.0?

“Artificial intelligence, robotics, the internet of Things, autonomous vehicles, 3D printing and nano technology are set to transform the business and consumer landscape” according to an article in Construction Manager.

It refers to a report released last week by contractor and construction manager Mace which estimates that new techniques and technology could make up to 600,000 people in the UK construction sector redundant in the next two decades – more than a quarter of the current workforce.

Many thousands of bricklayers, painters and plasters would be replaced by robots or have their functions superseded by entirely new processes, radically altering the shape of a sector than now employs 2.3 million according to official figures.

The report says the next industrial revolution will transform the sector but that thousands of workers will need to be retrained to keep up with the pace of change arguing that the figures – although only projections – give a sense of the scale of the talent pool that will need to be reskilled to allow the construction sector to move to Industry 4.0 and embrace productivity-improving technologies.

Construction has long suffered from a productivity gap, where it has failed to match the productivity gains seen in other UK industries.

Improving productivity in the sector would also have a knock-on effect on UK housebuilding and infrastructure delivery, helping to alleviate the housing shortage and ensuring that major infrastructure projects are more likely to be delivered on-time and within budget.

Mace’s report proposes three key recommendations that will help to ensure that the necessary number of workers can be retrained:

1. Accelerate the use of new technology in training

By mandating that the latest 3D printing technologies and augmented and virtual reality tools are introduced into industry training programmes and into “construction clubs” in schools, the sector can better meet its future skills challenges while also ensuring that courses are attractive to potential students and recruits.

2. Inform lifelong learning decisions

At the moment data is sparse on what skills we will need in the future. By commissioning large-scale sector-wide research and working with government bodies such as the ONS and CITB, the construction industry will be able to ensure that its skills profile is changing to meet actual need.

3. Revolutionise our traditional education programmes

Current apprenticeship and training reforms will not go far enough to prepare the workforce for Industry 4.0. We need to upend the curriculum on offer now to reflect the modern methods of construction and offsite assembly that will be needed in the future.