In the first part of this two-part blog series, we looked at McKinsey’s report Imagining construction’s digital future, that asserted the global construction industry is “ripe for digital disruption”.
The report discussed how the global building sector is lagging in the digital age and needs to embrace technology if it wants to retain efficiencies and profit margins. With the majority of the world’s industries now reliant on software and on the Internet to produce efficiencies previously unattainable through traditional practices, it’s only logical for the construction industry to become similarly digitally aligned.
This blog goes into detail about how FRAMECAD is perfectly placed to be a central part of the construction industry’s shift into a digital future.
Part of FRAMECAD’s vision is to lead the building sector into the electronic age by utilising software and digital technologies to increase productivity and reduce labour pressure for clients using our technology.
The “disruption” the construction industry needs, according to the McKinsey report, is evidenced by the fact that on average, large projects all around the world take 20% longer to finish than they’re forecast to be, and are also up to 80% over budget.
It is clear that traditional building practices must change, particularly as all around the world, construction companies are facing increased demand for environmentally sensitive construction, collaborative work practices as well as drastic shortages of skilled labour.
How will FRAMCECAD contribute to a positive disruption of the building industry?
The McKinsey report identifies five ways the construction industry can be disrupted by adopting new methods of construction that utilise digital technology.
The next section of this blog will explore in more detail how FRAMCECAD assists clients all around the world, in all five of the areas the report makes recommendations on.
1. Efficient and cost-effective construction
FRAMECAD facilitates construction that’s fast and cost effective.
With our design-led process, the skills required for construction shift ‘upstream’ and the need for decision making is taken away from the building site.
The results? More accurate, lower cost, faster-to construct, quality buildings. And the opportunity to create highly scalable construction businesses that generate far greater ROI than traditional methods.
For more information on how to deploy a design-led process within your own construction company, please refer to our eBook Leading By Design: The Benefits of FRAMECAD Cold Formed Steel Construction.
2. Environmentally sensitive construction
With material waste an ongoing issue in construction there is an ever-growing demand for environmentally sensitive building methods.
Constructing with cold formed steel creates minimal waste due to its accurate design and manufacture.
Traditional building projects often have to budget for up to 20% material wastage in the total cost of construction, whereas building with the FRAMECAD System creates less waste than traditional building projects and is an environmentally better building choice.
In fact, steel frame scrap is a valuable commodity - the overall recycling rate of the steel industry is 66%, the highest of any industry in the world.
3. Next generation 5-D building information modelling
The McKinsey report explains how 5-D BIM (Building Information Modelling) allows owners and contractors to identify, analyse, and record the impact of changes on project costs and scheduling. It has a visual and intuitive nature that allows for the early identification of project risks.
FRAMECAD Structure software works within a BIM framework by being compatible with the use of Revit and other BIM software. The objective of using next generation 5-D building information modelling is to help customers facilitate and integrate FRAMECAD into their design and build process.
FRAMECAD Structure is a comprehensive software package that uses BIM compatible technology to offer design and materials management, by making real-time engineering calculations as the designs are created.
Also, our cloud-based MyFRAMECAD, accessible from wherever you are in the world, provides vital real-time construction information which allows customers to:
- Increase factory output by monitoring production rate Reduce downtime
- Optimize workforce efficiency
- Increase operational efficiency
4. The Internet of Things and Advanced Analytics
The Internet of Things (IoT) refers to any object, appliance or machine that can communicate to the World Wide Web via sensors and an internet connection.
The McKinsey report says The Internet of Things can be used in the construction industry for intelligent asset management and decision-making processes.
MyFRAMECAD utilises IoT technologies for:
- Equipment monitoring:
- Production monitoring:
- Production Planning:
- Inventory management:
5. The futureproofing of design and construction
One of McKinsey’s strongest recommendations in their report is that “the industry needs to move beyond pre-casting and prefabricating structures to the next generation of techniques. Several techniques show potential (including) pre-assembly.”
The FRAMECAD System is ideal for offsite construction methodologies, which allow customers to:
- Improve project efficiency by operating in a controlled environment and predictable conditions
- Address on-site space constraints
- Create optimal building conditions for construction labour to deliver projects quickly and efficiently.
FRAMECAD Software facilitates preassembly techniques by the generation of workshop drawings. With these drawings brought up on a screen or printed out, the production team can carry out the initial phase of prefabrication and construction with ease.
Preassembly techniques are used for a wide variety of building applications, from simple structures like factories, to more complicated modular buildings such as hotels.
FRAMECAD customers can also produce preassembled wall frames,trusses, or modular structures offsite, quickly and economically in a factory or nearby yard before erection on the construction site.
Summary
The McKinsey report Imagining construction’s digital future looks at how the building sector is ripe for disruption and makes recommendations for a global shift into a digital future.
With gains to be made by increasing labour productivity, implementing offsite manufacturing processes and the use of digital tools, the FRAMECAD System offers a construction method which meets and exceeds the recommendations made in the McKinsey report, by bringing a full-spectrum digital approach to construction, for our clients.
FRAMECAD is committed to the digitalisation of the construction industry with the aim of ultimately seeing it thrive in generations to come.
