The Middle East has a golden opportunity to be at the forefront of driving technological change in the construction industry but must respond now to avoid falling behind, according to delegates at this week’s Construction Technology Forum. The event, which came to a close today (25 September) after two days of intensive debate and discussion, attracted more than 200 industry experts at the Address Hotel, Dubai Marina.
While optimism for the emergence of technology in the construction sector was strong, there was also a powerful message about the need to embrace change within the region in order to keep on track with global trends.
Commenting on the discussions, Tim Shelton, Digital Transformation & Innovation Lead at Arcadis Middle East, said: “As a region defined by bold ambition, with an inspired agenda for transformation and delivery of major programs, the Middle East has a legitimate opportunity to enhance the reputation of the construction industry through the use of technology in order to drive productivity and efficiency. Regional supply chains need to respond by changing the ‘what’ and the ‘how’ of asset delivery through undergoing their own structured digital transformations. Arcadis is privileged to have been part of this event and to tell our own transformation story.”
A number of delegates agreed that there has been strong progress in the use of design tools but raised concerns that this is not being translated into the construction stage.
Mark Andrews, Managing Director of Laing O’Rourke in the Middle East, told delegates: “The real gamechanger is to optimise offsite production and assembly. That requires a complete re-engineering of the way that projects are done, with a huge amount of logistics planning.
“Our Design for Manufacture and Assembly (DfMA) goal is that we should be manufacturing 70% of the project scope off site. That will give us a productivity improvement of around 60% and reduce timescales of projects by some 30%. We are already achieving that in other parts of the world and it can be done here but requires a different way of thinking.”
Andrews described three main constraints to achieving this in the Middle East. First, he said there is a need to switch from a “fixed-price, lump sum, construct only methodology, with design going on right through construction” to design & build; second, the relatively low cost of construction site labour in the Middle East is a disincentive to enhance productivity; and third, low margins limit the ability of contractors to undertake the “massive investment” required to develop their capabilities for DfMA.
Delegates at the event explored and discussed how adopting technology can reduce operational costs, boost productivity and enhance overall quality across all elements of the industry supply-chain. Discussion covered all aspects of digital technology within the built-environment sector, including the rise of artificial intelligence (AI) in construction, big data, building information modelling (BIM) and robotics and automation.
Ma Yihe, President and CEO, WinSun, flew in from the company’s Shanghai headquarters and provided a detailed insight into the latest advances in 3D printing. He said: “The success of this year’s event shows just how seriously the construction sector is taking the impact of new technology. It is vital that businesses in the region are able to keep pace with the rapid changes within the sector to increase their efficiency and at the same time improving construction quality, and it is encouraging to see a strong level of debate, as well as the appetite for collaboration, that goes along with it.
“The Middle East is a leading adopter of technologies such as 3D printing, and we are overwhelmed with the popularity of our technology in this market and looking forward to continuing to build strong relationships across both the public and private sectors.”
The Construction Technology Forum is organised by Ventures Connect, a partnership between b2b Connect and Ventures Middle East; two businesses committed to empowering companies across the Middle East and Africa Region while enabling critical connections with key stakeholders and decision makers across various industries. b2b Connect designs, manages and produces content and events for a range of industry-leading clients in the Middle East, North Africa and Turkey. For more information, visit: www.b2bconnectgcc.com . Ventures Middle East is an international management consulting company providing strategic business advisory services across the GCC and the wider MENA region. For more information, visit: www.ventures-me.com .
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For more press information or to request media interviews, please contact Tracey Thompson on: 055 378 2297 or email: tthompson@b2bconnectuae.com / Thompson.tracey04@gmail.com
- Key sponsors of the event included: Oracle Construction and Engineering, Roken Alkhalig, Concerted Solutions, Xpedeon / Algorithm Software, Knauf, Redington, Autodesk, Everest Fibre Cement Boards, Aksa Power Generation, Dubox, Doosan Bobcat, Wakecap, Aectual, Joule Group, StartAD, Pier Soft, Suppliers Cave, Neuron
- Media partners: RICS, CIOB – The Chartered Institute of Building, MEFMA – Middle East Facility Management Association, Ventures Onsite, French Business Council
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