Currently, the construction industry is struggling with a lack of skilled labor and cost inefficiencies. In fact, six in ten US firms surveyed by Deloitte are experiencing project delays due to workforce shortages. This has dangerous implications for profits at a time of higher competition for projects and tighter operating margins across construction projects.
But if every market challenge presents an opportunity, then emerging robotics and automation in the construction industry is key part of efforts to reverse the sector’s fortunes. Whilst not a silver bullet, it certainly has the ability to make work more satisfying for your teams, create jobs, and improve productivity.
Can autonomous construction equipment help attract and retain talent?
More detrimental than simply a lack of workers in the construction industry, is the lack of skilled ones. The problem is twofold: on one hand, not enough young people are entering the industry and, on the other, current, more experienced workers are having to spend more and more time doing labor-intensive tasks, that carry health risks.
67% of the younger generation take technology into consideration when looking for a job. As digital natives, they expect real-time access to information, smooth digitally enabled processes, and instant communication and feedback. Embracing automation technology offers all these benefits, which is why the use of it on-site is likely to attract these workers.
As well as this, autonomous construction equipment helps free up current workers’ time to focus on more value-creating work. Layout is one job on the construction site that, done manually, is time intensive. This can be problematic when there’s a labor shortage, not to mention that layout professionals’ expertise lies far beyond simply doing the layout. Daniel Martinez, VP and General Manager of HP Large Format Printing, notes: "Layout experts are a scarce resource who add a lot of value in terms of planning and strategy, but often end up dedicating most of their time to manual execution."
When skilled labor is a scarcity, automation in construction helps boost the productivity of your team, while attracting the next generation of talent.
Boosting the bottom line with robotics and automation in the construction industry
As well as attracting and retaining younger talent, one of the clearest benefits of automation is that it can also drive efficiency and productivity–by overcoming the slow speeds and high costs of manual processes.
Intelligent robots, for example, have been developed with the ability to lay bricks or tie rebar. One such rebar-tying bot can autonomously tie up to 1,000 intersections per hour, resulting in a 34% reduction in work hours across the whole project.
The construction industry, historically, has been slow to adopt new technologies. However, as a lack of skilled labor and decreased productivity continue to hamper its growth, 90% of construction decision makers believe that the industry needs to change. And according to a recent McKinsey report, indicators suggest that companies who have invested in construction technology and facilities are already gaining traction.
As the latest technology to enhance the construction workforce’s capabilities and increase productivity, HP SitePrint is a layout robot that automates construction site layouts. It’s just as accurate as doing it manually, and prints on a variety of surfaces and materials, plus it’s cost-efficient and predictable–making it easier for you to manage client, authority, and company expectations.
"We're continuing to put the layout professional at the center of the story, but also making it faster." – Andy Dickey, AMS Business Development Manager, HP Construction Services
Find out more about how HP SitePrint can fast-track your building layouts.
