INTELLIGENT BRANDS // Software for Business

The survey ’ s most striking finding is that 77 % of participants are finding it difficult to adopt new technologies . Despite the UK being relatively proficient , only about 28 % of its companies consider technology implementation to be straightforward .

The study , which surveyed over 1,300 construction professionals from 15 countries including the UK , Australia , Austria , Brazil , Croatia , Czech Republic , France , Germany , Hungary , Italy , Poland , Romania , Serbia , Slovakia and Spain , assessed the current digitalisation status and future growth prospects in the construction and real estate sector over the coming three years .

Given the challenges in implementation , it ’ s not surprising that a significant portion of firms have not invested in cutting-edge technologies like 3D printing ( 80 %), robotics ( 82 %), or Artificial Intelligence ( 74 %). The technologies receiving the most investment were energy efficiency and renewable energy ( 26 %), BIM ( 19 %) and construction management software and platforms ( 19 %).

Over two-thirds anticipate growth in digital solutions that support environmental initiatives , focusing on energy efficiency and renewable energy . Building Information Modelling ( BIM ) methodology also emerged as a key investment area , as anticipated by two-thirds of the respondents .

More than half of the respondents anticipate at least 11 % more investment in digitalisation . However , only 46 % of UK businesses expect this level of investment . By contrast , nearly a quarter of participants foresee an investment increase of over 31 %, led by Australia ( 39 %), Hungary ( 27 %) and Romania ( 30 %).

The data shows that the construction industry still has a considerable journey towards full digitalisation . Nearly two-thirds of professionals reported no recent increase in digital role hires within their companies .

The survey highlighted construction and real estate management software as the primary investment area , with 77 % of respondents expecting increased spending in the next three years . This aligns with the 95 % who reported cost savings from using proptech , 35 % of whom estimated savings between 10 % and 30 %.

Interestingly , UK firms were among the least likely to expect increased technology investment , as indicated by the survey ’ s technology categories .

Most countries ( eight out of 15 ) identified traditional stakeholder views as the primary obstacle to introducing new technology . Perceived low return on investment was another significant concern , particularly in the UK ( 28 %), France ( 28 %), Austria and Germany ( both just under 25 %). The cost of implementation was the main barrier in the UK ( 26 %).

Robert Norton , UK Director at PlanRadar , said : “ These results show a construction sector in need of support reaching the next step in its Digital Transformation . There ’ s no doubt that if the right solution is implemented , boosting investment in emerging and established technologies will enhance project efficiency and performance . An industry-wide collaborative approach between vendors and contractors will be central to future prospects to bridge any communication divides and showcase the true value of leading solutions from supporting net-zero ambitions to seismic cost savings .” p

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