When travelling in different cities around the world, you can find posters in public transportation areas encouraging us to report anything suspicious with this slogan: If you see something, say something. It’s a simple idea that leverages crowdsourcing to improve public safety.
I was thinking about the simplicity of this slogan and how, with a slight twist, it informs how we think at Hexagon. When we look at industries around the world and see things that are less than optimal, our response is: “When you see something, DO something.”
The construction industry is a good example of this. PwC sponsored a report, Global Construction 2030, which forecasts that the volume of construction output will grow by 85% to $15.5 trillion worldwide by 2030, with three countries – China, U.S. and India – leading the way and accounting for 57% of all global growth.
The study shows average global construction growth of 3.9% annually to 2030, outpacing that of global GDP by over one percentage point, driven by developed countries recovering from economic instability and emerging countries continuing to industrialise. It’s an exciting time to be involved in this sector, and the future is filled with promise.
But when I take a close look at the construction industry, I see something suspicious. According to another study by McKinsey, this sector is underperforming.
We find that large projects typically take 20 per cent longer to finish than scheduled and are up to 80 per cent over budget. Construction productivity has actually declined in some markets since the 1990s. Not surprisingly, it is among the least digitised industries in the world.
Think of it! The industry on which we depend for building the world’s infrastructure, office buildings, factories and plants that will meet the needs and demands of a growing population is one of the least efficient and productive.
At Hexagon, when we see an entire industry falling short of its potential, we DO something. The status quo – we call it the ‘what is’ – includes:
- A sector slow to adopt process and technology innovation
- Project planning that lacks coordination between the office and field
- Inadequate or non-existent performance and quality management
- Unsophisticated supply chain practices
- A belief that IT investments have a poor ROI
Shaping smart change happens when Hexagon moves an industry from what is towards a state of what should be, empowering it to meet its full potential.
What should be for the construction industry is a smart digital construction site. This requires a solution that is simple to implement and integrate, lightweight and mobile, completely connected and easy to use by the entire workforce, from office to field.
Unlike most software companies, we have strong roots in reality capture sensors – sensors that capture an exact digital replica of the physical environment, as well as sensors that capture quality data about the work completed.
Our construction solutions integrate data feeds from sensors, create seamless workflows and make entire projects more efficient. They deliver a construction information management system that empowers executives with top-down visibility, control and management while connecting field-level workers seamlessly and simply to the day-to-day tasks.
Hexagon has leveraged the depth of its business portfolio to launch HxGN SMART Build, drawing on technologies and deep domain knowledge from multiple divisions. The net result is a synergy of software, hardware, talent and innovation that is DOING something about the construction industry.
Launched last year, SMART Build provides a simple-yet-powerful platform that is helping construction companies tackle their biggest challenges – lack of productivity, communication breakdowns poor quality control and project transparency. Our goal: the smart, digital construction site of the future.
At Hexagon, when we see something, we DO something, and that is shaping smart change.
