VIDEO | How to rouse construction from its productivity funk

Moving away from old systems and processes and finding a way to attract fresh blood to the sector were among the solutions discussed at this roundtable discussion hosted by Caddick Construction.

You can hear our panellists’ main takeaways from the conversation in the video at the top of this article.

Participants

Greig Lees, head of development for the North, Guinness Partnership

David Saville, managing director for the North West, Caddick Construction

Angela Mansell, managing director, Mansell Building Solutions

Rory O’Connor, managing director, RoC Consulting

Mark Tant, owner, MT Construction Leadership

Jason Howard, partner, Ridge

Michelle Murray, project director, Harworth

Gavin Garner, director, GWB

Nigel Pollard, group managing director, Heb Group

Chaired by Dan Whelan, deputy editor of Place North West

Key talking points

The construction industry is not doing enough to attract a new generation of workers. Resourcing is a huge issue already and the problem is only going to get worse as Labour pushes its housing agenda.

This means that the industry needs to work harder to shift negative perceptions and adopt more readily technological solutions that will create jobs for younger workers.

“We are very slow at adopting tech, whether that is modern methods of construction or AI,” said Dave Saville, Caddick Construction’s North West managing director.

“There needs to be a greater will and greater collaboration, which is a statement that has been made for many years now.”

Angela Mansell, managing director of off-site construction specialist Mansell Building Solutions is frustrated at what she perceives as a lack of willingness from the industry to move away from outdated systems and processes.

“We need to accept that there are other ways to do things and get on with doing them,” she said. “We just need to do something, have a go at something.”

Mark Tant agreed and said it is time the industry accepted that workforces are smaller these days than in the past.

“We are locked into procurement models and ways of working that mean that we are driving inefficiency.

“Adopting modern methods of construction and off-site manufacture are essential to driving productivity.”

The solutions to the challenges impacting construction’s productivity are within reach, the panel agreed. However, it will take a huge collaborative effort if they are to be implemented successfully.

“There is no short-term silver bullet,” Saville concluded. “But we can achieve [change] because we are all seeing the same things.”

For more from this roundtable discussion, you can simply watch the video at the top of this article or on the Place North YouTube channel.  Learn more about Caddick Construction by visiting caddickconstrcution.co.uk.