Leveraging Low Cost ICT for Efficiencies in the Construction Industry

Against a background of foreign and domestic pressures on the construction industry, this article explores some of the opportunities for the use of low-cost ICTs to enable and enhance what is broadly referred to as "Lean Construction” practices, and looks at the practical experiences of a real-world case study.

 The local construction industry is under siege! Many of the indigenous businesses in the sector are struggling to stay afloat under the twin pressures of anaemic, low-growth in the domestic economy, and the irrepressible competitive pressures of foreign-based enterprises armed with deep capital, heavy machinery and low-cost labour, with little protection from Government policy interventions. The recent MSBM Roundtable, themed "Construction as Driver for Economic Growth," emphasised the critical importance of greater efficiencies in the financing and operations of local construction companies in order to remain sustainable businesses. In this article, we explore some of the opportunities for the use of low-cost ICTs to enable and enhance what is broadly referred to as "Lean Construction” practices, and look at the practical experiences of a real-world case study.

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