CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY DEVELOPMENT BOARD (CIDB)
Leveraging Industry 4.0 for a post-Covid-19 recovery The cidb, in conjunction with the University of Johannesburg’s cidb Centre of Excellence, hosted its first annual State of the South African Construction Industry Seminar in October 2021. Robust presentations from local and international thought leaders explored the challenges to do the work also has a major impact on and opportunities. quality, cost overruns and wasteful expenditure. By Alastair Currie The point made is that transitioning aspirants
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he world as we know it has always faced challenges, and history shows that few, if any, are insurmountable. This is underscored by innovators born out of the first Industrial Revolution that emerged in the mid-18th century with inventions like the steam engine. Racing forward in time, we now live in the so-called Fourth Industrial phase, or Industry 4.0, which is another leap forward in terms of technological evolution. The goal for society is to balance the motive for profit with that of common good. Bongani Dladla, Acting CEO for the cidb, said, “The purpose of this seminar is to unpack the complexities and to leverage the opportunities in construction, using innovation as a driving force to advance transformation.” Dladla stressed that new opportunities and skills need to be created within the context of Industry 4.0. “We also need to ensure that we have the capacity to retain existing expertise, which is essential for mentorship and skills transfer.”
Ethics defines us Across the board, South African presenters acknowledged that corruption remains endemic, undermining transformation and progress. The appointment of contractors that are not qualified
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IMIESA October 2021
into registered cidb contractors has to come with recognised industry qualifications, training and accreditation.
An analysis ‘Planning the flight and flying the plan’ is standard practice within the aviation sector. Within the South African construction sector, however, too few projects of significant value have gotten off the ground on a significant scale to alleviate the current fortunes of local construction. This is despite a promising pipeline of projects unveiled at landmark events like the recent Sustainable Infrastructure Development Symposium 2021 in October. Presenting at the seminar, Professor John Smallwood, Department of Construction Management at Nelson Mandela University, provided a synopsis from his most recent State of the South African Construction Industry survey. Smallwood was part of the cidb 2004 Status Report research team. The survey included the rating of 76 aspects/ parameters, with public and private sector respondents scoring on a scale of very poor to very good, plus an opt-out for those who were unsure. Some 53.3% had an honours degree or higher, and the mean for years of experience and the age of respondents was 23.9 and 50.6, respectively. In turn, 16.4% were women, and the balance men. Revealingly, 68.4% of the aspects’/ parameters’ mean scores (MSs) were > 2.60 and ≤ 3.40, which indicates a rating between
poor to average. “The results show that our construction economy is not healthy and has been in decline for years. However, the arrival of Covid-19 almost broke the industry’s back,” said Smallwood. Highlights from the survey summary reveal the following MS results per aspect/parameter. In general, MSs < 3.00 indicate the rating is poor, as opposed to good: - Skills development: 2.54 - Mitigating corruption: 1.94 - Research and development: 2.51 - Retention of people: 2.46 - Mental health: 2.38 - Promptness of payment: 2.30 - Sustainability of businesses: 2.29 - Digitalisation/Industry 4.0 implementation: 2.27. “Essentially, what the survey shows is that the construction industry has been captured, and work is going to unqualified companies masquerading as contractors. That must stop immediately, along with rampant corruption, which, left unchecked, will kill the industry,” said Smallwood.
State of the Global Construction Industry Nothing functions in isolation. This was the thrust of Professor Roger Flanagan’s presentation, speaking virtually from the University of Reading. Flanagan has been involved on projects and initiatives across the developing and developed world, including South Africa. He underscored the importance of flexibility in the ‘race to the future’ and that staying the
