Llale, J; Setati, M; Mavund, S; Ndlovu, T; Root, D and Wembe, P (2019) Construction stakeholders' perceptions on the wider adoption of construction automation and robotics: An exploratory pre-study. In: Gorse, C and Neilson, C J (eds.) Proceedings of 35th Annual ARCOM Conference, 2-4 September 2019, Leeds Beckett University, Leeds, UK.
Abstract
Purpose: Rapid urbanization in developing countries (such as South Africa) is imposing strains on the current infrastructure project delivery models resulting in calls for structural changes in the socio-technical system of the construction industry. Automation and robotics have demonstrably improved the productivity in different industry sectors such as the automotive industry and mining, and there is growing interest in their application in construction. However, interest in their application in South Africa lags behind that of other countries, which may be due to the specific social, political, and economics circumstances of that country. This study reports on the perceptions of South African industry stakeholders on the adoption of construction automation and robotics.Design/Methodology: Data is collected through semi-structured interviews with construction industry stakeholders. And thematic content analysis is used to analyse the results.Research limitations/implications: The study considered the use of automation and robotics as it relates to site construction site activities in South Africa.Findings: The stakeholders' perception on the wider adoption of automation and robotics in South African sites is that the use of automation and robotics will result in job losses. This perception is borne from trends in other economic sectors such as manufacturing. In a country, where unemployment is around 27,2%, the loss of jobs is undesirable and trumps other considerations such as quality and productivity.Originality/Value: The South African urban infrastructure backlog can potentially be reduced by the use of construction automation and robotics. However, wider adoption will not only depend on rational choice. Stakeholder perceptions and socio-economic factors are some of the factors that also need consideration.Practical Implications: Stakeholders in the construction industry in South Africa, particularly government, construction companies and labour unions will find the study beneficial.
| Item Type: | Conference Paper (Paper) |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | automation; construction; productivity; robotics; stakeholders |
| Index terms: | construction company, urban infrastructure, productivity, content analysis, construction site, automotive industry, industry sector, developing country, urbanization, interview, unemployment, economic factor, construction industry, labour union, infrastructure project, automation, South Africa, socio-technical system, robotics, methodology, mining |
| Subjects: | development economics, automation and robotics, economic concepts, Geography, research methods, economics, theoretical framing, management, infrastructure and transport systems, industry analysis, geotechnical engineering, organization, data collection methods, economic analysis, data analysis and analytics, work location, urban planning |
| Topics: | Organizational Design, Site Management, International Construction, Urban Studies, Digital Applications, Governance, Geographical Context, Research Practice, Engineering Principles, Business Strategy |
| Descriptive scope: | 5 PCTEA |
N.B. Descriptive scope is a count of how many of the five facets of empirical research are indicated by the words used in title, abstract and keywords. It is not intended as a judgement on the research; merely a count of the kind of word we would expect to indicate Phenomenon, Concepts, Theoretical framing, Empirical techniques, Analytical techniques. If all five are present, then a code of “5 PCTEA” will indicate this. If you feel the coding for this record is questionable, we welcome discussion around the terms we matched or the way we categorized them. The facet you would expect may not be coded, or a facet may be coded inappropriately. This can also bear on a larger question, of which facets should be treated as defining in construction management research. Please get in touch, and we will look at it. More details here