Last year the think tank Oxford Economics forecast the UK is set to be the fastest growing country for construction in Western Europe over the next 15 years.
Now more than ever before the nation is banking on the success of Britain’s builders. Today some 2.63M people are employed in construction companies creating added value equivalent to 10% of GDP. Construction companies will be at the heart of delivering the infrastructure Britain needs into the 2030s and beyond. And without this infrastructure, collectively we will get nowhere in tackling the housing crisis or spreading wealth across the UK.
As a CEO proud to collaborate daily with some of the UK’s biggest construction firms, I’ve seen firsthand the sterling work the sector is putting in to change Britain for the better. But if the sector is to realise its potential to transform the British economy, it must once and for all solve the productivity challenge faced at construction sites across the country.
In September last year the Construction Leadership Council published analysis revealing the scale of the challenge. In construction output per hour stands at £35.69 – some 13.5% behind the average across the economy as a whole.
A chronic lack of investment in technology has been a profound driver of this – with a transition from analogue to digital infrastructure particularly slow compared to other sectors. In 2023 a survey by PlanRadar revealed more than 70% of construction companies have faced significant challenges in implementing technologies such as wireless connectivity, 3D printing, robotics and artificial intelligence.
In 2013 I saw there was a massive unmet market need for better connectivity in construction. And so that year I founded UK Connect. Before this I was privileged enough to serve as an Infantry Soldier in the Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment – and saw firsthand the difference good connectivity could make to human performance and productivity in remote, unforgiving conditions. And in building the company, we’ve worked with inspirational people committed to fulfilling the true potential of connectivity in taking things to the next level.
Take Kier Group for example. The country’s largest construction and infrastructure provider faced a significant challenge in meeting the evolving connectivity needs at their construction sites. As technology advancements and data demands increased, its existing 3G/4G solution struggled to deliver reliable and high-speed connectivity to users at the network’s edge. And so, we were delighted to work with Kier to deploy 5G Cellular Broadband and Wireless LAN at its sites across the UK.
We were proud too to work with Cala Group. The housebuilder faced a significant challenge with traditional wired infrastructure, where the installation process for Copper and Fibre Broadband often stretched out over months. These lengthy delays hampered communication, collaboration, and productivity on construction sites, leading to project timeline setbacks and operational inefficiencies.
UK Connect revolutionised Cala Group’s construction site connectivity with its cutting-edge Cellular Broadband solution, enabling it to overcome the delays and limitations of traditional wired infrastructure. By leveraging the power of cellular technology, Cala Group experienced a remarkable transformation in its connectivity capabilities. At the heart of this solution was the implementation of Cradlepoint’s state-of-the-art R1900 series 5G Enterprise-Grade routers.
The UK’s construction leaders are embracing connectivity to get things done and transform their productivity. The UK is banking on Britain’s builders thriving into the 2030s and beyond. It’s time to connect.
UK Connect feature in New Civil Engineer: Connectivity revolution is key to solving productivity puzzle in construction | New Civil Engineer
