Autodesk-IDC report charts digital transformation roadmap for Indian construction sector

66 per cent of construction companies say digital transformation is a key priority to drive much-needed changes to processes, business models and ecosystems.

Autodesk Inc.(NASDAQ: ADSK) has announced the publication of an International Data Corporation (IDC) InfoBrief, “Digital Transformation: The Future of Connected Construction.”

Sponsored by Autodesk, the IDC InfoBrief – a survey of 835 construction professionals from large construction companies in countries across Europe, the Americas and the Asia Pacific –assesses the construction industry’s digital transformation (DX) maturity and challenges.

In India, only three per cent are further along in their DX journeys, with most companies (72 per cent ) in the early stages of digital maturity. Overall, Europe and the Americas score higher than the Asia Pacific region in terms of digital maturity. In the Asia Pacific, Japan is the most digitally mature country, while China and India are the least mature.

Construction companies in India are prioritizing digital transformation:
According to the survey, 66 per cent of construction companies in India are prioritizing digital transformation.  While the majority of the country’s construction companies are at the early stages of digitalization, the industry anticipates an acceleration in digital transformation (DX). To respond to local demand, India construction companies are quickly learning best practices from their peers in more developed markets, which include knowledge of technologies such as Building Information Modelling (BIM) and its benefits.

Almost one-fifth of India’s construction companies cited completing projects on time and on budget as a top industry concern, followed by workforce safety and effectively managing risk. As a result, project management, enterprise resource planning (ERP) and client relationship management (CRM) has been identified as the top planned software investments.

“Completing projects on time and on budget remains one of the biggest challenges of the Indian construction sector. Digitisation of construction can not only help in efficient project management but in the process also boost profits and lead to more sustainable outcomes,” said Sunil MK, Head of Architecture, Engineering and Construction business at Autodesk India & SAARC.

“In India, prominent organisations such as Airport Authority of India, Delhi Metro, ITC, Oberoi Realty, Bangalore International Airport Limited, CPWD among others have already mandated digital technologies such as BIM for their projects. Digital transformation of the construction sector can be further accelerated by a proactive recommendation from the government to use 3D digital construction solutions. Many governments worldwide have already advocated BIM and in India too the government can evaluate the benefits of digital construction and advocate its use for signature projects in the country.”

Unlocking “Digital Deadlocks” can help achieve competitive advantage:
Construction companies in India are still struggling to unlock the full potential of digitization, and cited the following as their top three ‘digital deadlocks’ on their journey to DX maturity:

1. Development of digital capabilities and skills across the organization –almost half (47 per cent) of all construction companies in India indicated this was their top DX challenge.
2. Creation of a strategic roadmap for digital investments. Nearly 42 per cent of Indian companies highlighted the challenge of creating a single enterprise-wide technology roadmap to prioritise industry use cases and investments.
3. Building the right organizational structure – 41 per cent of companies find it challenging to build the right organisation structure embedding digital in the business.

Unlocking these “digital deadlocks” can help organizations mature and progress along their DX journey, moving past the early and mid-level stages into the most mature stages, where digitization is central to the way the company works and delivers a competitive advantage in the market.

The path forward:
“While many organizations worldwide have embraced digital transformation and are bringing new innovations into their businesses, the construction industry has yet to fully reap the benefits of digitalization due to the unique challenges it faces,” said Daniel-Zoe Jimenez, AVP and APAC Head Digital Transformation at IDC. “However, our research indicates that digital construction solutions (such as BIM workflows, bid management, project management and insights) can help improve construction projects, and construction companies are looking into new, innovative technologies to accelerate their digital transformation.”

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