Construction

As the construction industry continues to evolve and adapt to new technologies, one trend that has been gaining a lot of attention is the use of 3D printing and prefabricated homes. These innovative approaches to construction offer a number of benefits, including faster construction times, lower costs, and increased sustainability.

One of the biggest advantages of 3D printing in construction is the ability to quickly and efficiently produce custom-designed buildings and structures. 3D printing technology uses a computer-controlled printer to build structures layer by layer using a variety of materials, including concrete, plastic, and metal. This allows for precise construction of complex shapes and geometries, and eliminates the need for traditional construction techniques such as molds and forms.

In addition to faster construction times, 3D printing can also reduce construction costs by streamlining the building process and reducing the need for labor. It can also decrease the amount of material waste, as the precise nature of 3D printing allows for more efficient use of resources.

Prefabricated homes are another innovative approach to construction that has been gaining popularity in recent years. These homes are built off-site in a controlled factory environment, and then shipped and assembled on-site. This approach offers a number of benefits, including faster construction times, lower costs, and increased quality control.

Prefabricated homes are also more sustainable than traditional construction methods, as they can be built using recycled materials and energy-efficient technologies. They can also be easily disassembled and relocated, making them a more flexible and adaptable option for homeowners.

As 3D printing and prefabricated homes continue to gain traction in the construction industry, it’s clear that these innovative approaches will play a significant role in shaping the future of construction. Whether it’s faster construction times, lower costs, or increased sustainability, these technologies offer a range of benefits that are sure to attract attention and drive innovation in the industry.

Construction workloads have continued to hold firm despite strong headwinds in the rest of the UK economy.

Latest figures from the Office of National Statistics show construction output grew for the fourth consecutive month in October, taking the industry to nearly 5% above the pre-pandemic activity watermark.

The overall 0.8% rise in October output came from increases in both new work (0.5%) and repair and maintenance (1.3%) on the month. This was ahead of the 0.5% seen for the UK economy as a whole.

At the sector level, five out of the nine sectors saw a rise in October 2022, with the main contributors to the monthly increase seen in private new housing, and non-housing repair and maintenance, which increased 2.9% and 1.7%, respectively.

Furthermore, annual price inflation is starting to show signs of easing from the high level in mid-2022.

Mark Robinson, group chief executive at SCAPE, said: “Growth in the construction sector is encouraging to see, especially in today’s economic climate.

“However, with the UK now in recession, the industry will be conscious of the long-term challenges of inflation, labour and materials supply throughout the winter.

“Investment in public sector infrastructure has always been a key driver of output in times of downturn. That said, contractors will be mindful of the impact of real-term spending cuts. Many local authorities will still be confirming their budgets for the next year, with the most proactive already openly engaging with delivery teams to ensure important regeneration projects are scoped effectively.”

Source: Construction Enquirer

The GB materials division of Breedon, which specialises in aggregates and downstream products including asphalt, ready-mixed concrete, and specialist building products, has succeeded in dramatically reducing instances of aggressive and inefficient driving in its fleet thanks to the installation of Lightfoot’s innovative green fleet tech. This has led to a 12.2% fall in fuel costs, a 10.9% drop in CO2 emissions, and a 24% reduction in pollution caused by vehicle idling.

Following the roll-out of Lightfoot’s trail-blazing in-cab driver coaching technology and rewards platform, Breedon is now on target to reduce fleet CO2 emissions by 1,651 tonnes over the next five years: equivalent to removing 359 passenger vehicles from the road.

In addition to cutting emissions, Lightfoot has played a key role in enhancing the safety of Breedon’s drivers. Within just one month of being fitted, instances of aggressive driving were cut by 80%, with harsh acceleration falling by 63%, severe braking by 28%, and cornering at speed by 19%.

Installed in its fleet of 380 vans, Lightfoot’s dashboard-mounted driver coaching device provides audible and visual in-cab alerts to keep Breedon’s drivers in the sweet spot of their engine.

Nigel Clamp, Head of Health and Safety at Breedon, explains: “As an organisation, we aspire to deliver society with carbon neutral concrete by 2050. We also actively support the Mineral Products Association’s ‘Roadmap to Beyond Net Zero’, which aims to remove more CO2 from the atmosphere than the UK concrete and cement industry emits each year.

“To deliver against these ambitious goals, and to hit our own Net Zero by 2050 decarbonisation targets, we are working at every level within the business to identify measures and technology that will enable us to achieve this.

“Within our fleet, we wanted to find a solution that not only enables us to hit these goals, but which also allows us to stay true to our corporate values: creating a workplace where our people feel safe, proud, and motivated to do their best.

“That’s where Lightfoot comes in”, says Nigel. “By engaging with our drivers and giving them a reason to be smoother, safer, more mindful, and more efficient, we’re not only dramatically cutting emissions, but we’re also lowering the frequency and severity of accidents on the road. That keeps our drivers safer in their daily duties and, in doing so, contributes to lower levels of vehicle wear and tear, and costs associated with vehicle downtime.”

Nigel adds: “By routinely recognising our staff, and encouraging positive competition through Lightfoot’s leagues, our drivers are motivated day-in, day-out to be better. That enhances positive competition and driver engagement in a way that has not been possible before, and provides a win-win outcome at every level; from the individual driver through to the environment. As a result, we’ve gone from just 12% of our drivers achieving Elite Driver status during the Lightfoot blind trial period, to 100% consistently hitting that target each and every week. That’s driving big fuel savings and emissions reductions.

“But that’s not all. Lightfoot’s technology also flags engine faults, MOT and tax renewal dates, and provides battery health alerts. These ancillary services allow us to operate our fleet as efficiently as possible, and deal with issues before they become a problem. Combined with impressive driver engagement levels, Lightfoot leaves traditional telematics far behind.”

Paul Hollick, MD of Lightfoot, commented: “Breedon is focused on reducing its impact on the environment.

“That’s where our driver-first, self-managed solution comes into its own, actively encouraging and sustaining better driving through reward and recognition. With Lightfoot, Breedon’s drivers are striving to be the best that they can be every time they get in their van. The outcome is reductions in CO2, and fuel use, and enhanced safety records on the road, delivering positive change one mile at a time.”

Considered revolutionary in the fleet management and telematics worlds, Lightfoot’s disruptive approach to reducing accidents has been adopted by some of the largest companies in the market, including Virgin Media, Tesco, Asda, Dixons Carphone, and South West Water.