Construction 4.0 Working Group

Brief description and main aims:

In 2016, FIEC launched a BIM Working Group to tackle the subject of Building Information  Modelling (BIM) and its impact on contractors in the EU. This group quickly became a  working group focused on the wider aspects of digitalisation, under a new name, the  “Construction 4.0 Working Group”.  

The main aim of this group is to follow relevant policy developments, inform member  federations and select priority issues for more in depth research and discussion, in order to  foster the implementation of digitalisation within construction companies and in particular  among SMEs. 

The group also aims to encourage members to network, identify initiatives of common  interest and present their findings to the rest of the group. It also facilitates sharing best  practices in implementing digital technologies in construction.

Why FIEC is dealing with this topic: 

The construction industry is undergoing significant change, including revolutionary new  approaches such as digitalisation and automation. But while other industries are quite  advanced in embracing digital processes, for the construction industry there is a need to  speed up this process, and there is a business case for doing so, as digitalisation can  improve productivity and coordination on construction sites.  

However, the adoption of digitisation poses several challenges for construction companies,  such as unfavourable conditions related to software suppliers, which need to be addressed.  In particular, we need an appropriate regulatory framework that would allow our companies  to reap the benefits of digitalisation.  

Lastly, we must stress that digitisation is not an end in itself, but rather a means to accelerate  the path to other goalsl (e.g. better energy efficiency of buildings, predictive maintenance  of infrastructure, improving safety on worksites, facilitating training, etc.).