INGENIEUR
Figure 3 : The construction industry revolution ( CIDB , 2020 )
and mass production were introduced ( Kamarul Bahrin et al ., 2016 ) which indirectly pushed the construction industry to embark on Semi- Automation . More intensive usage of electricity and the addition of machines to ease human tasks helped the industry to become more productive , for instance , the transformation of manual drawings into 2D Computer-Aided Design ( CAD ). The introduction of 2D CAD in the industry improved productivity especially during the design stage where it reduces the time taken to produce and amend design drawings .
Next , the third revolution took place when the concept of automation was introduced such as the implementation of robots and modern construction methods , internet-based technologies , and automation . Here , more mass production in the industry was introduced to reduce the duration of project completion as well as increase the quality of construction . The use of 3D drawing and BIM helps improve the accuracy , quality , and collaboration between several industry players along the construction supply chain . Today , the waves of Construction 4.0 hitting the construction landscape is transforming it into a smarter construction and automation approach , and hence lessen the dependency on manpower usage and increase the number of machines and equipment used to assist in project completion . More high technology applications such as the Internet of Things , artificial intelligence , cloud sharing , big data analytics , blockchain and BIM have been adopted by some of the industry players to cope with the current needs and demand for
construction projects . More integrated digital processes can increase collaborative working among various industry players across the supply chain . The details of each construction revolution are shown in Figure 3 .
Relationship between Automation and Productivity
Automation is not a new phenomenon in the construction industry . But it is the future for the industry that is achievable through consistent implementation throughout all stages of the construction lifecycle starting from design , construction , and maintenance ( Lekan , Clinton , Fayomi & James , 2020 ). In this era , robots and machines could perform a wide range of activities beyond human capabilities which will help increase the productivity of construction projects . The impact could be monitored through both the microlevel and the macrolevel whereby the microlevel will provide the platform and opportunity for organisations to achieve lower manpower cost , higher quality outcome and shorter duration to project completion . Besides , the macrolevel impact of automation could raise the productivity growth for a country ( Manyika et al ., 2017 ). Figure 4 shows the relationship between automation and productivity .
The general hypothesis of Figure 4 is , the higher the level of automation , the higher impact productivity will have . In the Malaysian construction industry , there are six types of construction methods that are currently being
48 VOL 88 OCTOBER-DECEMBER 2021