The Civil Engineering Contractor May 2019 | Page 3
COMMENT
Kids dig construction
Eamonn Ryan - editor
[email protected]
S
peaking at a Regenesys Business
School panel discussion in March
on ‘The Future of Construction
in a New Digital Age’, the chairman
of WBHO, Mike Wylie, struck a
positive note for the struggling South
African construction industry, saying:
“The way you build a building will
never change.” He, and a number of
other speakers, suggested that new
technologies would not fundamentally
replace the traditional way of doing
things — because of the need to
create jobs in South Africa. Tommy
Strydom, CEO of Swaziland-based
Inyatsi Construction, for instance,
said he could not foresee a time
when affordable homes would be
built in South Africa by 3D printing,
“with the entire community standing
around watching and out of work”.
Wylie believes South Africa cannot
get away from the fact that it has to be
labour intensive. We should embrace
our advantages instead of looking to
technology that is being introduced
in countries with exceptionally
high labour costs. Wylie says that
WBHO works in multiple countries,
and in each one, he sees buildings
being constructed in exactly the
same manner, even though advanced
technologies are available already.
People may respond that we
didn’t see mobile phones or tablets
disrupting their respective industries
— but that is one technology
disrupting another, rather than
disrupting human lives. There is the
issue of human dignity that is not
factored into technology. Not all
technologies have been successful —
they have to be accepted by people
who see personal advantage in it,
rather than slavery.
South Africa has a world-class
civil engineering and construction
industry, Wylie pointed out, which
in a labour-intensive manner can still
erect buildings often at half the price
of other countries. The Discovery
building will be half the price of any
comparable building in the world
— “It’s a wonderful advantage this
country has,” extols Wylie.
Our quarries are cheaper, our
scaffolding and labour both relatively
inexpensive. “A lot of people might
think construction is a dismal
industry to be in [with all its current
challenges and companies in business
rescue], but the reality is that’s only
from a financial point of view. What
is really important is that even though
we make no money, youngsters, when
they come onto site, are thrilled to be
in this industry.”
This comment rebuts the commonly
expressed view that it is a struggle
to get the Millennial Generation
or Generation X to enter the civil
engineering industry: they want to
be able to wear their Gucci shoes on
site rather than safety boots, and use
the latest technology to do everything
remote via drone and a laptop while
they sit in an air-conditioned office.
This ennui does not apply to
construction, according to Wylie.
“They go onto a site like the Discovery
building and say, ‘Gosh, am I going to
be involved in a project like this?’ This
is the advantage that our industry has
— we build amazing projects. When
he finally moves onto a site, he will be
so immersed in technology and the
latest programs, that he will every day
be excited to go to work.” He notes
that the camaraderie of working on an
inspiring site is also considerable. When
construction workers walk off a site,
they (and their families) are immensely
proud of what they have created.
“It’s a fantastically exciting industry
for youngsters, and along with that,
they’re working with these digital
tools.” These tools, due to the unique
nature of civil engineering and
construction, typically have to be
developed in-house, and are already
enabling engineers to work better
and more efficiently.
This will be the legacy of technology
in construction — not job losses.
Mike Wylie, chairman of WBHO.
www.civilsonline.co.za
CEC May 2019 | 1