Technology transfer in the construction industry

Abstract

The demand for affordable, high-quality homes and premises has increased as society has evolved. Construction companies have shown that an industrialised housebuilding (IHB) platform strategy is an effective way of meeting exacting customer requirements. We decided to apply a managerial perspective and consider the IHB platform as a technological solution when investigating technology transfer (TT) in a construction context. Drawing on a meta-analysis of the literature and a qualitative case study at an IHB company, this work examines how two construction companies participate in TT. The results show that the IHB platform strategy can help a company overcome uncertainties associated with the TT process. Furthermore, the platform strategy supports the transferability of IHB to different markets, which, in turn, provides unique opportunities for companies from other contexts to enter the construction market. Our findings also revealed that CEOs from three construction companies were not only interested in TT due to potential profit improvements, but also considered how the process could benefit their employees and the community. This may be a result that is specific to Nordic culture or insight into a unique characteristic of the broad construction industry. This study contributes knowledge to the scarce research field of TT in a construction context. It provides evidence for how further cases of TT may disrupt the construction industry in terms of new business models or companies from the diverse field entering the market.

Developing a construction business model transformation canvas

“…Pfn€ ur and Wagner (2020) demonstrate the relevant change processes for the transformation of the real estate and construction industry using empirical findings from Germany. Uusitalo and Lavikka (2020) investigate technology transfer in the construction industry and provide evidence how it can disrupt the construction industry in terms of new business models or companies from diverse fields entering the market. Jang et al (2020) attempt to understand existing business model types of international construction contractors and investigate how business model types can be used in the business model innovation process.…”

“…The main purpose of strategic thinking is ensuring competitive advantage (Flanagan et al, 2007), and the BMC does not take into account competition that influences the sustainability of a business which is fundamental in today's uncertain and complex market scenarios (Cosenz and Noto, 2017). As heightened global competition and entry of diverse stakeholders (Uusitalo and Lavikka, 2020) are key elements of the construction industry in Industry 4.0, Das et al (2019b) integrate "potential competition" instead of "customer segments" which remains unchanged to a great extent as the industry moves into Industry 4.0. Finally, "customer relationships" is replaced by "client relationships", as in a construction contract, the client is prominently positioned between the contractor and end-user (Pekuri et al, 2013;Pfn€ ur and Wagner, 2020;Jang et al, 2020, Das et al, 2019b, and also because it is semantically more suited.…”

“…An increase in technology transfer within the construction sector is redefining the market through internationalisation and seeing the entrance of companies having superior capabilities, not in building but in other areas of business and previously not associated with construction (Uusitalo and Lavikka, 2020), leading to "non-obvious" competition. The digital giants, often represented by the acronym GAFAM, are far removed from the construction industry; yet, recent developments indicate that the opportunity gap (Mckinsey, 2017) in the sector has attracted the attention of these companies.…”

Main Features of the Timber Structure Building Industry Business Models

“…Many interviewees mentioned their interest in working for the development of the industry and not only their own business. This was also pointed by Uusitalo and Lavikka [92]. Since work with these new products entails risks and does not yet benefit from established standardization, stakeholders rely on each other for both help and information sharing.…”

Data-Driven Platform Framework for Digital Whole-Process Expressway Construction Management

“…According to the theory of technology acceptance model (TAM), the enhancement of user experience ( Panopoulou et al, 2021 ) and the support of government policy ( Jing et al, 2018 ) will greatly improve the acceptance of technology. In the field of construction, because the construction period is generally long, with the increase of time, the personnel in the project have increased their experience in using new technologies, and their resistance to new things has decreased ( Qi et al, 2021 ; Uusitalo and Lavikka, 2021 ). Moreover, the support of government policies reduces the financial pressure to a certain extent, and the advantages of introducing information management will gradually increase.…”