Rick Hartwig, built environment lead at the Institution of Engineering & Technology, discusses the importance of structured data and embracing digitisation in order to improve construction product performance and safety
“Accept” and “except” are different words that mean different things, but people often use the wrong one. As a result, their meanings have become conflated, which can cause confusion. “Digitisation” and “digitalisation” have the same problem but perhaps worse because they are difficult to pronounce!
These two terms also have different meanings. Without one, you can’t get to the other, so it is important not to neglect one in the clamour to reach the other.
Digitisation and digitalisation have often been used interchangeably. The time has come for manufacturers to recognise them as two words with very different outcomes.
This confusion was highlighted when in autumn 2020 the Institution of Engineering & Technology (IET) ran a series of blogs and subsequent open calls, under the banner of Manufacturers’ Product Data: A Plain Language Guide.
Digitisation
Digitisation is turning your sources of product information, the analogue and disconnected data, into a connected, digital form. Structured information is essential for your business to operate more efficiently and effectively.
Digitisation:
Is the first step to compliance. Regulation is coming post-Grenfell and structured, secure, verified and interoperable product information will be a key requirement of the legislation which is being referred to as “the golden thread”.
Supports integrity. It’s only through digital transparency that industry and society will be able to confidently confirm the compliance of products. Digitally transparent manufacturers will demonstrate their commitment to integrity.
Makes commercial sense. A manufacturer providing accurate, structured product data is more profitable, more efficient, more stable and more reliable.
Will futureproof your business and ultimately the sector, which will require traceability of products and evidence of conformance.
Digitalisation is making this digitised information work for you in your existing business – benefiting from things like ecommerce, product tracking (object identifiers) or contributing to a digital twin, golden thread or building logbook.
A decade back, BIM was launched as the panacea for the construction sector – it was the solution to all our problems and would make us more efficient, reduce costs and consequently improve profitability. Part of this drive for digitalisation was that manufacturers were told to create BIM objects, which in time, proved to be of no real benefit without structured data.
Grenfell has highlighted the need for construction product data that is readily available in a secure and verifiable way to the supply chain and the owners and operators of buildings. A raft of building safety legislation is coming, with accountable persons, gateways and a new construction product regulator, all of which will require structured data.
Connecting sources
Many manufacturers hold their data in several different places such as spreadsheets, databases, CRM and ERP systems, accountancy programs and manufacturing records. The first step to digitisation must be to connect these sources and organise data that it is:
- Organised according to a predefined schema, data becomes machine readable and easy to analyse.
- Only available to those who are authorised to view it yet available in an emergency.
- Guaranteed to be accurate by being traced back to the source.
- Able to be transferred accurately between software platforms, such as those used by different actors in the supply chain.
- To be effective, some data needs to be regularly updated so that it remains live, accurate and relevant to its users.
The blog series mentioned above made a significant contribution to the IET’s latest publication, Digitisation for Construction Product Manufacturers – A Plain Language Guide. This simple guide shows how a manufacturer can make structured information available to the supply chain.
The guide has an example procedure for developing a data strategy that you can adapt to suit your own business structures. Whether you’re a small and medium-sized enterprise, mid-level company or a major international corporation, all companies will encounter similar issues and the principles will be the same. Structuring your data is an ongoing improvement challenge; you may identify problems that will take time and resources to resolve, or the process may be relatively simple.
We are at the beginning of a transformational journey in the construction industry and manufacturers are expected to play their part. There is no need to wait to digitise your construction product information. If you are waiting for the right time to act, there is no time like the present.
Rick Hartwig
Built environment lead
The Institution of Engineering & Technology
Tel: +44 (0)1438 313 311
Twitter: @theiet
LinkedIn: Digitisation for Construction Product Manufacturers
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