He said that IT had "gone through a period of froth" but that it was key to improving the industry and there was no reason to remain negative about its use.
"I can show you savings from my own business through the use of IT," he said. "We invest 8% of our turnover in IT research and development, but the yield is fantastic. We have saved clients up to 20% and it drives efficiencies in our business also. Projects progress faster and with greater confidence."
"IT is not an optional extra In time of recession," he added which we may be in soon, we have to continue to invest in IT. It can give you that competitive edge."
Whitby cited project extranets as a way IT will improve the efficiency and quality of the construction industry, though he admitted that dotcoms had a tarnished reputation at present.
"The industry is negative about web-based project management at the moment, but I've no doubt the dotcom will live in construction. When we can deliver buildings virtually on project extranets, with everything pre-planned, anticipating material flows, logistical bottlenecks and so on, we can have a more secure product," he said.
Whitby said that construction could learn lessons from other industries on how to make effective use of technology. "We need to make constructing a building like manufacturing a car, with attention paid to the operation also. You don't expect to take a car back to the garage as soon as you buy it. We have to aim for zero defects with buildings too, and technology can play a big role in that."
He added: "The collapse of the World Trade Centre could have been predicted with the use of fire-modelling technology, for example."
IT can also play a part in easing the skills shortage, Whitby said. "With increased use of IT, we can have fewer people doing more and learning faster, so we can have a tighter skills base.
"There is tremendous potential to excite and develop talent with intelligent use of IT and give young people saleable skills related to construction."
Whitby was speaking at the Construction Industry Computing Association's annual conference in Cambridge.
Source
Construction Manager
