An insight of the Industry 4.0 adoption in the Dutch construction and development industry
Exploratory research into barriers that are withholding adopting I4.0 and potential interventions to overcome them
D.C. Schoemaker (TU Delft - Architecture and the Built Environment)
T.A. Daamen – Mentor (TU Delft - Urban Development Management)
P.W.C. Chan – Graduation committee member (TU Delft - Design & Construction Management)
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Abstract
There seems to be a mismatch between the enormous potential of Industry 4.0 (I4.0) and the extent to which it is adopted in the construction and development industry C&DI. According to the literature, the growing interest in I4.0 and its potential benefits are not stimulating companies to adopt it. There is little to no research covering adopting I4.0 technologies in the Dutch C&DI. Usually, the
focus is on different industries. When research focuses on the C&DI, it often investigates the construction or the maintenance phase. In addition, these researches mainly focus on the barriers of adopting Industry 4.0, and not on what interventions could be taken to increase the adoption in practice. This has resulted in the following main research question:
Are barriers withholding adopting Industry 4.0 (I4.0) technologies (e.g. artificial intelligence (AI), internet of things (IoT) and Digital Twins (DT)) within the Dutch construction and development industry, and if so, can these barriers be overcome? Due to the topic’s nascent character, mainly qualitative research is conducted. Literature is reviewed in combination with exploratory interviews and a focus group. In addition, a quantitative study was set up to support the qualitative research through a survey. A selection of twelve barriers to withholding adopting I4.0 technologies has been identified from the literature review. As a result of the survey, the lack of clarity on economic benefit and the challenge in the value chain integration emerged as the two most significant barriers. The most frequently adopted I4.0 technologies in the Netherlands are sensors and big data & analytics. The interviews and focus group made it possible to look in-depth at the previously found results, revealing several significant barriers. In addition, potential interventions have been identified to overcome the barriers. In conclusion, these interventions have been discussed in more detail, followed by recommendations. For example, municipalities should participate more often in a Joint venture, which is a public-private partnership. Unfortunately, specific numbers of Dutch adoption are missing in the research. However, the recent experience and adoption of I4.0 technologies in the Dutch
C&DI generate well-founded valuable insights. Lastly, the research stresses the importance of future research on the topic.