Increasingly serious labor shortages
The construction business is facing labor shortages, due to the aging of the population and as the baby boomer generation exits the work force in large numbers.
Tokyu Construction / 1720
LAST UPDATE: 2021.02.09 Research Coverage Report by Shared Research Inc. | https://sharedresearch.jp
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Coverage▷ Shortage of skilled workers: Even with enhanced productivity, the need for skilled workers is expected to reach 2.9–3.2mn people by 2025, according to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism. However, around 1.3mn baby boomers are expected to exit the workforce, resulting in a shortfall of 770,000–990,000 skilled workers.
▷ Aging of the population: The construction business is likely to be affected more severely by population aging than industry as a whole. Currently, more than 30% of workers in the construction industry are 55 or older, with around 10% aged 29 or younger.
▷ Construction companies are striving to offset labor shortages and an aging population by stepping up hiring of foreign nationals and younger workers. Tokyu Construction thinks companies may engage in corporate restructuring efforts in an effort to retain personnel.
Growing demand for renovation
▷ Although the construction business is slated to gradually shrink over the medium to long term, Tokyu Construction believes the growth in demand for renovation and maintenance will accelerate, buoyed by seismic reconstruction and environmental response measures. The company explains that the percentage of infrastructure built during Japan’s period of rapid economic growth that is now deteriorating is rising quickly. Accordingly, it expects demand for maintenance and upgrades to expand further.
▷ Tokyu Construction believes this situation warrants a move toward more recurring-revenue business and more flexible methods for accepting orders.
Percentage of infrastructure built 50 or more years ago
Source: Company materials
Growing need for productivity enhancement
▷ Use of BIM and CIM systems: Centralizing three-dimensional information on building shapes and attributes facilitates
consensus-building between construction-related players, helping to improve the efficiency of design and construction work.
Building information modeling (BIM) is a solution for utilizing information in a building database produced by adding data regarding attributes, such as cost, finishing details, and management information, to a three-dimensional digital model of a building constructed on a computer during various types of construction processes, including design, construction, maintenance, and management.
To front-load construction work and streamline on-site operations, Tokyu Construction has started distributing a structural model that supports BIM as a
“first model” at the start of construction. The distributed model is utilized at the site as a construction BIM, and applied to an examination of the construction plan. Visualizing work procedures and sharing BIM information with employees and on-site skilled construction workers makes it possible to select the best procedures, and helps to improve the efficiency and safety of the operations. BIM can also help ensure consistency among multiple drawings, such as architectural design, structural, and equipment plans, and prevent losses due to operational rework. Furthermore, it is possible to check work in detail and build a consensus with the client and designers in three dimensions, improving the speed of decision-making. The company says it plans to utilize the information provided by BIM to reduce the burden of on-site quantitative calculations, to streamlining business operations further. (Source: Tokyu Corporation’s Integrated Report 2019)
▷ i-Construction: MLIT encourages the utilization of ICT in construction production processes ranging from surveying and measurements to design, construction, and inspections. The company aims to improve productivity on construction sites by leveraging drones for measurements and ICT for construction.
Tokyu Construction uses ICT and BIM/CIM in Shibuya redevelopment work. Conventional methods, which employ only two-dimensional drawings to share construction plans and related information, are inadequate for the complex project of redeveloping Shibuya, in which the civil engineering division and building construction division must simultaneously engage in their respective construction operations in close proximity, while maintaining city functions in the area. Accordingly, since 2013, Tokyu Corporation has been working to integrate BIM from the building construction Aging rate (over 50 years) March March March
Tokyu Construction / 1720
LAST UPDATE: 2021.02.09 Research Coverage Report by Shared Research Inc. | https://sharedresearch.jp
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Coveragebusiness and CIM from the civil engineering business. The company has rendered the entire city of Shibuya in three-dimensions based on the concept of urban information modeling/management (UiM), and has been using the framework to study the redevelopment of Shibuya. Especially in the projects involving the Tokyo Metro Ginza Line at the East Exit of Shibuya Station and Shibuya Stream, construction planning in 3D space and using the 4D-CIM model, in which a time axis is also added to the 3D model, has contributed to swifter consensus building with the parties involved. The company is preparing for a project at the West Exit of Shibuya Station, with the proactive use of UiM in mind. The company says it intends to steadily and reliably propel the project forward, maintaining the project schedule, by ascertaining potential construction risks as expeditiously as possible in cyberspace, reproducing real-world conditions and applying the identified risks to the real world. The company notes it has been involved in construction in the Shibuya area for many years and explains that the “digital twin” the UiM provides will help it pass on its experience to employees working 50 or 100 years in the future. (Source: Tokyu Corporation’s Integrated Report 2019)
▷ Precast concrete construction method: This modular construction method involves the production of reinforced concrete construction parts in factories. The various parts are joined together at construction sites. This approach reduces the number of personnel required on-site, lowers costs, and facilitates a stable supply of high-quality concrete building parts.
▷ By introducing such methods, the company expects consolidation within the construction business. It believes the industry will see more mergers and acquisitions, as companies strive to scale up their profits.
Tokyu Construction / 1720
LAST UPDATE: 2021.02.09 Research Coverage Report by Shared Research Inc. | https://sharedresearch.jp