Construction
Jump to section:
Construction Objectives
The primary business objectives or drivers for deploying a private wireless network in construction organizations are largely focused on network reliability and communications improvements and enhanced safety and security.
The most common objective (for 66% of construction respondents) is “enhanced network reliability and performance", followed by the objective to “enable / improve mission-critical communications”. Among those respondents seeking the latter, 80% have already achieved improvements of more than 10% (including 40% achieving improvements of more than 20%). “Enhanced network reliability and performance” was cited by 52% as the “greatest benefit so far”.
Improvements to construction-specific operations were also among the top objectives for construction organizations deploying a private wireless network. For example, 34% were prioritizing “improved site safety via real-time worker location and geofencing” (this is in addition to the general objective of “improved worker safety, prioritized by 25%). Among those looking to private wireless, in part, for real-time worker location and geofencing, 86% achieved at least a 10% improvement. Another operational objective, “better progress tracking and productivity on-site”, was prioritized by 28% of respondents.
Top 10 primary business objectives for deploying private wireless
Enhanced network reliability and performance
Improved cybersecurity
Enable / improve mission-critical communications
Increased process / production line productivity
Improved site safety via real-time worker location and geofencing
Enhanced product / service quality
Reduced unplanned production downtime
Increased employee satisfaction
Better progress tracking and productivity on-site
Improved worker safety
Quantitative Insights
Top 10 desired benefits achieved
When asked in which areas they have achieved measurable benefits after deploying private wireless, 100% of construction organizations cited at least one.
When comparing desired benefits (as chosen by respondents as objectives / drivers for deploying private wireless), against measurable benefits achieved, the survey shows that measurable benefits from “improved worker safety”, “manual task automation”, “operational efficiencies (e.g. automating complex tasks)”, and “improved real-time data for better decision-making” were achieved by 100% of organizations that prioritized it.
Other areas in which desired benefits were measurably achieved by more than 80% of construction organizations that prioritized them include “improved cybersecurity” and “enhanced network reliability and performance”.
Manual task automation
Improved worker safety
Operational efficiencies (e.g. automating complex tasks)
Improved real-time data for better decision-making
Improved cybersecurity
Enhanced network reliability and performance
Enable / improve mission-critical communications
Increased process / production line productivity
Enhanced product / service quality
Improved site safety via real-time worker location and geofencing
Top 5 unexpected benefits
Construction organizations also achieved benefits in areas which they did not expect. This chart reflects the percentage of organizations that did NOT select each benefit as an objective / driver for private wireless which achieved that benefit, nonetheless.
For example, 65% were surprised by the “better progress tracking and productivity on-site” resulting from their deployment of private wireless, because it was not one of their stated objectives. Similarly, “improved site safety via real-time worker location and geofencing” and “reduced unplanned production downtime” were unexpected benefits for 48% and 45% of organizations, respectively, which had not initially prioritized them.
Better progress tracking and productivity on-site
Reduced unplanned production downtime
Safer autonomous / remote equipment operation
Improved site safety via real-time worker location and geofencing
Increased employee satisfaction
Total benefits expected
Respondents were also asked about the extent of improvement they expect to achieve from each benefit resulting from their private wireless deployment. This includes the level of improvement achieved so far, combined with further benefits expected, ranging from 1 to 5% total benefit improvement at the low end, to more than 30% at the high end.
While “enhanced network reliability and performance” and “improved cybersecurity” are expected to provide benefits to more construction organizations than any other benefit, several benefits are expected to provide greater than 30% improvements: “more efficient equipment utilization and reduced idle time”, “reduced rework through real-time quality checks and digital QA workflows”, and “reduced emissions / environmental objectives”.
Note: the list of benefits is ranked by the number of respondents achieving each measurable benefit.
Construction Use Cases: Deployed & Planned
Among construction organizations that have deployed private wireless, “asset tracking” is the use case most commonly deployed already (66%). “AGV / AMRs” is among the top two use cases planned for deployment within two years (63%), while “edge compute” is next, with 53% of construction organizations with private wireless networks planning to deploy them within that time period.
For use cases either deployed already or planned for deployment within two years, 91% cited “voice / comms”, “predictive maintenance”, and “cameras for security / worker safety purposes”.
