The department for
Business, Enterprise and Industrial Strategy has announced a new joint
government-industry Sector Deal worth £420 million to transform construction
through innovative technologies to increase productivity and build new homes
quicker with less disruption.
The government is
bringing together the construction, manufacturing, energy and digital sectors
to deliver innovative approaches that improve productivity in construction and
accelerate a shift to building safer, healthier and more affordable places to live
and learn that use less energy.
Included within the
announcement was a reference to the Construction Products Association’s work
that will allow accurate, repeatable, machine-readable product information to
be used across the sector. These include work around digital object identifiers
and LEXiCON.
Responding to the
announcement Peter Caplehorn, Construction Products Association Deputy Chief
Executive and Policy Director, said: “These are ambitious plans that will
improve and modernise the construction sector, whilst providing much-needed
reassurance to the supply chain as Brexit-related uncertainty continues to
weigh on activity.
"We welcome
government’s recognition of construction as one of the UK’s most important
sectors, and construction product manufacturers are at the very heart of its
success - with 80% of all products used in the UK being made in the UK, we
support nearly every construction project.
“Our sector has
already demonstrated where we can spark the ‘bytes and mortar revolution’
through off-site manufacturing and advanced manufacturing technologies that
deliver high-quality buildings more quickly and efficiently, boost productivity
and make a more interesting offer to our workforce.
“We were also
pleased to see the Construction Products Association’s work around LEXiCON and
product data referenced in the Sector Deal, as we believe this will be key to
ensuring that homes and buildings perform as intended and are safe for those
who use them.
“It is promising to
see government commit to a long term vision. Now government and industry must
work together to deliver real results on the ground.”
