According to a Costain study for the Department for Transport the greater adoption of connected and autonomous plant (CAP) would improve construction productivity so much that it could add £417bn to the UK economy over the next 25 years.
The gross domestic product of the British economy was 2,270 bn British pounds in 2023
Costain was commissioned to provide market analysis of wider adoption of CAP – construction equipment that uses the latest digital technology to optimise construction processes.
The study found that increasing the production and sale of CAP could add £61bn by 2050 through a combination of direct, indirect and induced effects across the supply chain. At the same time, the construction sectors using more CAP could, through savings and increased productivity, realise an additional gross value added (GVA) of £356bn by 2050. When these factors are combined, the research found that UK’s wider adoption of CAP could lead to additional GVA of £417bn (as a cumulative total) by 2050.
The study also revealed a number of additional benefits that the increased adoption of CAP through to 2050 would enable, including higher productivity, savings on fuel and energy costs, and safety improvements.
In the road and rail sectors, it is estimated that CAP adoption could reduce the number of “safety incidents” by 28,000 over 25 years, with the technology potentially removing operators from high-risk environments, in addition to driving improvements to workplace wellbeing.
Jonathan Willcock, managing director of transportation at Costain, said: “Infrastructure investment – particularly in transportation – is recognised as a pathway to national growth and prosperity. However, with myriad competing pressures on public spending, this investment must demonstrate value for money and maximise productivity.
“Connected and autonomous plant has the potential to transform the productivity of construction activities and, in turn, give a significant boost to the UK economy over the coming decades. Importantly, the technology will also play a key role in encouraging greener and safer ways of working, as well as creating more high-skilled jobs for the workforce.
“We’re already seeing CAP being deployed on projects across the country, but in order to scale up and achieve the benefits faster, there needs to be a shift in thinking to embrace this technology and drive positive change.”
At present, the UK is a net exporter of construction plant and equipment, a market valued at £15bn annually. Roughly a fifth of construction plant currently in use has some degree of connectivity and autonomy, including compactors, excavators and bulldozers, in addition to technology such as 3D printing and AI robotics.
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