6 CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY TRENDS FOR 2022

MANCHESTER, England, Jan. 20, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The last two years saw many industries and sectors grind to a halt as the pandemic led to global supply chain issues, swathes of workforce unavailability and a general slowing down of life in many ways. But we saw the construction sector begin to ramp back up in 2021, particularly in the final quarter, with figures from Glenigan quoted in Property Week suggesting "we can now expect further growth over the next two years to lift the value of underlying starts to a total of £61bn by 2023, 3% above 2019 level". So what could help to drive this growth, and what trends do we at Hilti expect to see in 2022? 

 

1. ADVANCED LAYOUT SOLUTIONS
   We all know how crucial productivity is for the construction industry – after all, time is money! Tools that require less workers and can automate otherwise manual jobs are top of the list when it comes to clawing back time, so it's no surprise that advanced layout tools are proving more and more popular. The Hilti PLT 300, for example, can layout up to 500 points per day with just one worker – compared to traditional methods, whereby two experienced workers are limited to just 150 points a day. Not only does this free up workers to complete other tasks instead, but the speed at which advanced layout tools can operate simply can't be matched by humans. With undeniable productivity gains, we predict a sharp uptake of these tools throughout 2022.
   
   
   
2. CIRCULARITY
   Circularity refers to a circular economy, whereby the entire life cycle of a tool is taken into consideration – from the design stage to production and repair. As more people become increasingly aware of environmental issues, it's no longer acceptable to discard a tool when it stops working. With a circular economy, the focus is on manufacturing durable tools that not only last, but can be reused and recycled. In turn, this affects how tools are built, what they're made of, and how tools are sold to customers. The "use instead of own" approach is a particularly attractive proposition, enabling construction companies to lease tools that they hand back at the end of their contract – where the tools and parts are then reused, repaired or recycled. Our Fleet Management offering has proved popular for those exact reasons. As environmental concerns grow, it's likely that tool manufacturers will follow suit by offering more eco-conscious products and services.