The ongoing fourth industrial revolution underpins Industry 4.0. IT uses cyber-physical systems and advanced digital technologies. Integration and complex real-world scenarios are possible with the fourth industrial revolution. In 2011, the German government introduced INDUSTRIE 4.0, a vision for the future of manufacturing (Roblek, Meško, & Krapež, 2016). This is Industry 4.0, based on the fourth industrial revolution.
Industry 4.0 refers to a “confluence of trends and technologies” that may change manufacturing (Baur & Wee, 2015). The German government calls Industry 4.0 “a new technological age for manufacturing that uses cyber-physical systems and Internet of Things, Data and Services to connect production technologies with smart production processes” (Kagermann, Wahlster, & Helbig, 2013; MacDougall, 2014). It will smarten manufacturing. Also known as “a new level of value chain organization and management across the lifecycle of products,” Industry 4.0 (Hermann, Pentek, Otto, 2016).
Industry 4.0 requires the integration of machinery and devices with networked sensors and software to predict, control, and plan for better business and societal outcomes (Shafiq, Sanin, Szczerbicki, & Toro, 2015). Industry 4.0 uses physical and digital technologies to improve manufacturing organizations, business models, and production processes (Xu, Xu, & Li, 2018).
Key components of Industry 4.0
Industry 4.0 is possible because embedded systems have evolved into Cyber-physical systems (CPS) (Vogel-Heuser & Hess, 2016). CPS technologies link the virtual and physical worlds to create a networked production environment where intelligent objects communicate (Kagermann, Wahlster, & Helbig, 2013).
Industry 4.0 began with embedded systems and their technological evolution toward CPS, IoT, Data, and Services (MacDougall, 2014). CPS creates a ‘digital twin’ of the physical production environment. The physical-digital-physical loop (Rutgers & Sniderman, 2018) becomes the factory’s Cyber-Physical Production Systems (CPPS) (Vogel-Heuser & Hess, 2016).
CPPS creates a digitalized, smart, optimized, service-oriented, and interoperable production environment for Industry 4.0. Industry 4.0 links business and technical production system processes through the Internet of Things, Data, and Services.
Description of Construction 4.0
Focusing on physical-to-digital and digital-to-physical transformation helps the Construction 4.0 framework plan, design, and deliver built environment assets more efficiently (Dallasegaa, Raucha & Linderb 2018). Construction 4.0, modeled after Industry 4.0, combines digital and physical technologies. There is no consensus on the definition of Construction 4.0, but most studies refer to it as the ‘counterpart of Industry 4.0’ (Maskuriy et al., 2019; Soto et al., 2019). The systematic literature review led the authors to define Construction 4.0 as:
“Construction 4.0 uses cyber-physical systems, the Internet of Things, Data, and Services to link the digital layer of BIM and CDE and the physical layer of the asset over its life to create an interconnected environment integrating organizations, processes, and information to efficiently design, construct, and operate assets.”
Construction 4.0 relies on cyber-physical systems. CPS connect the virtual and physical worlds to create a networked world where intelligent objects communicate and interact (Griffor, Greer, Wollman, & Burns, 2017). Construction 4.0 revolves around CPS and the Digital Ecosystem (Gartner, 2017).
In Construction 4.0, framework components fit into three layers. Construction 4.0 relies on BIM and a cloud-based CDE (Oesterreich and Teuteberg, 2016; Cooper, 2018). BIM provides modeling and simulation features, while CDE stores all data related to the constructed asset over its lifecycle (Maskuriy et al. 2019). The other two layers contain these components (Tetika, Peltokorpia, Seppänena & Holmströmb, 2019):
- Industrial production (prefabrication, 3D printing, offsite manufacturing, onsite assembly)
- Robots and cobots for repetitive and dangerous tasks, drones for surveying, lifting, moving, and positioning, sensors, and actuators • Digital technologies (BIM, video, laser scanning, IoT, sensors, AI, cloud computing, big data, analytics, reality capture, Blockchain, simulation, augmented reality, data standards, interoperability, vertical and horizontal integration)
Construction 4.0 is mostly talked about technology, but its success depends on people, practices, and the environment.
Role of BIM and CDE in Construction 4.0
Construction 4.0 allows the industry to:
- Create digital models of physical built assets;
- Use digital models to design new assets or retrofit existing ones. Then, use digital and physical technologies to deliver them.
- Roof installation services can also benefit from these advancements by using digital twins for planning and monitoring installations in real-time.
Construction 4.0 relies heavily on BIM and CDE. Over the life of the asset, the CDE stores data independently and application-agnostically. BIM also enables model-centric design, construction, and other downstream processes. The model shows the asset under construction and after completion in three dimensions. Therefore, BIM and CDE are crucial to developing the digital twin that supports other framework components.
Benefits of Construction 4.0 and implementation challenges
The industry is undergoing a Construction 4.0-driven transformation due to BIM, lean, digital, and offsite construction. Fragmented built environment teaching, research, and practice is the main issue. Define Construction 4.0 in the context of the current state, emerging trends and technologies, and people and process issues that surround the proposed transformation to overcome fragmentation.
Initial studies have imagined Construction 4.0’s benefits (Cooper, 2018; Dallasega, Rauch, & Linder, 2018; Oesterreich & Teuteberg, 2016). Studies show that Construction 4.0 framework benefits include:
- approach that takes into account the life cycle
- reduction of waste and inefficiencies in operations
- Integration on all three levels: horizontal, vertical, and longitudinal
- efficiency gains in terms of both time and money
- considerable enhancements in terms of safety performance
- improvement in quality
- enhancement of the industry’s public image
According to the Farmer report, the construction industry was slow to adopt new technologies, and the report concluded that the industry failed to capitalize on the opportunities presented by the Industry 3.0 transformation (Farmer, 2016). The authors have developed a list of implementation challenges that the industry faces while implementing the Construction 4.0 framework (Oesterreich and Teuteberg, 2016; Dallasega, Rauch, and Linder, 2018; Alaloul, Liew, Zawawi, & Kennedy, 2019). This list was developed based on an extensive review of the relevant literature.
Some of the identified challenges include:
- opposition to the process of change
- value proposition that is not clear
- cost of implementation that is high
- investment in research and development that is relatively low
- requirement for improved abilities
- the fragmentation of the longitudinal
- the absence of standards
- Protecting data, ensuring data security, and ensuring cybersecurity
- Instability in legal and contractual matters
Conclusions and Recommendations
Construction employs millions worldwide and boosts national and global GDP. This conservative approach to innovation leads to inertia when it comes to change. The construction industry has failed to use technology and data management to improve efficiency, performance, and output quality, unlike manufacturing, automotive, and aerospace.
The industry remains fragmented and inefficient in process, information flows, and collaboration despite numerous historical attempts to change. The concepts, principles, and components of Industry 4.0, translated into a strategic, tactical, and operational paradigm as Construction 4.0, could revolutionize the sector. This paper examines Industry 4.0 and Construction 4.0 links. Using systematic literature review, Construction 4.0 and its key components were described.
Since this is a new field, the research community must set a research agenda for each Construction 4.0 framework strand. For Construction 4.0 to succeed, the sector workforce must have new skills. The construction industry must work with technology innovators, academic institutions, and researchers and educators to prepare for Construction 4.0.
