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Mitchell also predicts there will be some high level
competition to Katerra, just as Lyft competes with
Uber. “Look for people like Elon Musk or others to cre-
ate new companies designed to compete with
Katerra.” Katerra and other high-level integrated technol-
ogy/modular builders will gain traction in part because
of an increasing number of successful completed proj-
ects, coupled with pressures on labor supply caused
in part by increasing immigration restrictions in the
U.S., says another consultant.
“In 2018, I believe we will see a perfect storm of
factors – an aging global workforce, a lack of new en-
trants and growing restrictions on free movement of
labor - begin to decisively accelerate the uptake of
construction integrated manufacturing,” writes Kenny
Ingram, global industry director at IFS, a software de-
veloper. “Government, regulatory bodies and the industry
alike will start to realize that, while getting more peo-
ple into the industry is important, as well as trying to
increase the number of people onsite, the most strate-
gic solution would be to fundamentally change the
way we build in the first place.”
“New technology is making it easier to work prof-
itably on a global level as well,” he writes. “With 3D
printing, for example, costs for both material and long
transports are decreasing substantially. Using tech-
nologies such as these, the partnerships will focus
more on global competence exchange rather than
long-haul transports.”
“All three of these trends are woven tight together.
Contractors need to work hard to ensure that the right
competences are secured while considering how to
implement new business models for modular build-
ings and construction integrated manufacturing — all
this in a construction industry that is becoming more
global and offers new forms of partnerships. The play-
ers who master this balancing act will be the winners
in 2018.”
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