Leveraging advances in automation to benefit the construction industry in the structural steel sector

Abstract

The global structural steel market was reported to be valued at $96 Billion in 2018, and according to some projections, it will amount to about $140 Billion by 2025. This means that the structural steel industry is expected to have a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of about 5.4% over this six-year period. Consequently, this sector is set to perform better than the construction industry as a whole, which is projected to have a CAGR of 4.2% over approximately the same period. This projection represents good news for the structural steel industry but it also magnifies some of the challenges that the industry has been facing or has faced in the past. For example, the US Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that overall employment of ironworkers will see an 11% growth from 2018 to 2028, which is much faster than the average growth for all occupations. On the other side of the equation, the industry is facing some challenges that may make it difficult for it to meet the projected demand. For example, there is a very well documented shortage in the construction labor force, and this shortage is already causing problems and driving construction costs upward. Moreover, there is an expectation of increased accountability towards the environment while dealing with generally larger and more complex projects. In this paper, the authors propose that increased automation may be the most effective way to solve the labor shortage problem in the steel construction sector. An overview of advancements in related automation technology is first presented, followed by an analysis of the areas of the industry that may benefit from an increased use or the introduction of automation. The authors conclude by presenting a set of recommendations for adding more automation in the production, servicing, fabrication, and erection of structural steel.