COVID-19 has had a significant impact on the global economy — not just on large MNCs like Autodesk, but also on small shops on ‘main streets’ worldwide. America was late to respond to the pandemic, but the leaders in many European and APAC countries were prompt in imposing lockdowns; this enabled the countries to resume work more quickly later. Further, the outbreak forced a shift in how people purchase and receive goods and services, and this unexpected experience has resulted in both new and lost opportunities. While it is difficult to exactly predict how things will play out, we see the first half of FY 2021 looking a lot like the end of FY 2020. But as countries and communities work out the kinks in vaccine distribution, we are pretty optimistic about seeing substantial improvements in the second half of next year.
The turning point
To understand the pandemic’s effect on the construction industry, it is essential to look back at the economic downturn from 2008 through to 2012. The industry saw approximately two million people lose their jobs, and only about half of them returned to work. Some found work in other industries, while others reached their retirement age. The shortage is felt even today. This was, I believe, a turning point for the construction industry, specifically with regard to digitization, automation, Cloud collaboration and other approaches to help fill the gap. The after-effects of the pandemic are going to be similar, and will prove to be a boon for the industry — it will be permanently digitized. Also, the supply chains will be shorter and more resilient, and physical and virtual production environments will be reimagined.
“The pandemic will prove to be a boon for the industry — it will be permanently digitized.”
Digital twins — a natural extension of BIM
Digital twins are a natural extension of a BIM-based process. In fact, at Autodesk, we are pretty clear that without BIM it is very difficult to get all the benefits from a Digital Twin. The ability to connect the physical and digital worlds with real-time operational awareness of structures, machines, or products is the future of most industries.
Diversifying AEC portfolios with partnerships
At Autodesk, we are constantly motivated by our tradition of openness and our willingness to work with other companies across industries to do what is best for our customers. One such example is our partnership with Esri. Cloud-enabled workflows are here to stay and are good for efficiency. Connecting Autodesk Construction Cloud to Esri’s Cloud platform is a big step forward in helping our customers manage and plan for sustainable and smart cities and infrastructure. The concept of a single Cloud-to-Cloud solution that lets teams integrate and visualize project data will become extremely important over the next decade.
Industrialized construction
Industrialized construction, also known as manufacturing of construction activities, is associated with repeatable and efficient workflows. Industrial facilities require connected data and teams to operate efficiently. In this situation, Autodesk Construction Cloud helps keep the data current and actionable throughout a project, which, in turn, helps teams to complete projects faster.
