Innovation in construction - providing value added competitive advantage for Tayside companies
Thursday 11 October 2007 at 17:00pm
Event summary
This event provided a broad insight into the specialist academic expertise available for the construction industry. A line up of speakers from academia and industry highlighted units and expertise available from the University of Dundee and a successful KTP case study.
Event PowerPoint download
To get a flavour of the presentations on the day click here to download a PDF of the Innovation in Construction event PowerPoint presentation.
Speakers
Professor Malcolm Horner - Whole Life Consultants Ltd
Professor Ravi Dhir - Concrete Technology Unit (CTU), University of Dundee
Ewan Duncan - Tayside Contracts
Jamie Pert - Pert Bruce Construction Ltd
Event detail and schedule
17.00 - 17.20 - Networking + buffet
17.20 -17.25 – Jamie Henderson (Manager, Innovation Portal)
Introduction and brief overview of the Innovation Portal and funding option
17.25 - 17.35 – Professor Malcolm Horner (Whole Life Consultants Ltd)
Professor Horner will justify the need for innovation; how innovation can transform the fortunes of SMEs; which areas of the sector have a case for innovation and highlight the barriers to innovation.
17.35 - 17.45 – Professor Ravi Dhir Concrete Technology Unit (CTU), University of Dundee
The Concrete Technology Unit is a highly regarded global leader in concrete research. Professor Dhir will discuss the role of the CTU within the construction industry; covering past and present projects.
17.45 - 17.55 – Ewan Duncan (Tayside Contracts)
Tayside Contracts have a current KTP with University of Dundee to add value to the recycling of construction aggregates by developing and implementing a cold-mix bituminous recycling technology, and to extend accreditation to the ISO 14001 environmental standard. Ewan will provide first hand experiences, advantages and importance of working with academia to foster innovation for industry.
17.55 - 18.05 – Jamie Pert (Pert Bruce Construction Ltd)
Jamie will address the key problems encountered by an SME, operating within what is widely perceived to be a traditional industry that is slow to embrace change. Jamie will also provide an overview of the wide ranging, constantly evolving building and environmental legislation affecting the industry today, and more importantly; how an SME must adapt to change.
18.05 - 18.20 – Questions
18.20 - 18.25 – Refreshments
18.25 - 18.55 – Group Focus – An opportunity to have your say
A breakout session for small groups
- What are the 3 most important innovations to your company in Construction?
- What are the main barriers to innovation in Construction?
Each group will present its findings to the workshop
18.55 -19.15 – Feedback Session (Malcolm Horner)
Post group findings: feedback, advice, further probing and suggestions
19.15 - 19.30 – Networking
Feedback
We asked the attendees of The Innovation in Construction event for their feedback. The overall impression of the event was that it was very good and the majority of the attendees felt that the event had highlighted significant areas for development.
- 90% of attendees rated the event very good
- 60% of attendees said they would consider working with academia
- 80% of attendees said that the event highlighted areas for development. Suggestions for future topics included, Government procurement methods, latest technology in plant and process, lean construction, funding sources.