What connects the construction industry in Singapore and Finland? Both are looking for ways to improve construction productivity. The difference, however, is that some of the solutions being developed in Singapore are already commonplace in Finland.
Over the past month, I have had the opportunity to discuss Finnish construction and construction productivity with Singaporeans. Based on the discussions, I have realized that we Finns do not always recognize how good our expertise is.
In Finland, we often talk in the industry about what we could learn from other countries. It would be equally important to stop and think about what others would like to learn from us.
Singapore seeks productivity leap
In Singapore, improving construction productivity is a national strategic goal. The government supports companies' technology projects, skills development and the introduction of new operating methods with significant subsidies. The goal is to build faster, better and with a lower carbon footprint. At the same time, Singaporeans are actively looking around the world for new solutions that could help them with construction challenges.
You may be wondering what we have to offer other countries. I see that the Finnish construction industry has a lot to offer others. For example, in Finland, many things that we take for granted are already part of everyday life and even self-evident: precast concrete system (BES), building information modeling (BIM), synchronous production, alliance models and trust between different parties. Lean construction also attracted great interest. Continuous development of construction processes, reducing waste and creating value for the customer are seen there as key ways to increase productivity. Lean thinking has been put into practice in Finland for years.
However, internationally, these are solutions that are still being built in many countries.
Productivity is reflected in international comparisons
The pioneering role of Finnish construction is reflected in productivity comparisons: the construction value chain productivity indicator developed by RT and Aalto University shows in international comparisons that an average of about 10 working hours are used to build a Finnish precast concrete apartment building per square meter of building, while the corresponding comparison figure in Singapore is about 20 hours.
The targets are not completely identical, but the result shows that the Finnish production system is highly competitive internationally. It does not arise by chance, but as a result of decades of development.
Looking beyond the borders of our country
The construction industry in Finland is still facing difficult times. That is why we should increasingly look beyond our borders. The world is looking for more efficient processes, better information management, more functional procurement models, higher-quality construction and solutions to the skills shortage. Finnish construction has been developing solutions to these challenges for a long time.
At the same time, exports are changing: We are not just exporting products or raw materials abroad. We can also export operating models, software, design expertise, data, training and entire concepts. New business can be created around these for large companies as well as growing SMEs and startups.
Perhaps the most important lesson from the Singaporeans was ultimately not related to Singapore, but to Finland: we have construction expertise that is world-class and that the rest of the world is genuinely interested in.
We still need the humility to learn from others, but also the courage to share our own expertise and offer it to international markets. The world is looking for solutions that are considered everyday in Finland.
Antti Aaltonen
Director, Construction Development
antti.aaltonen@rt.fi +358 40 514 3626Confederation of Finnish Construction Industries (CFCI)
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