CHANNEL REPORT Manufacturing & Construction
Vertical Horizon: Channel in…
Manufacturing and Construction
The headlines in the construction sector are about ensuring effective communication with building sites
and adoption of technology to provide solutions whereas in manufacturing the importance of the network is
rapidly emerging along with AI and the more ‘traditional’ needs such as collaborative working and UC
Asnapshot of the current
state of the UK
Manufacturing and
Construction sectors
reveals an almost polar state of
a airs.
Britain’s construction
industry ‘dropped like a stone’
in June this year to record its
worst monthly performance
in more than 10 years as rms
blamed the Brexit crisis for a
lack of new work.
Housebuilders joined
civil engineering rms and
commercial building contractors
to warn that a wait-and-see
approach to commissioning
projects across the public and
private sectors had hit the
industry.
Most construction rms
reported they were retaining
sta to be ready for a conclusion
to the Brexit talks but, in
the meantime, the general
slowdown in the economy and
the possibility of leaving the EU
without a deal was dampening
demand.
e IHS Markit/Cips
construction purchasing
managers’ index (PMI) plunged
to 43.1, the lowest reading since
April 2009 when the country
was gripped by the global
nancial crisis. A PMI gure
below 50 shows the sector has
contracted.
Construction Industry – P rojects are seemingly
stalled by economic uncertainty
Tim Moore, an associate
director at IHS Markit,
said the deepening political
and economic uncertainty
were the main reasons cited
by construction companies
for the fastest drop in total
construction output since
April 2009. “While the scale
of the downturn is in no way
comparable with that seen
during the global nancial
crisis (when the index plunged
below 30), the abrupt loss of
momentum in 2019 has been
the worst
experienced across the sector for
a decade.”
Amidst this doom and
gloom there is some light, whist
we are still going around in
circles over Brexit there is news
that employment in the sector
has held up as there is optimism
surrounding a pick-up in
business once ‘Brexit is sorted’.
Gamma says, IT and
telecoms remain a key challenge
for the sector, particularly for
newly established projects.
More building, more new sites,
more need for easily manageable
and mobile communications.
“For connecting with
architects, planners, subcontractors,
suppliers, sta ng,
estate agents and head o ce.
Usually before ground is broken
and always before infrastructure
is laid.
Making the move to cloud
communications has been key
to driving operational success
in the sector. With exibility
and mobility the focus to
support the needs of a changing
workforce, keeping vital sta in
touch on site wherever they are
is of paramount importance and
all on one number.”
Leicester based Dalys
provide specialist services
to the construction sector
and says, “As a supplier of
construction phone systems,
we provide solutions to
construction companies.
We have experience of being
involved with house builders
who required CCTV coverage
on sites which were subject to
regular break-ins and thefts,
to civil engineering companies
who require connectivity on
major road-building and major
construction projects.”
Manufacturing:
International Engineering rm
32 | Comms Business Magazine | November 2019 www.commsbusiness.co.uk
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