MiGHT's initiatives in Construction and Housing

One of the most significant contributors to the economy, the Construction and Housing sector is often thought of as being a difficult industry. It is seen as a labour-intensive and fraught with difficulties and is often regarded as the least efficient and productive of all the industrial sectors. As the country developed it is imperative to ensure that the growth in construction and in particular the growth in the housing sector, matched the growth of the economy. Providing quality and modern infrastructure would be a step toward achieving developed nation status, which would in turn help increase the quality of life and well being of the general public. At the same time, costs would have to be competitive to ensure that housing was not only of good quality but also affordable.

The industry itself is as old as the country but there has been little in the way of development, particularly in terms of technological innovation. To further compound the problem, the construction industry is heavily dependent on foreign labour. Recognising the need for improvement, Malaysian Industry-Government Group for High Technology (MIGHT) formed its MIG in Construction and Housing in 1994. It was determined that there were various key issues that needed to be addressed.

Among the issues highlighted are the prolonged dependence on foreign labour has led to the industry continuing to use labour intensive production techniques. In its attempts to introduce innovation to the construction industry as well as overcoming the labour dependence and shortage, MIGHT has determined that the way to move forward is to keep abreast with new technology in order to be more competitive. The implementation of a new method of construction, which was based on a modular concept, would result in a greater output of more affordable housing units.

Industrialised Building Systems (IBS) is a method which enables a company to move away from the conventional labour intensive method of construction to a more technological based. With this approach, components of the building are manufactured off-site, in modules so to speak, and brought on site to be assembled. The standardisation of elements and fittings of houses will ultimately lead to an increase in efficiency, better quality and less wastage of time and materials. Most importantly it will provide for a lower cost structure. The cost structure is important here as affordable housing can be built to support the governments low-income housing schemes.

The industrialised modular concept also allows for the manufacture of large or small units as the components are interchangeable and easily assembled. The pre-fabricated composite materials can also be used to further develop the industry by catering to the export market.

At present there are pockets and elements in the industry that could become the basic ingredients for the industrialisation process through the IBS concept. With over fourty years of laissez faire implementation in Malaysia, IBS has not become widely accepted or used. Experiences in countries like Singapore, Denmark, Norway etc. indicates a strong government intervention is needed for change in the construction industry and a successful implementation of IBS. The MIG in Construction & Housing is committed to ensure the success of IBS implementation that will form the impetus for the migration of the traditional insitu industry to one where the supply of components will form the basis of construction delivery.