Digital tools are the key to future business growth, according to findings in Autodesk’s 2023 State of Design & Make report.
A total of 79% of respondents (to the survey that informed the report) said that future growth of their company will depend on digital tools.
There were 2,565 respondents in total, drawn not only from the built environment, but also design and manufacturing, and media and entertainment. 884 responses came from the built environment, of which 349 were from Europe (including 68 in the UK). The survey was conducted between October and December 2022.
It is no surprise that companies in media and entertainment are further along their digital transformation journey than those in the built environment or design and manufacturing.
In the built environment, 64% were digitally less mature. That compares with an even 50/50 split between more digitally mature and less digitally mature among media and entertainment companies.
The report reveals that the more digitally mature a business is, the more likely it is to consider itself a top performer within its sector.
Explosion of data
As well as a survey, the Autodesk report draws upon interviews. One interviewee – Megan Stanley, manager of technical applications for multi-disciplinary consultancy GHD – said that companies must work to manage the “explosion” of data they produce. “We realised the potential value of data some time ago, but today our sources of data are nearly endless. This has created a data explosion,” she said.
“With the volume of information we generate through sources like project information, communications, sensors and technology, we have access to a lot of potentially high-value data. The challenge for organisations and the industry will be how we collectively create standards and consistent approach to realising that value.”
The report tackles other key obstacles, including recruitment. Companies in the built environment face greater talent challenges than the other two sectors. For example, nearly half of (47%) of built environment respondents said their company’s culture is too slow to adapt to the younger generation’s needs and desires, compared with a third (34%) in media and entertainment.
That said, respondents from all three sectors noted that their industry’s type of jobs have had to evolve more rapidly in the past three years than in the previous 25.
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