ICW to showcase modern construction methods and building systems

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Fadillah (left) receiving a memento from CIDB chief executive officer Datuk Ahmad Asri Abdul Hamid while Ahmad looks on.

Fadillah (left) receiving a memento from CIDB chief executive officer Datuk Ahmad Asri Abdul Hamid while Ahmad looks on.

KUCHING: The International Construction Week 2016 (ICW) was launched at Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre by Works Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof on behalf of the Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak recently.

With the theme ‘Driving Productivity in Construction’ ICW, the region’s biggest trade event for the construction industry, focused on cutting-edge technologies and methodologies to improve productivity and sustainability in construction, particularly Industrialised Building Systems (IBS) which will be showcased in the Industrialised Building Systems Housing Expo.

“The theme of this year’s ICW is driving productivity further by increasing technology adoption and modernising construction methods. This is an important aspect of our national economy for it is through increased productivity that we can properly target to become a high-income nation by 2020,” said Najib in his speech read by Fadillah.

According to him, increasing construction sector productivity also means employing modern construction methods such as increased mechanisation and IBS.

“While the labour productivity of the construction sector is expected to rise to RM61,939 per worker by 2020 from RM39,116 in 2015, it remains imperative that skills be enhanced to raise productivity and handle more sophisticated building methods.

“Let us work towards a future-proof economy that is resilient with increased capacity and flexibility to respond to the changing global economic landscape. Let us have a fully involved private sector at the forefront of nation building,” said the Prime Minister.

Meanwhile, Construction Industry Development Board (CIDB) chairman Tan Sri Dr Ahmad Tajuddin Ali said although the use of IBS under its productivity thrust had been proven to be a technological force with many benefits in several other countries, there was still resistance and reluctance to adopt this modern form of construction technology locally.

“CIDB has repeatedly assured that IBS has shown to be a quality, safe, energy-efficiency way of construction which can also help modernise the local building industry since ten years ago,” he remarked.

As the leading platform for the construction industry in Southeast Asia, ICW hosts over 100 exhibitors and is expected to draw 10,000 visitors, approximately 10 per cent of which are from abroad, offering all visitors the chance to share and learn about the latest developments in the industry with related industry players.

Organised by CIDB, ICW consists of exhibition, paid conferences, free seminars and competitions. The exhibition component of ICW includes Ecobuild Southeast Asia 2016, which features the IBS Housing Expo, the Construction Career Fair 2016 and more than 40 free-to-attend seminars located at the exhibition show floor.

Several competitions will have their finale during ICW 2016 namely My City 2050, Rebuild It Green, Open Ideas Competition, International Highest Early Strength Self-Consolidating Concrete Cube Competition and IEM Mechanical Design Competition.