Differentiate or lose» a study on the current situation of the construction industry

We became aware of the study two weeks ago at the «Swissbau Innovation Lab On Tour». There, Roland Schegg, Director Consulting for family businesses and SMEs & Public at PwC Switzerland and co-author of the study, presented it in a keynote session.

The study was actually due to be completed in March 2020, and around 130 companies in the construction industry from all regions of Switzerland were surveyed for it. Because of the current situation, however, the study was extended and around 40 companies were surveyed again regarding the effects of Covid-19.

A first major finding of the study is, as its title already reveals, the importance of differentiation. A large proportion of the study participants see a lack of differentiation as one of the most important challenges facing the sector. This continually gives rise to a constant price war and falling margins. Differentiation means that companies have to position themselves clearly in the market and play to their strengths. Specialisation, and with it an increase in quality, enables higher and healthier margins.

This study shows us that the digitalisation of management processes is an important approach for making this specialisation and differentiation possible in the first place. Our software for deployment and capacity planning with a focus on the construction industry, Vanillaplan, starts exactly here. With Vanillaplan our customers can increase their efficiency in planning, on the one hand in planning assignments, but also in managing company utilisation. This frees up time and resources to focus on core competencies and create new, innovative differentiation.

For further questions and answers about our Vanillaplan software we are happy to advise you free of charge and look forward to hearing from you.

If you would like to read the full study, you can find it at:
www.pwc.ch/baustudie