The Importance of Digitizing Construction Supply Chains

Professor Daryl Patterson, Chief Product Officer and Head of Design

Lendlease Digital’s Chief Product Officer and Head of Design, Professor Daryl Patterson, is pushing the boundaries on digital solutions for the real estate industry. His focus is creating digital technology connected to modern production methods and materials to create safer, greener and more affordable buildings. In a career with Lendlease spanning more than 25 years, Daryl Patterson has worked in a range of the core Lendlease business units including Construction, Development and Digital.  As an Adjunct Professor of Monash University Daryl also has a lead role in the Building 4.0 Cooperative Research Centre program.

Over his tenure with Lendlease, Daryl’s experience has ranged across project and design management, development management, business leadership, and the creation of new business units including Lendlease Digital. Daryl is highly eminent in the creation of large urban renewal projects. Key achievements have included the introduction of new construction technologies such as engineered mass timber to the Australian market including projects such as the world’s tallest cross laminated timber building. More recently, Daryl has lead research and product strategy to create a digital approach for property development, building design and manufacture. This work embraces the whole value chain of real estate from development inception, through design and production to asset ownership and operations.

Michelle Zamora is the Executive Leader of Marketing, Communications, and Corporate Affairs of Lendlease, a globally integrated real estate and investment group. She is also a Brand Custodian of Lendlease Podium—the company's property lifecycle platform for construction supply chains. Under her leadership, Lendlease is leading change using digital products and services, from design automation to property insights and asset services. They are one among the few organizations that build cities from scratch spanning development, construction, communities, and healthcare development. Prior to her position in Lendlease, Michelle served as a Marketing Executive for various companies, including IBM, Hypertec, and Willow.

In an interview with Construction Tech Review magazine, Daryl and Michelle shed light on the significance of the digitalization of supply chains in the construction industry.

Michelle Zamora, Global Head of Business, Lendlease Digital

What, according to you, is your stance on supply automation in the construction industry?

Holding around decades of experience in the construction landscape, I step forward with an intent to improve our overall productivity and the go-to-market digitally. This not only reaps the benefits across the supply chains in the industry but also to the betterment of the communities that we serve. When we are productive enough, we will develop cost-controlled, quicker buildings. We can also employ people at faster rates and increased wages, igniting an economic impact. The other aspect is sustainability. When implementing digital solutions across supply chains, it is feasible to determine materials usage and assess the carbon impact.

What are some of the challenges in supply automation across the construction space?

Being the second least productive industry in the world, construction has to improve a lot in terms of productivity for the ultimate betterment of the community. Unlike automotive or manufacturing industries, automation has seen a slow adoption across construction supply chains. This is primarily due to the pockets of digitalization across the construction industry that has spurred non-cohesive and siloed networks/processes.

"I believe in having one source of truth with a trusted data source system, and the only way of doing that is through digitalization"

And, one of the successful businesses in the construction world is the property industry. It has tried to digitize the existing processes in many aspects such as development, leasing, appraisal, marketing, and management. However, we need to redefine the sharing processes right from operation till the end of the life of a building.

What would you say about the emerging trends in construction space in terms of digitizing supply chains?

In the wake of the COVID pandemic, most countries have struggled severely across material procurements and shipments. We tried hard to get the shipments into our country from Australia at such times. This has pushed our limits towards favoring manufacturing while ensuring physical/personnel safety. We call it adaptive fabrication, where construction materials are fabricated offsite with minimal onsite workers.

What are some projects or initiatives that you are currently overseeing with regard to supply chain automation?

We have recently launched the Podium MX studio in California and Milan of Italy. The studio in Milan has been designed to bring our suppliers together. Moreover, we have a global sustainable partnership with some of the world’s leading suppliers like Stora Enzo and Shiner Lives. They are collaborating with us to look ahead for our projects and address the needs that arise. To this end, we are digitally designing the construction materials to meet their requirements. For instance, we create beams and connectors to meet specific earthquake standards and sustainable parts to minimize waste. What makes us grow is our ability to create and assemble the system 70% faster than building them on site.

How do you envision the future of supply automation in the construction landscape?

I think the industry would entirely take hold of automation almost in every branch, namely, design, operation, and supply chain. There will be a paradigm shift from manually creating a bespoke design by construction architects to digitally automating it. For the most part, materials and parts can be assembled and fabricated offsite to improve project efficiency and address onsite space constraints.

We are currently working on an Australian project named Victoria Cross. After launching a product called Podium supply automation, we can visibly track and trace the parts of products. This allows us to see the information we couldn't have seen before. In effect, we are taking the guesswork out of construction and making it more predictive and sure.

What would be the single piece of advice you could impart to an aspiring professional in your field?

Right from the beginning of my career in marketing, I have constantly endorsed the importance of fostering collaboration. The more you see, the more you know, the better and faster you can act and plan. It is essential to cross more borders among the architects, builders, suppliers, and asset owners when it comes to the supply chain. Hence, collaboration becomes a building block in creating a sound ecosystem. I believe in having one source of truth with a trusted data source system, and the only way of doing that is through digitalization.