Adoption of Internet of Things in The Construction Industry

A Comparative Case Study of Construction and Manufacturing Industries in Kenya

Abstract

Uptake of the Internet of Things (IoT) technology in the construction industry remains slower and less beneficial than in the manufacturing industry in Kenya. This technology has great potential to enhance organizational performance at the enterprise and project/site levels. This paper is a report of a recent research carried out in Kenya to investigate the adoption of IoT in the construction industry. Specific objectives of the study were: to describe the extent to which IoT has been adopted in Kenya; to compare the application of IoT in manufacturing and construction industry; to explore the opportunities that IoT presents in the construction industry; and to develop a framework for boosting adoption of IoT in construction to enhance project management in Kenya. A case study research design was applied whereby respondents in manufacturing, construction and IoT were engaged in online focus groups discussions. The data collected was fed into NVivo program for thematic analysis. Overall, the research revealed that IoT presents opportunities in construction, having already been adopted in areas such as Building Management Systems (BMS), security and smart utility metering. Moreover, cross-collaboration amongst various organizations in a project-oriented environment, both in the public and private sectors, is important in driving the uptake of IoT.