Episode 5 - Ronan Collins - Lessons Learned in the Construction Industry

Ronan Collins, a pioneer in digital engineering and BIM, shares his journey in the construction industry and the challenges he has faced. He grew up in a family of builders and was exposed to CAD at a young age. He joined Arup's in 1996 and witnessed the rapid changes in technology. In 2003, he started his own company in Hong Kong, focusing on technology solutions for engineers and contractors. Ronan emphasizes the importance of understanding the value of technology and the need for proper training and education in the industry.

 

Video recording on Youtube at this link

 

Ronan shares his personal mistakes and lessons learned in the construction industry, including the importance of not getting too big too fast and the need to set up the right infrastructure before taking on international projects. He also discusses the future of the industry, highlighting the impact of cloud technology, remote working, offshore business models, reality capture, and data analytics. Ronan emphasizes the need for contractors and consultants to focus on solving specific problems and adding value to their projects, rather than chasing after shiny new technologies.

 

Takeaways

• Ronan Collins grew up in a family of builders and was exposed to CAD at a young age, which sparked his interest in technology in the construction industry.
• He joined Arup's in 1996 and witnessed the rapid changes in technology, from shared computers to the introduction of 3D modeling tools like Rhino and Revit.
• In 2003, Ronan started his own company in Hong Kong, focusing on technology solutions for engineers and contractors, and played a role in promoting the adoption of BIM in the industry.
• He emphasizes the importance of understanding the value of technology and the need for proper training and education in the industry, as many professionals are still unfamiliar with BIM and other digital tools. Avoid getting too big too fast and ensure you have the right infrastructure in place before taking on international projects.
• The future of the construction industry will involve cloud technology, remote working, offshore business models, reality capture, and data analytics.
• Focus on solving specific problems and adding value to projects, rather than chasing after shiny new technologies.
  Train the younger generation by giving them small-scale projects to work on and learn from.
• Stay curious and open-minded to new technologies and trends in the industry.

 

Sound Bites

"We've got to start speaking to that and again, it's getting that message back that we haven't moved all that far in 20 years."
"We've got to be really clear that we still got to sell the value of these tools and these technologies."
"There's still a culture where the engineers think that BIM and CAD are some secondary kind of process that they have nothing to do with."
"Getting into BIM."
"We got too big, too fast, too greedy."
"We got ahead of ourselves here."

 

Chapters

00:00 Introduction and Background
02:18 Early Exposure to Technology
04:02 Transition to Digital Engineering
05:58 Setting Up Own Business in Hong Kong
09:23 Challenges in the Construction Industry
13:03 Responsibility and Impact in the Industry
16:09 Challenges and Blockers in the Industry
24:44 The Need for BIM Capable Engineers and Architects
28:50 The Disconnect Between Traditional Design Teams and BIM Teams
32:32 Advice for Newcomers in the Industry
34:43 Mistakes and Lessons Learned
37:08 The Impact of Cloud Technology and Remote Working
38:30 The Future of the Industry: Reality Capture and Data Analytics
45:39 Finding Solutions that Add Value
51:43 Training the Younger Generation and Conducting Pilot Studies