Introduction
The UK’s construction industry is a largely growing sector that has an essential impact on the economy of the nation. It includes a broad range of tasks linked to the organizing, creating, constructing, and maintaining of infrastructure, buildings, and other structures. The construction industry contributes £138 billion to the UK economy in 2022. This industry also employs over 3 million people, thereby making it one of the largest employers in the UK , Source Essay help in Online Assignment help Manchester. The use of virtual reality (VR) technology has increased significantly across several sectors, including manufacturing and construction. VR can have a number of uses and advantages in the context of construction project management in UK manufacturing enterprises. VR is beneficial in project management and therefore increasing implementation of this technology has been occurring in the construction sector. In this section discussion on the use of virtual reality in construction project management in UK manufacturing companies is going to be discussed.
Discussion
Virtual reality (VR) technology can be described as an advanced technology that helps users to have interact with a simulated environment. The popularity of this technology has been increasing in the construction industry. The advanced technology VR can be utilised in different method in the construction companies. Through the use of this technology project management can be done effectively. VR offers several benefits to the construction industry. As per the view of Sawhney et al. (2020) VR allows project managers and stakeholders to have a visualization of the construction projects in a highly immersive and interactive manner. Before the start of the construction, all the stakeholders can examine 3D models of various structures, and industries in to better deliver details of the plan and design. This makes it easier to spot design problems, make wise decisions, and make sure the project fulfills the objectives. In the planning phase, VR helps in the collaboration of multiple stakeholders. In reference to the view of Delgado et al. (2020) this can be mentioned that the collaboration of the architects, engineers, contractors, and clients is essential in the designing phase of the construction. Therefore through the implementation of the VR technology multiple stakeholders, such as architects, engineers, contractors, and clients, can collaborate effectively with each other during the planning phase and can implement their preferences effectively in the project. Therefore, dissertation writing service Birmingham and project management can be done effectively. Before construction starts, they can virtually walk through the project together, talk about design modifications, determine whether they are feasible, and settle any disputes. This increases coordination across the project, improves communication, and reduces errors. The stakeholders can have a visual observation of the future results which helps them to make effective decisions and any changes can be done in the preliminary stages (de Souza Cardoso et al. 2020). This is effective for the purchases and the builders. The construction project management companies can use VR in designing and this helps them to provide a clear picture to the employees working on site. The communication gap that commonly occurs among the workers regarding the designing of the construction can be removed through the help of this. In addition to this, the delay in the projects and the miscommunication regarding the infrastructure can be reduced which helps in reducing the overall cost of the projects (Ahmed, 2018). Every stakeholder associated with the project can be able to have a clear identification of the areas that are going to take place in the project. This helps in the completion of the project on time and the reputation of the company can be enhanced in front of the investors and the customers as they could be able to deliver the position on time.
Further, Essay writing service Luton has been found that the use of VR has also been done for safety training purposes in UK manufacturing companies. With the help of the VR technology realistic safety training simulations can be done for the construction workers. In this method, all the workers have been immersed in virtual environments, so that they can experience the same as they could experience in the field. They can identify the potential hazards that they could face on the construction sites. They could be able to adopt effective practices in order to prevent hazards on the field. In addition to this, through the help of the VR, they will also be able to practice safety protocols (Maskuriy et al. 2019). This is essential for the workers to manage their roles and responsibilities on the site. During the practice session, all the workers could be able to develop skills without being exposed to actual risks. This training practice has been commonly used by all construction companies in order to train their employees. Through the help of this technology, the managers of the projects can be able to manage the internal and external issues of the company. This helps in improving safety awareness among the trainers, it also reduces the chance of accidents and enhances the overall safety culture within construction projects. Due to immense benefits, the managers of the projects in the UK commonly use this to train their employees and to reduce the percentage of casualties in construction projects.
In addition to this, Davila Delgado et al. (2020) has mentioned that the use of VR technology has been done in monitoring the progress of construction projects. The inclusion of VR technology has been done with Building Information Modeling (BIM) for monitoring purposes (Forcael et al. 2020). The monitoring of the projects plays an important role in the project development and project completion on time. Through the help of this technology, project managers can compare the virtual model with the actual construction site, identifying any deviations, clashes, or delays. The identification of the issues in the preliminary phase helps in resolving the problem and this inhibits the cause of great harm to the projects. The cost of risk management can be reduced through the help of this process. In addition to this, identification of the issues in the preliminary stage also reduces the chances of reworks and also ensures that the projects stay on schedule.
In addition to this, in construction companies VR technology has also been used by the managers of the projects for marketing purposes. With the help of the 3D models, the managers present this construction project to potential clients, investors, and other stakeholders. They can virtually visit the proposed buildings, get a sense of how they will appear and feel when finished, and get a clear idea of the project’s potential (Blanco-Novoa et al. 2018). This enhanced stakeholder participation, and effective decision-making. The virtual representation attracts the customers and the companies could be able to receive more bookings from the customers before the beginning of the project. The enhanced engagement with the stakeholders is effective for the company to manage the business and to increase the chance of profit (Gunal, 2019). Therefore, this can be mentioned that the VR technology is effective for marketing purposes and the managers of the construction companies in the UK are using this to convenience the customers.
Along with formal training and providing a natural environment the VR technology also offers a platform for training construction workers and project managers in various aspects of the construction process. Managers and other training officials understand the details of equipment operation through the use of this technology (Guo et al. 2020). The complex equipment that is hard to handle can be explored through the help of this technology. Therefore, the employees working in construction companies get benefited from the use of VR technology and can easily do the assembly of complex equipment which simplifies their work processes. The safe environment provided through this simulation process encourages the employees to learn every detail and makes them experts in equipment handling. This accelerates skill development, reduces training costs, and enhances productivity on construction sites.
Conclusion
This can be concluded that the use of VR technology has been done effectively by the managers of the projects in the construction companies in the UK. The managers are effectively using this technology for training the employees and also for marketing purposes. Customer engagement can be increased with the help of showcasing the models of the projects. In addition to this, the managers of the companies also use this technology for gaining more investments at the beginning of the project. This is also beneficial for designing of the projects. Therefore, in the planning phase, this has been used by the managers for the collaboration of the architects, engineers, contractors, and clients for making an effective plan. In addition to this, this technology also has been used by project managers for training employees from different corners. They train employees in hazard management by providing a virtual environment. Along with this, the employees also get trained in equipment handling which helps them to manage the complex equipment and simplify the process.
References
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