The construction industry in transition

In recent months, I attended numerous conferences and listened to many keynotes addressing the current and future changes in the construction industry. These changes are primarily driven by political, societal and economic challenges such as climate change, energy shortages, supply chain issues, skills shortages and geopolitical tensions. All these factors are forcing the construction industry to undergo profound change, which represents a complex issue that will affect us all in the short, medium and long term.

In many regions worldwide, for example in Europe and in China, the construction industry is experiencing a phase of limited activities. In many places, this has resulted in significant declines in production in AAC plants, and, in the worst cases, even plant closures. This development affects not only AAC manufacturers, but also plant manufacturers and the supply industry, which are also suffering from the declining construction markets.

These considerations were also a central topic at the 43^rd annual conference of the Chinese Aerated Concrete Association. Discussions focussed on strategies to overcome current and future challenges in order to survive and keep production activities afloat even in difficult times.

However, change also always offers opportunities for improvement, and crises can be a catalyst for innovation. It is therefore crucial to actively explore the opportunities that are available at this moment, to use them creatively and to develop innovative solutions – to the benefit of individual companies and also to the benefit of the AAC industry as a whole. The building material itself has the best prerequisites for adaptation and innovation. AAC is characterized by high energy and resource efficiency in production and is also easy to process and easy to use, all of which are traits that make it ideally suited to meet the current challenges in a resilient way.

The AAC industry has it in its own hands to take advantage of these opportunities – for a construction industry that is not only crisis-proof, but also sustainable and future-oriented.