PETALING JAYA (Dec 31): Only about 42% of public projects and 70% of private projects in the country use modern Industrialised Building Systems (IBS) technology, according to the Construction Industry Development Board (CIDB).

CIDB general manager of the IBS & mechanisation division, technology development sector Noraini Bahri noted in a press statement, that IBS usage in public projects also fell below expectations, with only 24% of public projects valued at above RM10 million have an IBS score of 70 or more, when the target of the IBS Roadmap 2011-2015 is to have all public projects to obtain an IBS score of 70 or more.

“The biggest challenge and stumbling block for IBS implementation remains changing the industry’s mindset towards this modern method of construction,” she said. “Malaysian contractors are so used to the conventional way of building that they are unable or unwilling to make the transition to IBS, despite its numerous benefits.”

The government defines IBS as a technique characterised by the manufacture of prefabricated, modular construction components in a controlled environment, which is then transported to, assembled and installed onsite.

Noryani added that other crucial issues hindering wider implementation of IBS are the limited enforcement of IBS requirements as per the IBS Roadmap 2011-2015, a lack of IBS expertise in the market, the lure of cheap labour for construction in Malaysia, cash flow problems for contractors, and minimal economies of scale for smaller developers.

Meanwhile, to educate the next generation of contractors on the benefits and the use of IBS, CIDB is targeting university students, by educating them before their graduation.

“We also conduct training with professional bodies - Persatuan Akitek Malaysia and Institute of Engineers Malaysia, for instance,” she said. “We appoint them as our training provider, so they train in the management of IBS projects, how to calculate the IBS score, and so on.”

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