Betchel is a construction industry powerhouse – by most counts, the largest engineering and construction company in the United States. What keeps Betchel president Brendan Betchel up at night? Attracting the next generation of talent as baby boomers retire. In a recent interview with Fortune Magazine, he shared his concern about construction productivity overall.
As the interview noted, “He said the competition for recruiting engineers is fiercer today then it’s ever been, and that this is a huge concern in an age when his industry is starved for innovation.”
The article references a chart produced by McKinsey consulting that illustrates how productivity in manufacturing has nearly doubled since 1994, while construction productivity has remained flat. Betchel says the situation is holding back profits in construction and makes it harder for the industry to compete for top engineering and similar talent. He candidly admits, “I am haunted at night” by the implications of this chart.
It’s a message the Epsilon team hears on a regular basis, as our clients constantly search for ways to accomplish complex projects faster and more effectively, while simultaneously constrained by labor shortages at all levels. Fortunately, this is one of the benefits of modular construction – we design and fabricate complex systems with our own experienced labor force, using manufacturing processes in a controlled environment, which helps reduce the impacts of a tight construction employment environment. It’s also one of the reasons more owners and construction managers are turning to companies like Epsilon for total Off Site Construction solutions – from design and fabrication through installation and commissioning.
You can read the full article here and if you have questions about the Epsilon process or our experienced team approach, feel free to reach out and let’s talk about your project.
