INTHEBLACK July/August 2023 - Magazine - Page 8
FAST FOCUS
UNDER PRESSURE:
CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY
Among the biggest pressures on
the construction sector are lack of
productivity gains and poor project
performance, says KPMG’s Global
Construction Survey 2023 report.
KPMG surveyed 267 engineering
and construction professionals and
project owners across the globe.
About half of owners say their
projects are completing on time,
and 87 per cent say that projects
are attracting greater scrutiny.
Meanwhile, 37 per cent say their
capital projects have significantly
missed budgets or scheduling
targets in the past 12 months,
due to lack of effective risk
management.
Between 1997 and 2021,
global construction productivity
fell by 7 per cent. Conversely,
it rose by 126 per cent during
the same period for the
manufacturing sector.
However, 66 per cent of
respondents remain optimistic
about the future of the sector,
and 78 per cent believe
infrastructure stimuli would
have a positive impact.
Read the report
CONSUMERS TO
BOYCOTT DIRTY DATA
US$
.97
762
BILLION
the value the electric
car market is expected
to reach in Asia-Pacific
by 2028.
Source: Research and Markets
8 INTHEBLACK July/August 2023
Data management firm
Veritas has surveyed
13,000 consumers across
11 countries to ask about
pollution by data centres.
According to the
report, 48 per cent of
respondents would
stop buying from
companies that cause
environmental damage
by failing to control how
much unnecessary or
unwanted data they store.
Read the report
Andy Ng, vice‑president
and managing director
of Asia South and
Pacific Region at
Veritas, explains, “Data
centres run 24 hours
a day, and, by 2030,
are expected to use as
much as 8 per cent of all
electricity on the planet.
“It’s easy to forget that
data centres are mostly
fossil fuel‑powered and
generate about the
same amount of CO2 as
the airline industry.”
Additionally, 58 per cent
say it is the responsibility
of the organisations that
store their information
online to delete it when no
longer needed. A further
two‑thirds want companies
to encourage customers
to close unused or inactive
accounts and provide
guidance on how to delete
their obsolete information.