Technological improvement over the year has contributed immensely to the enhancement of quality of life through various new products and services. One such revolution was the pre–engineered buildings. Pre-engineered Buildings (PEB) is highly renowned as a versatile technology or construction method that consents promising, cost-effective and affordable construction solutions.
Pre-engineered buildings are widely used for the construction of industrial and residential buildings, where the construction is 40% faster than traditional structures. Steel Structure is 40% lighter than equivalent concrete Structure, it provides reduced foundation i.e. 70% less than concrete. Steel structure also saves time and cost in groundwork and steel columns can be 85% smaller than equivalent RCC columns.
An estimated 70% of all new commercial buildings in the US are pre-engineered. There is really no dispute in the fact that pre-engineered building systems are the new wave in construction.
The booming e-commerce industry in Asian countries such as China and India have boosted the growth of warehouse spaces, which is anticipated to further fuel the pre-engineered buildings market.
The Kirby Building company is the largest pre-engineered steel building companies in the world, and it is a 100% subsidiary of Kuwait- based multinational and multi-billion-dollar business conglomerate – Alghanim Industries. In addition, it is one of the largest privately-owned companies in the Middle East. Kirby has manufactured more than 65,000buildings across the world.
How could Global Pre-Engineered Building Market Address The COVID-19 concerns?
The COVID-19 pandemic and its attendant effect on markets and commercial activity will likely present a range of challenges to the engineering and construction (E&C) industry — challenges that could deepen depending on the severity and length of the crisis in the US and globally. Uncertainty surrounding the duration and severity of this crisis make it hard to anticipate how a recovery could unfold for the industry.
Some construction projects may be delayed, or perhaps cancelled, as a result of the impacts of COVID-19 on the companies and governments that commissioned them. Further, possible supply chain bottlenecks of equipment and materials — including structural steel and glass from Asia — could cause project delays in currently funded projects, or reduced spending on future ones.
Nearly 30% of imported construction materials in the US comes from China. As China’s manufacturing output has declined, supply chain constraints could result in project delays for months to come. However, some American construction firms take almost 80% of their construction materials from China as it is available at a lesser rate. Though we already know where this outbreak has started from, so getting the raw materials from there now would be challenging. USA will have to bear the material cost increments along with the delay in the procurement of the material from China or elsewhere in this global outbreak.
Since China and other material supplying countries will take time to recover, the contractors will have to find alternatives which would lead to more expensive sources of raw materials perhaps increasing project costs. However, the building project managers can focus more on the preconstruction stage of construction during this phase of quarantine.
