Malaysian minister calls for measurable gains from construction technology adoption
Works Minister Datuk Seri Alexander Nanta Linggi said Malaysia's construction industry must translate technology into measurable productivity, quality and delivery gains. He spoke via a prepared address at the Rehda Institute's Modern Construction Technology Roundtable and Forum 2026 on Oct 27, high
PETALING JAYA (Oct 27): Malaysia's construction industry must translate technology adoption into measurable improvements in productivity, quality and project delivery, said Works Minister Datuk Seri Alexander Nanta Linggi.
In his opening address at Rehda Institute's Modern Construction Technology Roundtable and Forum 2026 on Tuesday (Oct 27), delivered by Construction Industry Development Board (CIDB) chief executive Ahmad Farrin Mokhtar on his behalf, Nanta said progress needed to be assessed against improvements in how projects were planned and delivered. “A roadmap should be judged not by the paperwork it produces, but by the improvements it delivers,” the address stated, according to the institute's press release.
Nanta's address highlighted the National Construction Policy 2030 and the Construction Action Plan 2026–2030 (CAP30) as the policy foundations for higher productivity, digitalisation and modern construction practices. It called for earlier coordination among developers, consultants, manufacturers and contractors to realise the benefits of industrialised building systems (IBS) and prefabrication. “Industrialised construction requires demand that manufacturers can plan around,” according to the prepared text of the address. “When public projects adopt consistent components and connection details, manufacturers have greater confidence to invest in capacity.”
On digitalisation, the address encouraged project teams to extend building information modelling (BIM) beyond design by incorporating scheduling and cost information, allowing them to assess the implications of changes before they affected delivery. “The future of Malaysia's construction industry will not be determined by technology alone. It will be shaped by how effectively we adopt it, how well we develop our people and how closely the Government and industry work together,” the address stated.
Meanwhile, Rehda Institute trustee Datuk Seri Dr Michael KC Yam said modern building methods needed to demonstrate commercial returns to encourage wider adoption. He cited the 2021 study, IBS and QLASSIC: Making It Work for the Industry, which identified high costs, an inefficient IBS ecosystem, insufficient incentives and a lack of expertise as structural barriers. The study estimated additional costs of between 3% and 16% compared with conventional construction, depending on the project type. “Yet for many firms, the existing way of building still works. If we want them to change, we must show where the return lies and what the realistic first step is,” he said.
Yam called for improvements in regulation, contractual risk allocation, design, procurement, site execution and workforce skills alongside technology investment. He said smaller and mid-sized firms needed greater attention because their project volumes and investment capacity could constrain adoption. Shared training, standardised components and phased implementation were among approaches warranting closer consideration.
The forum programme included contributions from Autodesk, Mapei Malaysia, Trowers & Hamlins, and the UK Parliament, among others. Rehda Institute said it would consolidate recommendations from the forum, including implementation responsibilities and measures of progress, to support further engagement with industry and policymakers.
