Investigation on the adoption of autonomous construction: A case study in construction companies

Purpose: The Malaysian construction industry is shifting towards Construction 4.0 with autonomous construction to improve productivity and support national sustainability goals. This research examines the benefits and critical barriers to the adoption of autonomous construction in Malaysia. Design/methodology/approach: This research employed a qualitative methodology, using semi-structured interviews with six informants from construction companies in Malaysia who had relevant experience in planning, execution, or management of construction within their organizations. Findings: The benefits of autonomous construction were identified, including time saving, improved quality, enhanced safety, cost effectiveness, and reduction in manual labour dependency. In addition, high costs, a lack of skilled workforce, resistance to change, technological maturity, and job security concerns were identified as the barriers to adopting autonomous construction. Limitations and Research implications: This study implied qualitative approach using semi-structured interviews, which limits the generalizability of the findings. As the research focused on Malaysia, the results may not reflect conditions in other regions. The absence of quantitative data also makes it difficult to measure the extent of the benefits and barriers of autonomous construction. Practical Implications: Findings of this research offer guidance to industry stakeholders and policymakers to design strategies, targeted training programs, and policy revisions to facilitate the industry’s movement towards the adoption of autonomous construction. Originality/value: This study provides empirical evidence on the adoption of autonomous construction in Malaysia, offering context-specific insights into its benefits and barriers that remain underexplored in existing literature.