The complexities of embracing mechatronics in the Nigerian construction industry
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to investigate the obstacles to mechatronics adoption in the construction industry from a Nigerian perspective. It aims to fill the knowledge gap by focusing on the specific challenges faced in developing countries, considering the unique contexts and constraints of the Nigerian construction industry.
Design/methodology/approach
The study used a comprehensive literature review to identify 26 obstacles to mechatronics adoption. These obstacles were used to develop a well-structured questionnaire, which was then distributed to construction professionals using Google Forms through purposive and snowball sampling techniques. The rankings obtained from the questionnaire responses were analyzed to determine the most significant obstacles.
Findings
The study revealed the top five most significant obstacles to mechatronics adoption in the Nigerian construction industry. These obstacles include high costs of operation and maintenance, resistance to adopting new technologies, a lack of standardized protocols, insufficient maintenance capabilities and a lack of government support. Factor analysis revealed five clusters of obstacles: technological-related factors, economic-related factors, capability-related factors, government-related factors and awareness-related factors.
Practical implications
Findings from this study have the potential to inform decision-making, drive policy changes and guide future research efforts aimed at promoting the widespread adoption of mechatronics technologies, ultimately leading to the transformation and improvement of the construction industry as a whole.
Originality/value
This study contributes to the field of mechatronics adoption in the construction industry by addressing the gap in research specific to developing countries such as Nigeria. By identifying and analyzing the obstacles from a Nigerian perspective, the study offers unique insights and original findings.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
Funding: The authors have no relevant financial or non-financial interests to disclose.
Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests.
Data availability statement: All data or codes generated or used during the study are available from the corresponding author by request.
Citation
Oke, A.E., Aliu, J., Oni, S.B. and Ilesanmi, O.O. (2023), "The complexities of embracing mechatronics in the Nigerian construction industry", Construction Innovation, Vol. ahead-of-print No. ahead-of-print. https://doi.org/10.1108/CI-07-2023-0154
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2023, Emerald Publishing Limited