The construction industry continues to be a hotbed of patent innovation. Activity is driven by an increased focus on environmental sustainability, modular construction and workplace safety, and the growing importance of technologies such as the Internet-of-Things (IoT) and robotics as well as higher quality construction products and materials. In the last three years alone, there have been over 27,000 patents filed and granted in the construction industry, according to GlobalData’s report on Modular construction in construction: precast concrete sandwich panels. Buy the report here.

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Data Insights Modular construction in Construction: Precast concrete sandwich panels

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According to GlobalData’s Technology Foresights, which uses over 240,000 patents to analyze innovation intensity for the construction industry, there are 80+ innovation areas that will shape the future of the industry.

Precast concrete sandwich panels are a key innovation area in modular construction

Precast concrete sandwich panels are a type of precast cladding, consisting of an insulating inner layer sandwiched between an outer leaf of precast concrete and an inner layer of load-bearing plain grey concrete, typically with a power float finish.

GlobalData’s analysis also uncovers the companies at the forefront of each innovation area and assesses the potential reach and impact of their patenting activity across different applications and geographies. According to GlobalData, there are 60+ companies, spanning technology vendors, established construction companies, and up-and-coming start-ups engaged in the development and application of precast concrete sandwich panels.

Key players in precast concrete sandwich panels – a disruptive innovation in the construction industry

‘Application diversity’ measures the number of applications identified for each patent. It broadly splits companies into either ‘niche’ or ‘diversified’ innovators.

‘Geographic reach’ refers to the number of countries each patent is registered in. It reflects the breadth of geographic application intended, ranging from ‘global’ to ‘local’.

Patent volumes related to precast concrete sandwich panels

Leading patent filers in precast concrete sandwich panels include Hendricks, Deceuninck, NOBLE Environmental Technologies, and China National Building Material.

Compagnie de Saint-Gobain is another leading innovator in precast concrete sandwich panels. Its key patents include a method of making a sandwich concrete panel, in which said panel comprises a body-forming concrete internal leaf, a mineral wool insulation layer laid thereon, and an outer fibreplastic-reinforced concrete leaf present on top of the insulation layer. The outer and inner concrete layers are secured to each other using push-through trusses through the insulation layer.

By geographic reach, DeceunInck and NOBLE Environmental Technologies are the leading companies.

Airbus and NOBLE Environmental Technologies are the leading innovators in terms of application diversity.

To further understand the key themes and technologies disrupting the construction industry, access GlobalData’s latest thematic research report on Construction.

GlobalData, the leading provider of industry intelligence, provided the underlying data, research, and analysis used to produce this article.

GlobalData’s Patent Analytics tracks patent filings and grants from official offices around the world. Textual analysis and official patent classifications are used to group patents into key thematic areas and link them to specific companies across the world’s largest industries.