The construction industry continues to be a hotbed of innovation, with activity driven by an increased focus on environmental sustainability and workplace safety, and the growing importance of technologies such as robotics and the Internet of Things (IoT). In the last three years alone, there have been over 248,000 patents filed and granted in the construction industry, according to GlobalData’s report on Modular construction in Construction: Reinforced prestressed construction.

According to GlobalData’s Technology Foresights, which uses over 179,000 patents to analyse innovation intensity for the construction industry, there are 80+ innovation areas that will shape the future of the industry.

Reinforced prestressed construction is a key innovation area in modular construction

Reinforced prestressed construction uses prestressed concrete as a structural material, allowing the counteraction of the stresses that will occur when the structure is subject to a load. Prestressed concrete combines the compressive strength of concrete with the tensile strength of steel.

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 20+ companies, spanning technology vendors, established construction companies, and up-and-coming start-ups engaged in the development and application of reinforced prestressed construction.

Key players in reinforced prestressed construction – a disruptive innovation in the construction industry

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

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

Patent volumes related to reinforced prestressed construction

Company Total patents (2010 - 2021) Premium intelligence on the world's largest companies
Kajima 40 Unlock company profile
Daiwa House Industry 36 Unlock company profile
Sumitomo Mitsui Construction 32 Unlock company profile
Kumagai Gumi 30 Unlock company profile
Taisei 26 Unlock company profile
Obayashi 25 Unlock company profile
China State Construction Engineering 21 Unlock company profile
Okumura 18 Unlock company profile
Shimizu 14 Unlock company profile
Takenaka 13 Unlock company profile
Nippon Steel 12 Unlock company profile
Shinko Wire 8 Unlock company profile
Sumitomo Electric Industries 7 Unlock company profile
Liuzhou Ovm Machinery 7 Unlock company profile
State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of the State Council 7 Unlock company profile
Central Nippon Expressway Company 6 Unlock company profile
OSJB Holdings 6 Unlock company profile
East Japan Railway 6 Unlock company profile
Nippon Shuppan Hanbai 6 Unlock company profile
JFE Holdings 6 Unlock company profile
IHI 6 Unlock company profile
Neturen 6 Unlock company profile
Tianjin Shinkuntai Advanced Prestressing Technology 6 Unlock company profile
Shimizu 5 Unlock company profile
PS Mitsubishi Construction 5 Unlock company profile

Source: GlobalData Patent Analytics

Leading companies in the development of reinforced prestressed construction include Kajima, a construction and real estate development company. Key Kajima’s patents in the space include a reinforcing method for a reinforced concrete member which can be constructed easily, can reduce construction cost and prevents a generation of buckling or breaking in a buckling suppressing member. Daiwa House Industry is also a leading company in reinforced prestressed construction, with key innovations including a method to securely connect target reinforcing bars to each other before pouring cement to adhere to the reinforcing bars.

In terms of application diversity, leading innovators in the reinforced prestressed construction space include Nippon Steel, a steel manufacturer, and OSJB, a steel building and infrastructure construction contractor.

In terms of geographic reach, leading companies in the space include Obayashi, a civil engineering and building construction contractor, and Central Nippon Expressway Company, which focuses on the construction, operation, and maintenance of expressways.

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

GlobalData

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.