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 the Internet of Things (IoT) and robotics. 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 Innovation in Construction: Sliding door type furniture.
However, not all innovations are equal and nor do they follow a constant upward trend. Instead, their evolution takes the form of an S-shaped curve that reflects their typical lifecycle from early emergence to accelerating adoption, before finally stabilising and reaching maturity.
Identifying where a particular innovation is on this journey, especially those that are in the emerging and accelerating stages, is essential for understanding their current level of adoption and the likely future trajectory and impact they will have.
80+ innovations will shape the construction industry
According to GlobalData’s Technology Foresights, which plots the S-curve for the construction industry using innovation intensity models built on over 179,000 patents, there are 80+ innovation areas that will shape the future of the industry.
Within the emerging innovation stage, mullion-transom curtain walls is a disruptive technology that is in the early stage of application and should be tracked closely. Heat-insulated glazing panels, drainage gully grating, and acoustic ceiling panels are some of the accelerating innovation areas, where adoption has been steadily increasing. Among maturing innovation areas are abrasion-resistant decorative flooring and road construction milling tool, which are now well established in the industry.
Innovation S-curve for the construction industry
Sliding door type furniture is a key innovation area in construction
Sliding door type furniture refers to a type of furniture that incorporates sliding doors as a means of opening and closing storage compartments or other functional elements. This type of furniture often features doors that slide horizontally along tracks, allowing them to smoothly move back and forth.
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 sliding door type furniture.
Key players in sliding door type furniture – 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 sliding door type furniture
| Company | Total patents (2010 - 2021) | Premium intelligence on the world's largest companies |
| Blum Verwaltung | 481 | Unlock company profile |
| Roto Frank | 154 | Unlock company profile |
| Hawa | 114 | Unlock company profile |
| Hettich Holding | 84 | Unlock company profile |
| Hörmann | 56 | Unlock company profile |
| Assaloy | 46 | Unlock company profile |
| SUGATSUNE KOGYO | 35 | Unlock company profile |
| GEZE | 33 | Unlock company profile |
| Dormakaba Holding | 20 | Unlock company profile |
| LG | 20 | Unlock company profile |
| Dorma | 16 | Unlock company profile |
| Securistyle | 13 | Unlock company profile |
| Rite Hite Holding | 13 | Unlock company profile |
| Truth | 11 | Unlock company profile |
| JELD-WEN Holding | 8 | Unlock company profile |
| REHAU | 8 | Unlock company profile |
| Endura Products | 7 | Unlock company profile |
| Sanwa Holdings | 7 | Unlock company profile |
| Arrow Tru-Line | 6 | Unlock company profile |
| DIRTT | 6 | Unlock company profile |
| Griffon | 5 | Unlock company profile |
| Nanjing Kangni Mechanical and Electrical | 5 | Unlock company profile |
Source: GlobalData Patent Analytics
The leading company in the sliding door type furniture space is Blum Verwaltung. A recent patent filed by the company involves a system for guiding sliding door furniture parts using two guide rails. The second guide rail extends transversely relative to the first guide rail in a mounted position. The guiding device, connected to one of the furniture parts, is movable relative to the first and second guide rails and can be transferred in a crossing region between the first and second guide rail. Other leading companies in the space include Roto Frank, Hawa, and Hettich.
In terms of application diversity, the leading companies include Truth, Securistyle, and Endura Products. In terms of geographic reach, the leading companies are Rite Hite, LG, and Nanjing Kangni Mechanical and Electrical.
To further understand the key themes and technologies disrupting the construction industry, access GlobalData’s latest thematic research report on Construction.
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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.
