Japanese construction R&D: Entrèe into U.S. Market

The research and development (R&D) laboratory and several of the most recently developed and successfully used construction technologies of Japan’s “Big Five” general contractors are described. These technologies include the seismic or dynamic floor system that neutralizes the effects of earthquakes, robotic steel beam and column erectors, and a robotic concrete distributor. The system mechanics, performance record, and cost and/or maintenance of each innovation have been described. The paper identifies the direct benefits being derived from such intensive R&D efforts: revenues generated by private consulting, licensing arrangements, and increased contract awards—both domestic and overseas. There appears to be a direct correlation between such intensive R&D expenditures and increased overseas market share as evidenced by the recent emergence of Japanese contractors in the U.S. market, where they have parlayed their technical expertise in tunneling (shield-pressure tunneling technology) and dams (deep diaphragm cut-off walls, roller-compacted concrete dams) to underbid their American counterparts.