A comparative evaluation of planning engineersʹ formwork productivity rates in European construction

A bespoke methodology is utilised to analyse and compare the productivity rates of contractorsʹ planning engineers, for in situ concrete formwork operations amongst three European construction industries, namely those of Germany, France and the U.K. Analysis of variance is used to investigate differences between the productivity rates. Based on such rates it would appear that French contractors achieve the most efficient levels of labour productivity for this particular operation, whilst the “average” British contractor is by far the least productive compared to the “average” French and German company. Although leading British contractors can compete with the best on the continent, the most unproductive companies in the U.K. are significantly inferior to those in France and Germany. Actual labour costs for this concrete operation are likely to be lowest in France even though French wage rates are marginally higher than in the U.K.; this is due to the superior labour output of French contractors.