AUTOMATION RULES THE MACHINES…

Excavators, dozers, and graders are used in mining and construction applications. These types of construction equipment are equipped with machine-guided technology to improve productivity, efficiency, and safety in the earthmoving activity.

Equipment Times looks into the market trends, restraint, opportunity, labour shortage, safety and cyber security issues in the automation and machine control space of construction equipment.

Delays and cost overruns are the major challenges in infrastructure or construction projects. The kind of equipment used is one of the major factors impacting the completion time of a project. Overall equipment efficiency plays a vital role in ensuring the speed and accuracy of the project execution. If the equipment fails to work at the required/expected rate, it may lead to unpredicted delays. Additionally, errors due to disturbed pegs, misread tape measures, etc., may require reworking on the entire construction project according to the stipulated standards, which leads to project budget overruns and further delay in project completion.

In Asia Pacific, the Indian government has now made on-time completion of many projects related to highways mandatory with the use of standard and efficient construction equipment that meet all the required quality parameters. Machine control technologies play an important role in monitoring and controlling construction equipment to ensure optimal performance, resulting in faster quality assurance checks and construction works. Machine control systems help complete projects/jobs at a faster rate and with higher accuracy, as well as have a lower maintenance cost. This is an investment that saves considerable time and a significant amount of money over the lifetime of the machine. With the fierce competition in the construction industry, using the machine control system is extremely beneficial for workers at construction sites in the long run as this system reduces machine and field downtime and assists in the efficient use of resources.   

Restraint: Requirement of high initial investment

Excavators, dozers, and graders are expensive, and incorporation of machine-guided technology in construction equipment increases the installation and integration costs. Thus, construction and mining operators require high capital for purchasing or renting equipment integrated with machine control technologies. Thus, although machine control technology offers higher accuracy, helps in faster completion of projects, and has a lower maintenance cost, the high initial investment is a hindering factor for market growth.

Opportunity

Construction industry plays a vital role in the economic growth of developing countries. To create a safe, high-quality, and sustainable and friendly built environment in the construction industry, cost-effective and time-efficient methods need to be adopted. Thus, machine control systems have a prominent role to play at construction sites in developing countries to ensure safety and quality excellence.

The deployment of machine control systems reduces the field and machine downtime and facilitates efficient use of resources. The failure of heavy machinery to work at the construction site may cause delays in work and incur massive losses in monetary terms. Machine control technologies ensure precise monitoring and control of the construction equipment to deliver optimal performance and faster quality assurance at the working sites. Thus, investment in machine control systems promises in saving time, avoid budget overruns, and reduce costs involved in the maintenance of machines, which is anticipated to contribute to the market growth.

The high initial cost and complexity in the usage of these systems may hinder market growth. The heavy machinery involved in construction and mining includes equipment like excavators, dozers, scrapers, and graders, which are already expensive. The integration and installation of machine control technology with these types of equipment further increase the entire system’s cost. Furthermore, these systems are complex to work with and require trained personals to handle it, which is an issue considering that laborers operate most of the construction equipment. However, the growing demand for high quality and sustainable infrastructure has propelled construction companies to invest in sophisticated equipment and impart training to the workers.  Such factors are expected to increase the demand for machine control systems,

Labour shortage

Most of the construction companies are facing heavy equipment operator shortage across the world. Manufacturers are more focused towards technology such as robotics and automation primarily to combat labor shortages along with finishing their tasks faster, reduce wastage and provide high yields with improved quality. Experts believed that one of the best solutions to combat labor shortage is to automate construction equipment for repetitive tasks, especially in remote areas and in locations with significant labor shortages.

In infrastructural projects, machine control solutions are used primarily while laying rail tracks, banking of roads, building tunnels through mountains or underwater, building airports and airstrips, and building bridges, among various other tasks. Population growth and internal migration over the past decade have prompted governments to continue to increase expenditure on infrastructure. India has also been witnessing a growing number of airports, dams, hydroelectric projects, roads, and bridges. The Middle East has also seen tremendous growth in infrastructure in the past two decades; the infrastructure spending in the region is projected to continue in the next five years especially after the lull period during the Covid 19 pandemic.

Safety And Cyber Security Issues

Safety and cyber security issues have always been a major challenge in the autonomous construction equipment market. To automate construction equipment, regardless of the control system used, cyber security always remains a key concern as it is challenging to control the potential damage that could be caused by hacking heavy equipment. It presents remote access for hackers to exploit system vulnerabilities in communication systems between vehicles and infrastructure. Threats associated with the protection and safety of the personal information is always being a major concern, limiting the growth of the autonomous construction equipment market.

Artificial Intelligence Driven Construction Machinery

According to the Business Research Company, use of artificial intelligence (AI) in the construction industry allows construction companies to be more productive. AI driven construction equipment is safer and more effective, and also increases the efficiency and safety of construction projects.

The construction industry is ready for embracing the new possibilities that AI has to bring in enhancing the way equipment is used. This helps businesses solve health and safety issues and improve efficiency. AI techniques will help inexperienced machine operators perform complex tasks, which otherwise would not have been possible. It is beneficial in an industry where the source of highly qualified and professional operators is becoming increasingly difficult. The possibility of danger is never far away, with heavy equipment involved, sometimes rough terrain, continuous movement and
the chance of human error. Yet despite the ever-increasing emphasis on health and safety, and the use of technology on employment sites, there are still unfortunate deaths. Companies are realizing the benefits of AI that can bring, tackling not only health and safety issues in construction, but making work more efficient. The sector appears especially well-suited to the possibilities of AI being able to develop.

High-Resolution Imaging Radar Technology

High-resolution imaging radar sensors serve as eyes for the controllers, allowing for the identification and prevention of collisions with people and surrounding equipment. Radar will work in both poor
and clear conditions, making radar technology a must-have for autonomous construction equipment. New automotive imaging radar sensors can provide the surroundings of a vehicle with a high-resolution point cloud that enables real-time understanding of conditions, including identification of humans, equipment and other stationary objects such as walls. The sensor recognizes the position of objects and provides range, speed, and elevation information. The sensor features create a 2D point cloud map of the surroundings and 3D shapes of spotted objects, opening up many possibilities for all types of autonomous vehicles including remote control of construction equipment, self-driving skid steers, excavators and more.

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