Earthworks is no longer just about the iron

Where the excitement of the new, improved model has long been the 'big news' for the industry, as I recently discovered at the Futureworx event put on by the Construction Equipment Association, the smart talk has turned to the tech.

And one person that had just four very miniature models of machines on the stand was surprisingly from Komatsu Europe. It was showcasing its Smart Construction solutions, and this is where I caught up with Richard Clement, its European Deputy General Manager. 

The event was the first time in the UK that the team had focused solely on the technologies and innovations it brings together to deliver its Smart Construction vision rather than its yellow iron.

Richard: "With key clients like National Highways and it’s Connected and Autonomous Plant Group pushing for the industry to be more efficient and productive, we believe the time is right for a new approach to delivering a safe, smart and clean jobsite environment. But to do that, the UK earthworks sector needs to become a much more integral part of the wider construction sector.

"This is because you need to understand much more about a project before putting a machine on a jobsite. So Smart Construction starts with looking at a customer's process, not just the construction process. This includes all the phases, from tender response to pre-construction and construction, right the way through to project completion.

"It's only by plotting out the whole process that you can identify where digital technology can actually help optimise performance. For example, that could be a very simple solution to getting rid of paper to speed up communication, or it could be a complete end to end digital solution. 

"No matter what approach is identified, like any change management process, it's about implementing technology, training and coaching that matters as there are always pain points to solve. 

"So today's and tomorrow's projects are about process management, investing in the tools you need for better planning, whilst understanding how you want to deliver and run the earthworks elements.

"Here, it's all about how to collect the 3D data to design models for machines and then capture and convert data into information that can optimise the delivery of the project in real-time. This allows a customer to take advantage of our intelligent Machine Control (iMC) enabled machines and sets them on the road to autonomous working, as we have already proven in the mining space with our Autonomous Haulage Systems.

"Understanding how this all works allows you to look at the most important part of any job, 'how to reduce the amount of material movements'. 

"This is where site simulation plays an important role in using technology to identify the most efficient way of delivering a project. For example, moving material from cut area A to fill area B, or managing other jobs, like intermediate stockpiles, haulage routes, etc.

By simulating a jobsite, businesses can also explore different delivery options, depending on client needs. So if you need a quick delivery or want to do the work with the lowest number of machines used on the site, you can understand how these options will work. 

"And this is exactly what we do at our factory demonstration area, flying drones, capturing data, making models and displaying it all on our Smart Construction dashboards, in real-time.

Of course, it's not just the off machine technology that makes the process more efficient. It's also the technology onboard the yellow iron that can make the difference. And this is why Komatsu has continued to develop its iMC, with the recent launch of its second generation iMC 2.0.

Richard: "For the UK and European markets, we were conscious of supporting machine operators, so iMC 2.0 includes two key features with this in mind. 

"The first is an auto-tilt function for excavators. As the tilt bucket comes down, this function will automatically adjust the tilt of the bucket to meet up with a surface and adjust its tilt as you dig or stroke the bucket.

"We have also given our machines artificial intelligence for dozer operators, where the machine learns about the task it's being asked to perform, from rough to fine grading. In practical terms, it uses sensor technology to look at the existing surfaces as it tracks them.

"It then combines this information with the final surface design to decide how many passes to take for the most fuel-efficient outcome. So, it's helping the operator make decisions by working out the intermediate layers that they need to cut."

Talking through its Smart Construction solution was made much easier by the visual aids on the stand. And what was also interesting is how Komatsu has recognised that customers in the UK have much more mixed OEM fleets. With this in mind, they have developed a 'Smart Construction Remote' that enables remote support functionality and file transfers from its equipment and other models that are currently either Topcon or Trimble machine control enabled.

Richard concluded: "For Smart Construction to work, we need to take a brand agnostic approach to support customers, recognising the systems that they're using. To this end, we are also hoping to add other complimentary industry solutions, so you can adopt one system that has data from all your machines showing, no matter what brand they are."