People should not fear autonomous machinery

The recent publication of the Connected Autonomous Plant (CAP) group report from Costain, funded by the Department for Transport, highlighted a £417bn potential boost to the UK economy by 2050.

According to the authors, the UK construction equipment sector is worth £15bn annually, with an estimated 20% of construction plant currently in use qualifying as having some degree of connectivity and autonomy.

Whilst that is good news, in order to achieve the huge boost highlighted above and also be net zero by 2050, there will need to be a much bigger acceleration in the adoption of technology and alternative fuels.

It will also require leadership and investment from clients, Tier 1 contractors and major plant hirers in particular. This is why, on the Leica Geosystems stand at the Highways UK show, I caught up with Chris Matthew, who recently became the Commercial Director for Plantforce, to discuss opportunities and challenges.

Chris: “There is certainly a lot our sector can do to make big productivity gains, carbon and fuel savings right now,  just by making the most of the technology we have at our fingertips today, like 3D machine control and AI driven safety solutions.

“And with this big CAP number, it’s really important to understand that we need to bring together the entire construction industry, whether it’s road, rail, or housebuilding, to benefit from these advancements. When it comes to the CAP report, the authors have condensed the overall benefits across different sectors, from high-tech companies to infrastructure providers, and put it into a consumable number. That allows everyone to grasp just how much is at stake here.

“As we move forward with semi-autonomous and fully autonomous solutions, there will be more opportunities to realise these benefits. And, of course, we are now embracing alternative fuels mixing HVO with Hydrogen, which will also positively impact carbon reductions.

The key is to support adoption. For example, when machine control was mandated by National Highways, there was a significant shift as the sector got behind the technology. If we want more technological adoption, creating frameworks that everyone can adhere to with a set of standards to work with is the right way to move forward.

I’m not a fan of using penalties to push people into compliance. We should incentivise companies to adopt new methods and prove the benefits using data-driven insights. This, in turn, will lead to more informed real-time decision-making, which will ultimately drive up efficiency.

Working with some of the major contractors, I have already recognised that this behavioural shift is happening through the use of dashboard data. When contractors embrace these new tools, they ultimately win more work.

“Besides technological advances, there’s also a big journey ahead with alternative fuels. Here, Hydrogen is just starting to make waves. We’re seeing the Government through its Elements 1 programme supporting both plant hirers like us and Tier 1 contractors to blend Hydrogen with existing fuels like HVO, which could have a huge impact.”

“Working in collaboration with eight other industry-leading partners on the Element 1 project, has seen a total of four excavators converted to a hydrogen/diesel duel fuel, with the conversions completed by the expert team at ULEMCo. Two of the four excavators converted are our 20 tonne Kobelco units, and it is great to see one of the converted machines already working onsite.”  

“This is a huge step forward in understanding how to operate and manage fuel infrastructure. We can’t afford to have equipment sit idle just because the infrastructure for hydrogen isn’t there yet.

“So, we need solutions that allow for flexibility, whether that’s using a hydrogen-HVO duel fuel or easily swapping battery packs on electric machines. Of course, we’ll still rely on diesel for the foreseeable future, but we can definitely reduce its usage and cut carbon emissions along the way.

“However, investing in new equipment with the latest technology, advanced attachments, and alternative refuelling solutions doesn’t come cheap. So, we need to recognise there is an upfront cost to pay to support investment.

“But on the flip side, there is a payoff in the long run, whether through keeping workers safer, reducing fuel consumption, cutting carbon emissions, or improving operational efficiency. £426bn is a big number, but I think with the right support, our sector is up for the challenge to deliver it.