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September 2014 – According to Synergy Positioning Systems’ Mike Milne, in terms of the changes taking place in how construction milestones are being achieved, the industry is going through its own industrial revolution 50 years after the fact.
Mike believes that technological breakthroughs in machine automation, data management, wireless communications, 3D modelling and spatial positioning mean that construction entities of all sizes have more tools to complete the job quickly, accurately and efficiently than they ever have before.
There’s an industrial revolution occurring; but rather than being measured in fossil fuels and metal, it’s occurring through automated technologies and data flow.
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“Going forward, we’ll see a continuation of comprehensive software solutions from Topcon, engineered to give designers, planners, site managers and operators a total holistic view of a project.
“There’s a big push towards end-to-end building information management for the construction industry; data systems that help speed up the set-up process, ensuring any given project is operating as efficiently as possible even before the ground is broken.
“And once the project is up and running, real-time updates enable everyone to keep a track of what’s changing at a design level and out in the field. These software solutions are as beneficial to management teams as they are to machine operators.”
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Mike says is a good example of this is the Topcon LN-100 – the company’s new 3D positioning tool engineered specifically for Building Information Modelling (BIM) and construction layout .
“This is the sort of flexible, simple-to-use solution we’ll be seeing more of from Topcon in the year ahead,” continues Mike.
“It’s ideal for entities that don’t feel they require the full power or technical abilities of a robotic total station, but it still features the sort of accuracy and versatility of a much more complex 3D positioning tool.”
The LN-100 builds on the continuing collaboration between Topcon’s design engineers and leading AutoCad and AutoDesk software solutions, ensuring a seamless working experience for anyone gathering data through Topcon equipment in the field and translating data to plan via industry standard software.
“We’ll see these solutions start to roll out here in New Zealand through the coming contracting season, so it’s a pretty exciting time.”
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Elsewhere UAV technology continues to be a rapidly developing story.
“The applications for commercial UAV technology continue to grow. Even as a distributor and consultancy we’re continually discovering and researching new applications ourselves; that’s how this technology is evolving.
“We’re seeing the evolution represented in the varied nature of clients we’re talking to about employing UAVs for aerial survey work. While the construction sector remains pivotal to the growth the technology has experienced over the last 12 to 24 months, interest from peripheral stakeholders like telcos, utilities companies and both local and central government has certainly increased,” says Mike.
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New Zealand is also trending along the same path as overseas territories previously have with regard to advanced machine control technology.
In some applications in North America and Europe, construction and extractive entities utilising machine control solutions on mobile plant are considered more favourably during the tendering process. That precedent is yet to be set in this regard in New Zealand, says Mike, but machine control is gaining a much wider audience as it becomes easier to use and integrate into machine fleets.
“It’s an educational thing, but the message is getting disseminated in ever-wider arcs as more contractors discover just how easy machine control systems are to use and the gains they can help achieve,” he says.
“Tolerances are ever-tighter and health and safety regulations call for fewer people on the ground; this is the way the modern job site is going.
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“Automation of equipment is going to become more and more the norm in the next few years as companies look to work faster, smarter and more efficiently; tag this shift in thinking to the busy construction climate in New Zealand right now, and it’s a certainty that machine control solutions for a wide variety of mobile plant will become ever more popular.”
The industry still needs and values skilled operators, says Mike. But it’s about reducing risks as much as costs.
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“Despite the frenetic pace of construction in New Zealand right now, everyone is still watching their bottom line. At the end of the day, it still comes down to doing the best job possible in the shortest time possible, for the lowest spend and with everyone going home safely at the end of it.
“We understand that, and through our comprehensive product, technology and consultancy offerings, we’re looking forward to continuing our support of the industry in 2015 and beyond.”
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