CW’s webinar discussed the immense benefits of adopting technologies in construction, the way forward, and more...? CW conducted a webinar on ‘Construction Technologies Post COVID-19’, powered by Fuji Silvertech Concrete, which witnessed over 1,200 attendees tuning in. The webinar began with presenter Pratap Padode, Editor-in-Chief, CONSTRUCTION WORLD, welcoming the guest panellists to the session. The panellists included industry stalwarts DK Sen, Whole-Time Director & Senior Executive Vice President (Infrastructure), Larsen & Toubro; Sandeep Singh, President, ICEMA and Managing Director, TATA-Hitachi Construction Machinery Company; Sameer Malhotra, CEO, Shriram Automall; Subodh Dixit, President & Executive Director, Shapoorji Pallonji Engineering & Construction; and Brijesh Shyam Shah, Managing Director, Fuji Silvertech Concrete. Padode opened by saying, “Technology is transforming the way buildings are designed; modular construction or even advanced technology like 3D printing, robotics, AI, machine learning, etc, can deliver business benefits. Technology is here to stay, and we have to ensure that we can utilise it to accelerate what we are intending to do.” Technology adoption In the past, the construction industry has been extremely reticent in adopting technology. Prime hurdles include education among skilled labour, on-the-job training, use of manual labour instead of machines, and lack of enforceability. Here, while agreeing that the construction industry has been hesitant in adopting new technologies for a long time, Sen said, “But as the industry grew, particularly for L&T, we doubled in terms of industry growth and it was difficult for us to do everything manually. We understood this 10 years back. Fortunately, we had large exposure overseas in working for various international projects. We understood how the world works and have been importing technologies and machines for the past 10 years and using them in India. It has given us fantastic results.” He added, “Technology-wise, we have understood that unless we connect all the machines with the Internet of Things (IoT), it will not serve any fruitful purpose. We connect excavators, graders, rollers, pavers and crushers, and connect them with IoT. At every point of time, we can monitor productivity, the number of hours worked, fuel consumption, any malpractice in the equipment, etc.” He also pointed out that there is a lot of wastage in construction. “Through the Cloud, we actually put 3D drawings into the system to ensure less wastage. It reduces manpower and provides more accuracy.” Further, he highlighted that autonomous machines, which have still not come in, will soon enter and provide great benefits, and shared that the company is also using 3D printing. In his view, the time for precast elements to be 3D-printed is not far away. “A lot of work is going on in ‘design to suit’ and we are also doing geofencing of equipment and using RFID.” The demands of COVID With a factory that has now restarted manufacturing construction equipment, Singh highlighted the safety protocols undertaken, saying his firm started preparing itself before the lockdown was called off. “We gauged the safety precautions needed in terms of man, machine and material, and started making a recipe. We released these SOPs across the organisation, taking into account all the safety precautions; the most important being for our people to maintain distance, cleanliness and disinfection. We did a trial round because we were allowed to open our plant partially during the lockdown; the first thing we did was a pilot run for safety at both our plants. We followed government guidelines and looked at best practices of other countries that started before us. This is the most important activity each manufacturer needs to undertake to maintain safety standards, and then educate employees on the same.” Fuji Silvertech Concrete has also restarted operations. “It is important to educate our people regularly on all safety standards,” said Shah. “We are following all safety standards and sanitising all the places within our premises. In fact, common areas like canteen and admin areas are being sanitised two to three times a day. Right now, we are working with 30 per cent staff and are checking on the hygiene protocols required.” The company has an existing plant near Ahmedabad and is coming up with a second plant in Aurangabad. Innovations and jugaad Padode began this topic for discussion saying, “Generally, the backhoe was not considered the lead equipment that would sell in a big way in a market like India, but it has become the bestseller in India and is being used very innovatively.” From a major equipment point of view, Dixit added, “Whether it is tower cranes, slip-form climbing platforms, core walls or other equipment like batching plants, tower cranes, etc, India is doing almost what the entire world is. The struggle is how we integrate skilled labour with technology.” He believes decent progress has happened in skill development and off-site and on-site training has also progressed. “There is a good amount of work that has happened, from skill development to technology as well as speed and productivity in construction.” Talking of innovation, Malhotra also cited the example of the backhoe loader, which is used for excavation and compaction too. “We even saw a tractor with a trolley being used for carrying away construction materials!” he exclaimed. “Most construction sites are using it.” He gave another example of international markets making use of different kinds of cranes. “While in India, in the 1990s and early 2000s we spoke about pick-n-carry cranes and mobile cranes, these soon become famous across the world. This is really jugaad, which came not from what we wanted to do but was the need of the hour for the country. We do not have the pay-out at construction sites that can support world-class technologies all the time.” Speed in construction Undoubtedly, modular construction and precast can help accelerate projects. “As precast can work parallel onsite and offsite, the developer is saved from allocating separate land area and providing material, labour and other associated activities,” added Shah. “There are many advantages of modular and precast technologies, but mainly they save time and assure better quality.” Fuji Silvertech Concrete has supplied to almost all repeated projects of Shapoorji Pallonji and L&T, as well as the Motera Stadium. Sen of L&T, affirmed, “Precast and modular construction is very good, whether to make a full bridge or even low-cost housing.” He went on to add that 3D printing machines are the future of construction, with benefits including productivity and timely completion. Drones, video analytics, and more Drones are now largely being used in the COVID scenario, even to administer people and figure out thermal imaging to check for fever. “Drones are like a blessing in our life!” exclaimed Sen. “They give a real picture about obstructions, levels of differences, and quality control for operational maintenance.” Speaking of BIM, Dixit added that it gives a three-dimensional view of the project from day one. “The fundamental advantage is you are able to see how the project is going to look along the way; you can see the pitfalls during the construction and what steps can be taken to overcome them.” It also helps save wastage and offer better control over cash flow management. With regard to video analytics and smart phones, Singh said, “When I go to our headquarters in Japan, Europe and Australia, standard equipment is also fitted with intelligence. For example, AI is the standard fitment in the machines; drones are used to measure the size of the site; fleet management with advanced technology is common at all the sites. In India, most contractors are not yet adopting advanced technologies. For example, telematics in our equipment is being used only by some contractors here.” On a concluding note, Padode remarked, “Evidently, India needs to drive economic activity through infrastructure and a major thrust on infrastructure projects lies in adopting technologies.” Indeed! To share your views, write in at feedback@ConstructionWorld.in