What AI can Do for the Construction Equipment Industry

Technological advancement is the need of every sector and this holds true for the construction and Construction Equipment (CE) sector as well. That said, particularly, in past few years, CE industry has gradually seen increased use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) which has the potential to boost productivity, efficiency and safety at the jobsite.

So, let us first know what is AI? Well, AI is an aggregative terms for describing when a machine mimics human cognitive function like problem-solving, pattern recognition and learning.

The need for AI in the Construction Equipment industry

Construction has always been a risky business. This is because of the usage of heavy machinery, uneven terrain, constant activity and risk of human error, all which can results in danger and accidents at the jobsite. Despite the focus on health and safety and use of various technologies and methodologies, yet the danger always looms at the jobsite. Here, comes the importance of AI-incorporated equipment and machine learning that has the potential to increase not only safety at the construction site but efficiency as well.

What is propelling the growth of AI in CE industry?

The need to produce superior results, complete projects at a fast pace and curb the problem of shortage of skilled operators are some factors that are leading to the growth of the AI in the CE sector. In addition, the adoption of the drones, robots and autonomous vehicles in the construction sector is also clearly backing the growth of the AI in CE industry. These technologies are being adopted by the companies for mapping, aerial imaging, surveying construction sites and to automate the construction operations. This is developing myriad opportunities for the growth of the AI technology in the CE sector.

The benefits of AI for the Construction Equipment industry

Increasingly, companies are realising the benefits that AI-enabled machines can bring in for tackling not only health and safety issues but making work more efficient. Here are the benefits of AI for the CE industry...

1.AI- incorporated equipment not only have the potential to ensure safety but offer plenty of other benefits such as they can automate all the mundane and repetitive tasks which otherwise can be very time consuming at the jobsite.

2.AI can also help the inexperienced operators of heavy and complex equipment like the backhoe loader and motor graders to carry out difficult tasks which otherwise may consume a lot of time and still the end-result is substandard.

3.AI can also sort out the major issue that is being faced by the CE industry today that is the shortage of skilled and experienced operators. Generally, heavy equipment like backhoe loaders or motor graders require trained operators who have expertise in safely handling the equipment to drive them as it goes without saying that any wrong move can cause heavy damage to the operator, equipment and even the people on the jobsite. However, either the skilled operators are not readily available or they are costly to employ. Thus, given the shortage of skilled operators, AI can help the contractors as well as construction company owners to make do with the unskilled operators also as most of the task can be easily performed by using the advanced technologies.

4.AI systems can essentially help in predictive maintenance as well. With AI, business owners can learn patterns that lead to failures and make predictions such as CE failing if it is not serviced after a certain amount of time. Here, in this context, Mahindra Construction Equipment’s (MCE’s) EarthMaster Backhoe Loader deserves a special mention. The equipment comes with REMOTECARE feature which is an intelligent communication system that keeps the business owner or fleet manager constantly informed about the machine. Through REMOTCARE, business owners can know what’s happening with their equipment for the whole day and they can get useful business information like daily work reports, maintenance schedule reminders, fuel level details or warnings for low engine oil and other updates through SMS. This allows business owners to break-free from the lack of control over the equipment and helps them in managing their machine from the comforts of their office, car or home, thus, taking operating freedom to the next level.

That said, the incorporation of automation and AI is not easy on a large scale and there are lot of challenges associated with AI and the use of AI is limited to few applications only. However, change is gradually happening and the construction industry is gradually moving towards AI- enabled CE that can not only tackle fears around health and safety but boost productivity as well at the jobsite.

In a nutshell

Productivity, safety and uptime are crucial drivers in the CE industry, where machine downtime can cost more than $1 million per day. Hence, what can define the bright future of CE segment is the adoption of newer intelligent features and increased use of AI-enabled equipment. Well, gladly, the change is happening and the industry is realising as to what benefits AI can offer to the construction and CE industry as a whole.