The Rise of the Jobsite Robot

The robots are coming! Actually, they’re already here — in their less sensational forms of digitization and automation — and ready to help us tackle our industry’s biggest challenges: inefficiencies, low productivity and labor shortages. Best of all, they can do it with technology we’re already using.

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Despite the past year’s challenges, the global construction industry is as robust as ever, consuming upwards of 10% of the global GDP and growing at a compound annual growth rate of 4.2% from 2018 to 2023, according to forecasts1. However, it still struggles with the same old challenges, particularly low productivity and profitability. In fact, productivity has barely grown over the past 20 years², and profit margins continue to hover at around 2%, a tenth of what some other industries enjoy.  Boosting productivity is our industry’s golden fleece. To find it, we’re going to have to change the way we’ve been doing things for the past 50 years. 

Take mechanical, electrical and plumbing installations, for example:

• The inevitable discrepancies between in planning and execution can lead to inefficient on-site improvisations and costly rework.
• Coordinating multiple players with overlapping applications can be complex and expensive.
• Repetitive work can be time-consuming, error-prone and even demoralizing.
• Overhead work is particularly inefficient; it can also be physically demanding, which doesn’t help ease the labor shortage and makes maintaining your employees’ health more critical than ever.
• Skilled labor shortages can result in poor-quality installations that need to be redone. 

Even a slight bump in productivity can translate to a significant amount of money, especially on multimillion-dollar projects. The World Economic Forum estimates that just a 1% rise in construction productivity could save the industry up to $100 billion a year.

If increasing productivity is key to long-term success, where do we start? By evaluating our workflows end to end — from planning and design through execution — identifying their inefficiencies and finding ways to optimize and then automate the processes. The automotive and agriculture industries have already demonstrated that automation and digitization can significantly boost productivity. A similar transformation can benefit the construction industry, too. After all, it’s a relatively systematic and controlled industry, meaning it’s well positioned to take advantage of automation and digitization.

Preparing for the Future — and the Now.

Digitization is already making an impact on the construction industry. Almost three-quarters of U.S. contractors report using Building Information Modelling (BIM) to create more accurate digital plans and develop more efficient processes.

Thanks in part to BIM, automated and semi-automated technologies are also making inroads. In fact, these two technologies can work together to deliver even more value. BIM’s digitized workflows, such as Hilti BIM-to-field solutions that layout drilling points and cast-in components like anchor channels, create a mine of construction data that robots can access and utilize. By simply following the BIM process, you’re already creating a robot-friendly jobsite.

Automated and semi-automated machines are most useful when carrying out mundane, repetitive, or dangerous tasks that require accuracy or speed or that exceed reasonable human limitations. Using robots to dig, drill, cut, weld, move heavy loads and pour concrete can help make jobsites more efficient, more precise and safer. 

Specifically, automated and semi-automated robots can:

• Perform strenuous or dangerous tasks that would otherwise threaten the health and safety of skilled professionals;
• Perform tasks in harsh and unsafe working conditions;
• Reduce insurance costs by mitigating personnel risk; 
• Work overnight to slash timelines; and 
• Help avoid rework due to human error.

Though the construction industry is typically a slow adopter of new technologies, automated and semi-automated robots are already in use around the world. Examples include:

• Boston Dynamics Spot, a mobile robot that easily navigates jobsite terrain to perform inspection tasks and collect data; 
• Dusty Robotics Field Printer, which uses BIM data to print full-size floorplans straight onto the building deck; 
• Canvas, an automated drywall finishing machine that has been used at San Francisco International Airport and Chase Arena; and
• Hilti Jaibot, a semi-automated cordless drilling machine for MEP and interior finishing installation work, especially overhead tasks, that can work for eight hours on a single battery charge. 

Additionally, here are a few facts and figures that highlight that demands for robotics:

• 80% of construction companies say they can’t find the workers they need;
• 30% fewer young people working in construction from 2005-2016;
• 45% of construction professionals say they spend too much time on non-optimal activities; and
• 49% of all construction tasks can be potentially be automated.

Sounds Easy, Right?

There are always caveats. Some fear that automation will take jobs away from humans. But the industry is already facing a labor shortage — and employment demand continues to grow, with a shortfall of 430,000 jobs in 2021. Automation could help ease that number, especially with low-skilled jobs that are hard to fill. 

The key is to combine human and robot talents, a concept known as collaborative robotics. For example, a robot still requires a human to manage its resources and program its tasks, even with BIM helping to streamline the process. Collaborative robotics can help extend the productivity of older workers who have huge experience but are struggling with the more physical aspects of construction. It can also help contractors — especially those competing for high-quality talent — attract digital-native candidates that otherwise wouldn’t consider working in construction. 

And as it stands, humans are still best suited for work that requires delicate, dexterous handling and improvised decision-making. Leave the tedious jobs that demand extraordinary speed, strength and accuracy to the robots.

It’s Time to be Bold

Acquiring a robot often means making a significant investment in both up-front costs and time learning how to use it and incorporate it into existing processes. When profit margins are low, spending hard-earned revenue on innovation seems risky. And when deadlines loom, no one wants to interrupt inefficient but functioning workflows — even if the long-term benefits far outweigh a short-term need to “just get it done.”

These fears could explain why only 25% of construction firms admit to having a digital strategy, and only 9% say they’re prepared for the digital revolution. While 29% of construction companies report already investing in technology to supplement worker duties, not embracing technologies that can boost productivity is, well, not productive. Companies need to anticipate digital disruption and get ahead of it before their competitors do. Developing a digital strategy can begin with a simple ROI assessment — any contractor able to analyze project data and predict costs can determine if a new tech solution has value. Advanced technologies could have a sizeable impact: 

• 70% of contractors say that advanced technologies could increase productivity (78%), improve schedule (75%), and enhance safety (79%).
• Within 10 years, full-scale digitization could save the non-residential global construction industry up to $1.2 trillion in the design, engineering and construction phases and $0.5 trillion in the operations phase.

But companies also need to be bold, which means developing budgets and establishing KPIs that enable their project managers to try new technologies, like robotics, without fear of failure. Those that find ways to identify long term productivity gains through automation will be far better positioned in the future.