Drones have opened a new frontier of mapping and inspection possibilities for the civil construction industry, according to Nick Smith, CEO of Airsight Australia.

Mr Smith has almost a decade of experience in the commercial drone industry, immersing himself in drones long before they entered the mainstream. He began development of the business model for his current company, Airsight Australia, in 2009, and since launching it in 2012, he’s recognised the transformative power of the technology for the civil construction industry.

“As a geospatially-focused toolkit, the potential is nearly limitless,” Mr Smith said.

The range and maneuverability of drones greatly facilitates the assessment of job sites during each stage of the building process, from the bid phase through to site planning and full construction.

 “Being able to understand what is on a site prior to and during construction can really give management an edge in terms of a thorough understanding of what that site looks like, and what the potential risks are to the construction process,” Mr Smith said.

 “It can also be highly valuable from both a quality control and accounting standpoint to be able to track progress during construction with regular aerial surveys.”

 Ahead of his upcoming participation on the ‘Digital Engineering and the future of technology’ panel at the National Construction Equipment Convention (NCEC), Mr Smith said drones should be looked at not as a replacement for traditional work and data acquisition methods, but as an improvement on them. Gathering mapping data and conducting surveys on sites is already common practice; where drones excel is in how that data is acquired and processed.

 “If you send a worker out, it could take them half a day or more just to cover a site and collect the required information, in addition to the physical obstacles or hazards they might have to deal with,” Mr Smith said.

 “With a drone, we can be on site in the morning, capture data by mid-morning, and process and deliver it by the end of the day, if not sooner.”

“The expediency and quality of actionable data goes up, while safety risks to people on site goes down.”

 Mr Smith said that some of the most exciting new developments in the use of drone data relate back to the accessibility of unprecedented amounts of information now available — and specifically, how that data is processed.

“Machine learning is making it possible to automate data analysis,” Mr Smith said.

“We’re already seeing artificial intelligence utilised for predictive maintenance and analytics, and we’re now starting to be able to identify defects and predict anomalies before they become large-scale problems. When you apply this to safety — predicting a rock fall before it happens, for instance — these technologies could literally save lives.”

The National Construction Equipment Convention will run from 15-17 November at the Sydney Showground. With a theme of ‘Think Globally, Act Locally’, the event will feature expert speakers and industry-leading companies discussing the opportunities and challenges in civil construction. To register for the conference, visit www.ncecaustralia.com.au/ncec.

If looking for proven performance, more comfort options and better design to maximise uptime, the revolutionary line-up of R-Series excavators demand attention.

In addition to increased over-the-side stability, a high quality finish and unbeatable operator experience, Bobcat R-Series models can be configured with industry-exclusive features. With the help of the unique Pro Clamp system, extendable arm, and depth check system, it’s never been easier to tackle a variety of jobsite challenges.

BobcatDepth Check System

To prevent time wasted on over-digging or under-digging, Bobcat Company developed its first depth check system for compact equipment.  This avoids the need to manually check the grade or depth with a tape measure or ‘stick’ receiver, and eliminates the need to set up laser equipment for smaller excavation jobs.

Efficient and easy to use, the system delivers accurate dig depth measurement for precise digging performance. It eliminates over-digging and the costs associated with backfilling and compacting fill material. It also prevents under-digging and the resulting need for manual labour to finalise depth or grade.

The system is ideal for:

• Trenching utility lines
• Placing drainage ditches
• Digging basements
• Installing sewer lines and drain fields
• Site preparation for footings or pads

Utilising sensors that detect the exact position of the bucket’s teeth, the Bobcatdepth check system allows operators to set a desired digging depth and works against that benchmark. The integrated panel continually references the current and desired depths, while audible alerts indicate whether the operator is approaching the target, at the target, or beyond the target. On larger jobsites, an optional laser receiver offers operators greater flexibility to move around, benching off a laser signal rather than a fixed grade point.

Unlike other systems, the Bobcat depth check system integrates with the deluxe instrument panel. This offers simple operation and eliminates the need for an add-on display monitor inside the cab.

With a Bobcat excavator and the depth check system, operators spend less time checking depth and more time digging. It’s just another way Bobcat makes jobs easier and quicker.

For more information on Bobcat equipment contact Clark Equipment on 1300 736 848 or visit: www.bobcatofaustralia.com.au

Komatsu’s rollout of new low-emission, more fuel-efficient engines that comply with US Tier 4 Final emissions regulations has seen it launch an unprecedented 25 new machines across excavators, loaders, trucks and graders – the largest in its history.

All feature Komatsu’s new generation Tier 4 Final-compliant engines, which incorporate unique Komatsu technology to reduce emissions levels by 90% compared with their previous-generation Tier 3 equivalent machines, according to Dean Gaedtke, Komatsu’s Executive General Manager, Construction.

“At the same time, Komatsu has introduced new electronic control systems throughout the new machines that ensure engine power, hydraulic requirements and transmission output is optimised – resulting in fuel consumption savings of between 5% and 15% – depending on models and applications,” said Gaedtke.

“In addition, all Komatsu’s new Tier 4 machines take advantage of the company’s latest developments in its KOMTRAX Step 5 telematics-based remote monitoring system to deliver owners and fleet managers even more data about key operating criteria.”

New Komatsu Tier 4 Final-compliant machines being launched include the following:

• PC30MR-5, PC35MR-5, PC45MR-5 and PC55MR-5 short-tail mini excavators
• PC78UU-10 and PC88MR-10 short-tail midi excavators
• PC138-11 and PC228-11 short-tail construction excavators
• PC240LC-11, PC290LC-11, PC360LC-11, construction excavators
• PC490LC-11 heavy construction/quarrying excavator
• HB215LC-3 and HB335LC-3 fourth-generation Hybrid excavators
• A PC360LCi-11 featuring Komatsu’s unique intelligent Machine Control system – and the largest excavator with this system
• WA270-8 and WA320-8 hydrostatic drive toolcarrier loaders
• WA380-8 and WA470-8 general purpose loaders
• WA500-8 and WA600-8 production loaders
• GD655-6 grader
• HM300-5 and HM400-5 articulated dump trucks
• HD405-8 and HD605-8 rigid frame dump trucks.

New engine technologies

According to , Komatsu’s General Manager Construction & Utility, its new Tier 4 Final engines include a number of technology innovations that help achieve the stringent requirements of this standard, as well as contributing to lower fuel consumption.

“They incorporate Komatsu proprietary technologies developed over many years to reduce emissions levels,” he said.

Technologies introduced in these new engines include:

• A heavy-duty after-treatment system
• An advanced Electronic Control System
• A heavy-duty cooled Exhaust Gas Recirculation (EGR) system
• A Komatsu Variable Geometry Turbocharger (KVGT) system
• Heavy-duty High-Pressure Common Rail (HPCR) fuel injection system

Heavy-duty after-treatment system: This new system combines a Komatsu Diesel Particulate Filter (KDPF) and Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR), which injects the correct amount of Diesel Exhaust Fluid (DEF) at the required rate, thereby decomposing NOx into non-toxic water vapour (H2O) and nitrogen gas (N2).

Heavy-duty cooled exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) system: The EGR system in Komatsu’s Tier 4 Final engines recirculates a portion of exhaust gas into the air intake and lowers combustion temperatures, thereby reducing NOx emissions.

EGR gas flow has also been decreased on Tier 4 Final engines through the addition of SCR technology, dramatically reducing NOx, while helping cut fuel consumption below levels on previous-generation machines.

Advanced electronic control system: The electronic control system on Komatsu’s Tier 4 Final engines performs high-speed processing of all signals from sensors installed in the machine, providing total control of all components. 

Engine condition information is displayed on the monitor inside the cab, providing all necessary information to the operator, as well as being uploaded to KOMTRAX for ongoing monitoring by machine owners and fleet managers.

Komatsu variable geometry turbocharger (KVGT) system: The KVGT system incorporates proven Komatsu design hydraulic technology for variable control of air-flow, supplying the optimum amount of air according to load conditions. This upgraded version also provides better exhaust temperature management.

Heavy-duty high-pressure common rail (HPCR) fuel injection system: Designed to achieve an optimal injection of high-pressure fuel digitally, this system ensures near complete combustion, significantly reducing PM emissions.

“In addition to these technologies, all our new Tier 4 Final engines incorporate mode selection systems that help best match engine, hydraulics and/or transmission output to different applications – further contributing to lower fuel consumption,” Wheeldon said.

KOMTRAX Step 5 technology

“The latest KOMTRAX Step 5 telematics-based remote monitoring system on our new Tier 4 Final machines gives owners and fleet managers unprecedented visibility and up-to-date operating data on their equipment,” he said.

“It’s the most sophisticated version of KOMTRAX to date, designed to provide equipment managers with data that increases their peace of mind, knowing that the advanced technologies incorporated in today’s equipment are working reliably to deliver operational efficiencies.”

KOMTRAX Step 5 technology has been developed to ensure that key operational criteria of Tier 4 Final engines are all working correctly, delivering data reporting on:

• Komatsu Diesel Particulates Filter (KDPF) soot count
• Active KDPF soot removal regeneration time and fuel used
• Any KDPF cautions
• Diesel Exhaust Fluid (AdBlue) levels.

It also includes enhanced reporting abilities on:

• Machine travel hours and distances
• Working modes
• Cycle times
• Maximum speeds

“Another new feature of KOMTRAX Step 5 is our operator ID system, which can be set for each operator,” said Wheeldon.

“This allows data sent from KOMTRAX to be used to analyse operating status by operator as well as by machine.

“We know many of our customers are using KOMTRAX data to work with their operators to optimise site productivity and machine performance.

“It’s now common for KOMTRAX reports to be discussed and analysed by operators, fleet planners and site or project managers working together to get the very best from their equipment,” he said.

“And because KOMTRAX – which is provided free of charge on all Komatsu utility and construction machines sold in Australia and New Zealand – continuously monitors and records machine health and operational data, it provides exceptionally detailed machine operating history– significantly lowering owning and operating costs.

“For machine managers, knowing important operational details such as idle time and fuel consumption helps maximise machine efficiency, and make decisions that can improve fleet utilisation,” said Wheeldon.

National forklift market leader Toyota Material Handling Australia (TMHA) was a major presence at this month’s Megatrans exhibition in Melbourne, with a display demonstrating the Toyota BT Optio “Autopilot” driverless forklift.

The TMHA display at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre covered two, 72 square-metre stands and doubled as a flagship event for the company’s 50 Year anniversary celebrations.

Toyota sold its first forklift in Australia in 1968 and has now enjoyed nine uninterrupted years of national forklift market leadership.

Highlight of the TMHA display at Megatrans was the working display of a Toyota BT Optio OAE 120CB AGV Autopilot order picker.

In addition, the display featured engine powered and battery electric Toyota forklifts, along with a range of TMHA warehouse equipment.

TMHA is also showed a Bravi Sprint lift platform and a range of pallet racking.

TMHA president and CEO Steve Takacs said the company presence at Megatrans was another opportunity to celebrate both the 50th anniversary and Toyota’s on-going commitment to supporting the Australian market.

“The Toyota Autopilot AGV represents the cutting edge in material handling equipment,” he said.

“The overall display highlighted TMHA’s one-stop solution credentials, with our comprehensive range of market leading forklifts, reach trucks, stackers and order pickers.

“Added to that we showed Bravi work platforms, and our extensive range of racking.”

For more information freecall 1800 425 438 or visit www.toyotamaterialhandling.com.au

Detailed Earthworks…love it or hate it…are part of most civil projects nowadays. Tight car parks with complicated drainage, domed sporting fields, light rail, foot paths/cycleways, to name a few, are possibly the sections of the job you aren’t looking forward to. These tasks have previously been painstakingly slow and expensive. Many earthmovers are changing the way they view these jobs and taking advantage of 3D technology, which is not inexpensive, but a no-brainer if they want to be efficient and competitive. This 3D guided equipment has now been made within the reach of even ‎modest sized civil contractors with the availability of 3D Ready Level-Best Precision Grading Attachments for Skidsteers and CTL loaders. Level-Best now offers a very comprehensive range of machine control ready options for Trimble, Topcon and Leica systems enabling the GPS or Total Station machine control to be virtually plug and play on any brand of loader. Installations are as seamless as they are quick with minimal down time of the loader. Most installs together with operator training can be done in a single day. This combines with the fact that hundreds of these sets ups are currently operating here and in the USA, which should eliminate the fear of the unknown and provide confidence to the contractor who hasn’t jumped the 3D hurdle as yet. Let’s face it, the thought of embarking into 3D equipment can be a bit overwhelming. Prospective clients often get conflicting stories and advice from different suppliers. The guys from Level-Best are experts in the field of 3D for all brands of CTL loaders with Level Best attachments. This will reassure contractors that their new equipment purchase will operate correctly and efficiently from the outset. For more information call 1800 60 88 50 or visit atomlasers.com.au

As remote fleet tracking and management becomes more commonplace, machine owners and fleet managers are looking for systems that not only provide the right data but are easy to use, says Kobelco’s General Manager – Sales & Service, Doug McQuinn.

Kobelco has a long history of remote monitoring technology after launching its first system in Japan in 2001. The company’s newest system, Geoscan, is the result of a three-year intensive review to ensure equipment owners can access the data that matters most in business.

“Tracking and managing your fleet is critical to business success,” Doug says. “Traditionally, this task has been particularly challenging in larger fleets where equipment is deployed across multiple sites and in rental businesses where machines are being used by a wide range of operators. Our latest system makes the job much easier whether it’s used by an owner operator of a single machine or a large business with an extensive fleet.”

Geoscan allows businesses to track fuel levels, service schedules, working hours and many other attributes. The data is available to key staff via their smart phone.

“Statistics like location, work mode, fuel burn and key on-off times can help fleet managers and owner operators assess asset utilisation, plan maintenance and make decisions about how to use equipment for optimal productivity and return on investment,” Doug says.

“The data remote monitoring system collects is only useful if it’s simple to access and work with. Kobelco has invested significantly in making sure Geoscan is user-friendly and brings all the information you need straight to your phone or computer,” Doug says.
About Geoscan

Geoscan is standard on Kobelco’s Acera Geospec series machines 7-tonne and over, with five years of free system access. Key information available through Geoscan includes:

Working status: Improve efficiency by reviewing the breakdown of operational hours or gather historical data to identify trends and better plan for future works.

Location data: Know where the machine is now and where it has been in the past. View location data on a web map or Google Earth.

Alarms: Instant notification by e-mail of critical fault alarms as well as operational alarms like low fuel level, maintenance due, machine moving out of set map area or engine started outside a set time period.

Maintenance: Keep up to date with filter and oil change intervals.

For more information please visit www.kobelco.com.au or call 1300 KOBELCO.

The Crossrail project will provide new east-west rail connections underneath Central London, complementing the Thameslink Programme, the north-south route through London.

Work on the Crossrail project started in 2009, with the first trains expected to be operating by 2018.

In order to satisfy specific monitoring requirements, the confined space safety consultant on the project, ESS Safeforce, ordered 105 Topcon MS05AX total stations.

The order for 105 instruments, which is believed to be the single largest order globally for 1 cm (0.5 inch) total stations from any manufacturer, follows the awarding of the Crossrail C510 contract to ESS customer Morgan Sindall, a leading United Kingdom construction company.

Morgan Sindall is part of the BBMV group, in which four of the world’s leading construction companies – including Balfour Beatty, ALPINE BeMo Tunnelling and VINCI Construction, formed a civil engineering partnership.

Gary Ridsdale, ESS Safeforce survey products business development manager, credited Topcon for its extremely quick delivery time on such a large order.

“We are delighted to have supplied BBMV through Morgan Sindall with this record-breaking number of instruments.

“It is great news for us to supply such a significant quantity of instruments in what is the biggest civil engineering project in Europe.”

Having conducted extensive field-testing of available instruments from other manufacturers, contractor Morgan Sindall concluded that the MS05AX was the best sensor for the monitoring project.

The company cited Topcon’s “superior specification and reliability, along with their evaluation results,” in placing the order.

Alastair Cruickshank, engineering survey manager at Morgan Sindall, said the company was very impressed with the Topcon total stations.

“The build quality, performance and especially the reliability is extremely impressive.  The instrument always locks on to the correct prism while monitoring the building and tunnels of London,” he said.

“This is important as there are often several prisms in the field of view of the instrument, particularly in the challenging linear tunnel environments.

“The matrix detection function has also saved us a lot of time and hassle. We can install new monitoring prisms and the instrument just finds them automatically.”

Ian Stilgoe, Topcon’s European geomatics business manager said, matrix detection was Topcon’s latest technological feature, designed to save time and increase efficiency while setting up complex arrays of prisms for monitoring systems.

“Using intelligent algorithms and high accuracy imaging sensors, the total station series is able to detect and locate all established prisms, even in low light or dark conditions.

“Once located, it then measures the prisms quickly and reliably, virtually eliminating any sources of human error.”

Stilgoe also paid tribute to Topcon’s staff in Japan in delivering the units on time.

“I’d like to highlight the dedication of our staff in Tokyo, who despite experiencing Japan’s worst natural disaster, worked through even without main power to ensure our client received their instruments on time.

“It is absolute proof that Topcon believes that the needs of the customer always comes first,” he said.

Australia wide, Hyundai dealerships have received positive feedback from customers who have purchased Dash 9 machines, in particular the difference Hi-mate has made to their operation, workflow and efficiency.

A prominent feature of the Dash 9 machines is the Hi-Mate system (Remote Management System). Derek Cardinal, Head of Technical Support at HCEA has been working closely with the Hi-Mate system and explains “The Hi-mate system allows customers to access and monitor their machines remotely. In this process, they can ascertain information about a machine such as location, operational modes and conditions as well as service requirements (which can also be monitored at local Hyundai dealerships to ensure services are completed in accordance with scheduled maintenance programs). What really stands out about this system is that owners can log in and monitor a machine’s status and determine if the machines are working, travelling or idle. This is an important factor as this allows owners to have greater control over the job”.

“A system like this would have been unheard of 5-10 years ago, but is quickly becoming a standard choice for construction equipment owners throughout the world” states Derek.

The utilisation of Hyundai’s Hi-mate web based GPS system has been extremely beneficial for the Hyundai Brand. Service Technicians are able to accurately assess and schedule machine maintenance and servicing.  They can demonstrate to their customer base and potential customers the benefit that Hyundai will bring to their organization with the aid of Hi-Mate”.

Robert Pearson, HCEA Marketing Manager, states “The Hi-Mate system is a relatively new concept to the Australian Construction and Quarrying markets, with many businesses needing to fully comprehend what it has to offer. Outside of the immediate benefits of GPS satellite tracking and machine operational diagnostics, a good RMS system combined with smart business practice represents a valuable business tool for a commercially conscious company.  By this you can effectively monitor and access your asset’s performance / efficiency and develop truly tangible processes and systems to assist your company to grow and minimise expenditure”.

“I could see the next generation of RMS technology being something like a live feed camera with complete machine integration and connectivity. This type of technology could be integrated into both a business’ I.T infrastructure and associated OEM service centres, to provide a true real time monitoring and decision making tool (i.e. an owner monitoring a fleet of equipment interstate and having more information at his or her disposal than if they were standing next to the machine). This type of evolution is directly correlated with advancements and future development of satellite and information transmission systems, which have grown in leaps and bounds over the past decade”.

For more information about Hyundai’s Hi-Mate system call your closest Hyundai Construction Equipment dealer, or visit www.hyundai-ce.com.au