ABB Robotics Drives Automation in Construction Industry

ABB Robotics is driving automation in the construction industry with new robotic automation solutions to address key challenges, including the need for more affordable and environmentally friendly housing, as well as reducing the environmental impact of construction in the face of labor and skills shortages.

Robotic automation has enormous potential to improve productivity, efficiency, and manufacturing flexibility across the construction industry, including automating the fabrication of modular homes and building components off-site, robotic welding and material handling on construction sites, and robot 3D printing of houses and customized structures. Robots are improving sustainability and reducing environmental impact by enhancing the quality and cutting waste, in addition to making the industry safer and more cost-effective.

In a global survey commissioned by ABB of 1900 large and small construction businesses in Europe, the US, and China, 91 percent said they anticipate a skills shortage in the next ten years, with 44 percent reporting difficulty recruiting for construction jobs. Improving health and safety on building sites was a priority for 42 percent, and the same percentage stated that the environment is a major driver of industry change.

While only a few businesses benefit from robotics today, 81 percent of construction businesses said they will introduce or increase their use of robotics and automation over the next decade. According to the survey, only 55 percent of construction companies use robots, compared to 84 percent of automotive and 79 percent of manufacturing companies. The total value of the global construction industry is expected to rise by 85 percent to $15.5 trillion by 2030, according to industry forecasts, while ABB Robotics’ internal analysis of the market potential for robotic automation over the next ten years predicts high double-digit growth rates in key construction sectors such as pre-fabrication and 3D printing.

“With so few construction businesses using automation today, there’s huge potential for us to transform the industry through robotics. Unlike building cars or assembling electronics, many techniques used in construction haven’t changed for generations, so we are developing new solutions to address key industry challenges,” said Sami Atiya, President, Robotics & Discrete Automation Business, ABB. “This new customer segment will broaden our portfolio as part of a wider strategy to accelerate expansion in high-growth segments including electronics, healthcare, consumer goods, logistics & food, and beverage, to meet the growing demand for automation across multiple industries.”

Robots offer a new approach

With the industry facing increased environmental regulation and the need for more cost-effective buildings, robotic automation reduces waste by improving quality and consistency, which is significant when it is estimated that up to a quarter of material transported to a building site ends up as waste. Builders can also design waste out at the start of a project with automation and digital solutions by using effective building design and construction processes.

With over 2,00,000 vacancies for low and high-skilled workers in the EU alone in Q2 2020, the industry labor shortage is becoming a growing issue, with younger people being discouraged from pursuing construction careers due to misconceptions about the dangers of the job. Construction workers account for approximately 30 percent of workplace injuries and are up to four times more likely to be involved in a fatal accident than workers in other sectors, with an estimated 1,08,000 fatalities worldwide each year.

Robots can make construction safer by handling large and heavy loads, working in hazardous areas, and enabling new, safer construction methods. Using robots to perform repetitive and dangerous tasks that people increasingly do not want to do means that automation can help support the industry’s labor and skills crisis while also making construction careers more appealing to young people. Emphasizing health, safety, and sustainability as catalysts for robotics investment, while a shrinking pool of skilled labor means the construction industry requires robots to help keep up with the challenges of urbanization and climate change, Atiya added, “We are putting our expertise and industry-leading portfolio of robots and digital tools at the center of the construction industry value chain with automation solutions for faster, more affordable and sustainable construction, while supporting the industry’s labor shortage, by handling large and heavy loads, accessing dangerous spaces and enabling new, safer ways of building.”

Innovation implementation

Pilot projects designed to improve flexibility, productivity, and quality include the automated fabrication of timber roof supports with Autovol in Canada, the robotic installation of elevators with Schindler Lifts, and the robotic automation of Intelligent City’s production of prefabricated modular homes, which has increased production efficiency by 15 percent and speed by 38 percent, while reducing waste by 30 percent. By automating the fabrication of steel reinforcement baskets on-site, Skanska’s robot welding application has improved quality, employee productivity, and safety. This solution also reduced the cost and environmental impact of transporting bulky completed reinforcement baskets to building sites.

“It is increasingly challenging to find people to carry out difficult, time-consuming tasks, which means we must look further afield to find the workers we need,” said Ulf Håkansson, Technical Director, Skanska Construction. “Allocating these tasks to robots can address this, enabling us to deploy our workers more effectively. Automation also suits the experience and imagination of the next generation of engineers, who have grown up with technology and will be invaluable in helping us find new ways to use robots in our business.”

ABB is also collaborating with several leading universities to co-develop new automated construction technologies, including ETH Zurich, Switzerland’s leading research university. The company is supporting research in the field of robotics fabrication in architecture and construction at ETH and has assisted in the establishment of the world’s first laboratory for collaborative robotic digital fabrication in architecture, which is hosted at the ETH’s Institute of Technology in Architecture.

Image Source: ABB Robotics