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While the sector is moving towards a digital era, where technology adoption is on the rise, evidenced by 75 per cent of construction professionals utilising AI in their projects, the earthmoving sector remains hesitant to embrace new technologies.

Bart Vingerhoets, Senior Commercial Manager at Komatsu Smart Construction, shares how adopting digital twins in earthmoving projects can address some of the challenges currently facing the industry.

Bridging the skills gap

The European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training( Cedefop) has estimated 4.2 million construction worker job openings will need to be filled in Europe between 2022 and 2035 to meet projected demand. With an ageing workforce, rising project requirements and a shortage of skilled labour, investment in training and innovative technologies will be essential to futureproof the industry.

Digital twins are revolutionising earthmoving projects by providing a continuous up-to-date representation of a job site. The data within a digital twin can be utilised by AI systems to help optimise resource allocation.

By simulating different scenarios, such as fleet compositions or the sequence of project milestones, AI can assist project managers in deploying machinery and labour more efficiently, ultimately boosting productivity and allowing workers to focus on other tasks.

In terms of training, digital twins assist in upskilling the workforce by improving progress tracking and enabling online logging of completed work, which serves as a reference for future maintenance or modifications.

In addition, digital twins enable real-time tracking of progress, supporting managers in making informed decisions and quickly resolving issues, minimising downtime and keeping projects on schedule.

Collaboration between the workforce is also enhanced, as all stakeholders can access the virtual site model, facilitating better communication and quicker feedback. By automating data analysis and reporting, digital twins free up time spent on administrative tasks, allowing the workforce to focus on critical tasks, leading to improved outcomes in earthmoving projects.

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