ConExpo 2020: Komatsu pursues Smart Construction agenda

Chicago-based Komatsu America Corp. offered a presentation on its growing Smart Construction set of services to attendees of ConExpo-Con/Agg in Las Vegas on March 10.

At ConExpo, the company’s CEO Rodney Schrader said Komatsu’s efforts to gather data via its machinery traces back to 2002, and the firm now has some 6,000 machines worldwide with telematics capabilities. Komatsu has been developing services tied to its Smart Construction efforts since 2015.

Schrader said every site preparation and construction job can be data driven to “optimize decisions.” Komatsu services include the use of drones with imaging capabilities to help map construction (and presumably large demolition) sites in advance of major work commencing. That data can now go from being gathered by a drone to online and smartphone access in a matter of hours, according to Schrader.

One of Komatsu’s Smart Construction technology partners is South Carolina-based Moovila. That firm, in a news release issued during ConExpo, said its data tracking abilities can help offer “real-time cost analysis of any construction project, including change orders, to help retain profit margins and avoid disputes.”

“Komatsu has spearheaded major advancements in the construction industry, [and] as part of this commitment to innovation, Komatsu enlisted Moovila to help advance Komatsu’s Smart digital job site capabilities, and we’re thrilled to be working together,” states Mike Psenka, president and CEO of Moovila.

Psenka says the company’s job site service “bridges process automation, project management best practices and third-party integrations to keep construction jobs on track.” Data gathered and analyzed can help with prioritizing workflows and updating status in real-time while also working to ensure accountability on the part of stakeholders, says the firm.

States Psenka, “Together, Komatsu and Moovila are transforming the way construction job sites operate, keeping everyone and everything connected while improving project execution and effectiveness.”