We Are Tomodachi Autumn 2017

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26As with many developed countries, Japan is facing a decline in its working-age population. By 2025, the number of workers at construction sites is expected to decline by 1.3 million, creating an urgent need for improvement in productivity. With this in mind, the Japanese government is working together with private enterprises to implement new construction technology using ICT (Information and Communication Technology) throughout the industry. In 2015, Japan’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism announced its new “i-Construction” standard for surveying, construction and other tasks that utilize 3D data. To realize a world-leading “Super Smart Society” (Society 5.0), the Japanese government and construction industry are currently working as one to achieve ICT-driven technological innovation.A stand-out leader in this innovation is Komatsu, the construction machinery manufacturer with the second largest share of the world market. Since 2002, the company has equipped all of its construction machinery with wireless communication, allowing data from the equipment to be monitored and managed using its KOMTRAX management system. Using the sensors installed in the machinery, the system collects information including location, operation status and fuel level to effectively manage operations, optimize fuel usage, anticipate machine trouble, and more.What's more, in 2008, Komatsu integrated new ICT technology into its construction machinery with the development of its Autonomous Haulage System (AHS), the world’s first unmanned operation system for super-large dump trucks. Then in 2015, the company launched its “Smart Construction” platform which uses ICT to organically connect not only the construction machinery, but all stages of the construction process, and achieve overall optimization.Series: Power of InnovationBringing Innovation to the Worksite with “Smart Construction”KomConnectCloud type open platformSurveyingDesignBefore constructionConstructionAfter construction (inspection)Maintenance3D3D3D3D3DReal-time survey dataDesign drawingsAll machines involved in constructionFinalcompletioninspectionGeological information (including underground embedded objects)All suppliers involved in constructionConstructionmaterialsSupervisors / WorkersSmart Construction uses the latest ICT technology and 3D data to connect all information on job sites, uniting every process of the construction work with all related human resources, objects and events, and managing it all with a cloud type open platform called “KomConnect.”Smart Construction