Machine control tackles skills gap, says Topcon
18 May 2023
A new report from Topcon Positioning Systems suggests that the wider adoption of machine control and the automation of construction equipment is key to addressing skills shortage in the industry.
Three-quarters (77 per cent) of those surveyed in the report, which polled 1,000 decision makers in construction companies across Europe, agree that machine control is a top solution to attracting the best talent to the industry.
Many experienced machinery operators are approaching retirement and the construction sector finds it difficult to attract the next generation. Some 30 per cent of respondents said that skills shortages represent one of the biggest challenges they face on earthworks projects.
Sustainability was also chosen as one of the top three perceived benefits of machine control, together with improving accuracy and efficiency.
However, the report found that machine control is currently used on just a third (34 per cent) of construction projects on average throughout Europe, with most respondents (72 per cent) using the technology on fewer than half of their projects. Just 1 per cent use it without exception.
When asked what they thought was holding back wider adoption of the technology, respondents most frequently pointed to a lack of government initiatives or support, followed by a lack of buy-in from senior decision makers. 70 per cent agreed that legislators could be doing more to mandate and incentivise digital adoption.
Topcon’s Luc Le Maire, Senior Vice President and General Manager of the positioning solutions business unit in EMEA, said: “With our new report, The Future of Machine Control, we set out to build a picture of machine control from the point of view of those in the position to implement it.
“We surveyed 1,000 managers, directors and business owners from construction companies across Europe to find out how they’re currently using machine control, their understanding of the benefits, what they believe to be the barriers to adoption, and their predictions for its future.
“What the research has revealed is an industry that is waking up to the power of automation in driving the sector forward, but which appears to be held back by a lot of red tape.
“What’s evident is that if we want to make positive change – attract the next generation of talent, meet net zero targets, be more profitable – we cannot do so in isolation. If we’re to realise the full potential of machine control and do what’s right for the industry, a commitment is required across the board.”
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