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Industry News - Page 497 of 694

  • Advancing Automation: Workers Worry More About Site Safety Than Losing Their Jobs

    Almost half of all construction workers fear safety could be put at risk on job sites when artificial intelligence (AI) and automation becomes the norm – a higher number than those worried about losing their jobs to robots, a new survey reveals.


    Safety tops job security as the number one concern in a recent poll of construction workers carried out on behalf of Volvo Construction Equipment (Volvo CE) – with 46% highlighting the increased risk to site safety compared to the 31% anxious for their jobs. Meanwhile, loss of sociability (26%) and not knowing who to blame if something goes wrong (17%) follows in their list of worries. But experts say automation is an opportunity not a threat, with the potential to actually reduce the dangers on site.
     
    Smarter machines can also be cause for optimism. Over half of respondents (54%) think autonomous machines and AI will be a boost to productivity, while 48% believe advanced technology like this will increase the speed of every day construction tasks. Interestingly, a small number of those surveyed are divided on the topic of safety, with three in 10 workers confident that automation could actually make construction safer. 
     
    The younger you are the more benefits you’re likely to see in autonomous technology. Respondents aged between 25 and 44 are more likely to think autonomous machinery could be a benefit in areas such as productivity, speed, safety, quality and fuel efficiency compared to those aged 44 and over. 
     
    When it comes to job fears, it is the machine operator that is perceived to be most at risk – according to almost half of respondents (48%). And those working in this job role agree, with three in five machine operators believing their job could become completely redundant following the rise in computer technology. Engineers are considered the second job role most at risk (21%), followed by bricklayers (17%) and construction managers (16%). Only one in five construction workers believe no jobs will be affected at all.
     
    From those who responded as part of the wider survey across all industries, some 55% agree that they would rather lose their job to a human than a machine. AI could even impact workers’ career choices with nearly three quarters of US respondents (72%) agreeing in some capacity that they would consider choosing a job that will not be affected by autonomous machinery or AI, compared to over two in five UK respondents (45%). 
     
    But just how much of an impact will automation have on construction jobs? With the majority of construction workers confident that AI would not do a better job than them (58%), can these technologies ever live up to tried and tested manpower?
     
    Volvo CE believes nurturing innovation is the key to surviving – and thriving – in the coming age of automation. Volvo Group Automation Specialist Christian Grante highlighted Volvo CE’s Triple Zero vision of zero emissions, zero accidents and zero unplanned stops as the key to maximizing the potential for automation. He says: “We believe our focus on technologies such as automation is exactly what allows us to make the construction industry safer. Our research into this area has shown that autonomous systems really can improve safety and productivity for our customers. And with more machines working in collaboration with humans, rather than being controlled by them, this will only increase further.”

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    Mar 28, 2019 - 6 years ago

  • Mississauga to Host Canada’s Largest Heavy Equipment Show This Week

    Mississauga, ON – The National Heavy Equipment Show is moving into the International Centre in Mississauga this week, March 28 and 29. With a sold-out show floor and thousands of visitors pre-registered, the key trade event is ready to mark its 22nd year. Thousands of square feet of big iron will be on display from the country’s leading dealers and manufacturers of heavy equipment.

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    Mar 26, 2019 - 6 years ago

  • KOBELCO Dealer Helps Kick-Start Fifth Generation Family-Owned Business in Texas

    KOBELCO Dealer Helps Kick-Start Fifth Generation Family-Owned Business in Texas

     The Moss family has been installing utilities in the Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) metroplex for almost a century. The fourth-generation family-owned business, Moss Construction Co., was founded in 1989 and became one of the largest utility contracting companies in DFW of its time. The business continued to thrive until 2008, when it was forced to close its doors due to the economic downturn.

    In 2016, Garrett Moss, fifth generation, along with Case Whitfield, decided to start Moss Utilities with the goal of continuing the family legacy of excellent workmanship, a passion for the industry, and conducting business with honor and integrity. Moss and Whitfield needed an equipment supplier to help kick-start their new business. They had considered other local equipment dealers, but had a past relationship with Bane Machinery and heard positive things about KOBELCO excavators.

    “My family has worked with KOBELCO excavator dealer, Bane Machinery, since the early 1990’s,” says Garrett Moss, President, Moss Utilities. “When we decided to restart the Moss business, we reached out to the team at Bane Machinery to form a relationship with the fifth generation. They have been one-hundred percent supportive from the get-go.”

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    Mar 25, 2019 - 6 years ago

  • Colouring Contest Winners: Pacific Ag Show 2019

    Congratulations to Kacie L. (4) and Quin B. (8) for winning our latest colouring contest from the Pacific Agriculture Show, 2019! We love your pictures — thanks so much for sharing them with us! 🎨

    Kacie L. (4)
    Kacie L. (4)
    Quin B. (8)
    Quin B. (8)

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    Mar 25, 2019 - 6 years ago

  • Ultimate Solutions Meet Ultimate Challenges

    FRONT PAGE STORY: Ontario’s Ultimate Construction Finds Komatsu To Be The Ultimate Machines For The Job

    Ultimate Construction - ESS Limited

    Michael Babineau knows construction. In 1999, he started Ultimate Construction as a one-man show. By 2014, the business had grown from six employees to over 200, bringing aboard Ed Cameron as Vice President, and Tom Thomason as project manager. 

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    Mar 20, 2019 - 6 years ago

  • Before Rosie: The First Women at John Deere

    Before posters of Rosie the Riveter encouraged women to enter American factories in large numbers during World War II, women had already earned a strong track record in both labor and management positions at John Deere. It began, in a very small way, a movement that continues today.

    During World War II, women took production jobs in John Deere factories. The woman pictured above is shown working in the John Deere Spreader Works, East Moline, Illinois,1944.

    Daisy Taylor was the first female employee at John Deere, joining the corporate office in 1885 as a stenographer before moving on to pursue a degree and becoming a kindergarten teacher. Daisy often returned to visit Moline and her former colleagues, even leading children’s programs in the home of company president Charles Deere.

    In the late 19th and early 20th century, women were typically “confined to stenography and typewriting,” according to the company policy manual of the time. Despite this, women expanded into a variety of other positions over the years. By 1918, five percent of Deere employees in Moline and East Moline were women.

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    Mar 20, 2019 - 6 years ago

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