Tools & Supplies

Concrete Finishing Robot Cuts Labour Costs by 30%

The robot cuts costs while improving quality and safety.

Updated on

June 27, 2022

Japanese construction giant Kajima Corp has teamed up with four Singaporean institutions to develop a concrete finishing robot that lowers construction labour costs by up to 30%.

The company, which is building its first overseas research centre in Singapore, has partnered with JTC Corp, Nanyang Technological University, Nanyang Polytechnic and local robot-maker Mega Plus Technology to develop the cost-saving machine.

Kajima Corp says the robot has helped it to keep the upcoming $100 million Kajima Global Hub on schedule despite labour shortages worsened by the Covid-19 pandemic.

The robot, which smooths and levels concrete floors, can cut labour costs by a third while improving quality and safety in future projects – based on data collected throughout the project, Kajima said during the topping-out ceremony for the building on June 17.

Unlike other comparable androids, Kajima’s concrete finishing robot can determine the hardness and unevenness of concrete.

“Besides enhancing construction quality and safety, the concrete finishing robot can reduce construction manpower and labour cost by up to 30%,” Low Yen Ling, Singapore’s minister of state for trade and industry said during the event.

She added that Kajima Corp and its partners were “setting new standards for our built-environment industry”.

Construction innovation

Scheduled for completion by next year, the Kajima Global Hub – which has been under construction since August 2020 – will occupy 13,088 sqm of the Changi Business Park in Changi South, the eastern part of Singapore and double the volume of construction innovation space in the park.

The facility, according to Kajima, will be known as Kajima’s Lab for Global Engineering, Architecture and Real Estate (“The Gear”).

In addition to undertaking research and showcasing innovations in robotics, digitalization and automation, The Gear will incorporate data-driven environmental control technologies and energy-saving solutions for its tenants.