Gammon Construction Limited (Gammon) is committed in enhancing productivity through innovative ways to overcome the challenges of aging labour force and labour shortage.

According to Gammon’s internal survey on labour shortage, which was carried out in November 2016, the percentage of overall extra workers required was 5.4%, while the shortage was highest in E&M division, with 21.8% of extra worker needed. The shortage of some trades that remained double digit includes curtain wall installer, plasterer, electrical wireman, formworker and bar bender.

Innovative initiatives are one of Gammon’s long-term commitments in providing solutions to meet the challenges. Here are some of the examples:

Build-To-Order Full Modular E&M Plant Construction

Labour shortage in construction industry is nowadays an issue that we could not neglect and it could hinder the construction progress and quality. The innovative solution of Build-To-Order Full Modular E&M Plant Construction is a way out.

With the help of BIM, Gammon could apply modularisation to every E&M unit, providing flexibility in production and ease of assembling. With this idea, modules are built-to-order in the plant, reducing on-site installation time by 20% and man hours of the process by 30%, while eliminating the need for most welding works. Construction safety is also enhanced as 90% of hot works and 70% of working at height on-site are no longer necessary. Hong Kong engineering sector is facing the challenges of tight schedule and high quality demand, this solution not only helps combat these challenges but also provides a safe and tidy working environment, hence enhancing the image of the industry.

This innovation is also adding values for clients. As compared to traditional operation, the weld-less design reduces the connection/ disconnection time of modules of 50%, thus significantly improves the efficiency of chiller plant maintenance works.

This earned Gammon the Innovation and Creativity Grand Award of Hong Kong Awards for Industries 2016.

The rise of robotics

Apart from the modular construction, Gammon is also introducing other cutting edge construction technologies. The key direction is the extension of automation which will gradually transform construction from labour intensive to construction automation. Initiative includes:

• Exoskeleton: it allows workers to lift heavy loads comfortably over long periods of time. When a worker is about to pick up a heavy object, the Exoskeleton Suit senses his movements and goes into operation to provide back support. Strain is reduced by as much as 15kg, lowering the risk of short or long-term back injuries which are common among construction workers.

• ZeroG Arm: it operates solely on mechanical principles without the need for electrical power. When clamped onto a mobile platform, the ZeroG Arm enables workers to manoeuvre equipment such as heavy drills as if these tools were weightless, with virtually no effort and complete freedom of motion. It also improves accuracy and allows tedious and repetitive tasks to be performed in a fraction of the time normally required.

Innovative culture within a corporation is essential for it to earn the competitive advantage. With the establishment of a cross-functional team, which is led by an innovative manager with 50 innovation scouts, it paves the way for our further exploration in innovation processes.

About Hong Kong Awards for Industries

The Hong Kong Awards for Industries was launched in 2005 by merging the former Hong Kong Awards for Industry and Hong Kong Awards for Services, established in 1989 and 1997 respectively, with the aims to recognise the outstanding performance and achievements of Hong Kong enterprises in enhancing their competitiveness in various aspects. The Innovation and Creativity category is one of the seven categories, and this category is run by Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce.

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For further information please contact:

Candy Chan   

Corporate Communications Manager

Tel: + 852 2516 8733

Email: candy.chan@gammonconstruction.com