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Smart construction and the importance of haul road maintenance

William Groven, Product Manager at Komatsu Smart Construction, recently offered an insight into how connected technology is transforming productivity on site.

Finding where profitability is lost

Most site managers know where their operations are slowing down, but few can quantify exactly what those bottlenecks are costing or the potential impact of fixing them. Without clear data, even relatively straightforward operational changes can feel like an unnecessary risk.

That was the situation facing a large-scale earthworks operation where haul truck cycles were falling short and fuel costs were rising. The site team suspected the haul road was contributing to the problem, but could not say with confidence where the losses were occurring or whether resurfacing would justify the disruption.

To better understand the operation and identify where improvements could have the greatest impact, the team invested in technology and site audits.

Putting data to work

Using Smart Construction Fleet, the site was able to identify what was slowing its trucks and affecting profitability. By tracking vehicle speed against location, the system highlighted a haul road that was too narrow to allow efficient traffic flow.

Running Fleet alongside Smart Construction Dashboard allowed site managers to build a digital model of the operation, revealing an uneven surface that was increasing fuel consumption on every trip. Together, the systems provided a clearer picture of where cycle efficiency was being lost, with Fleet monitoring traffic flow and vehicle speed in real time and Dashboard highlighting terrain issues.

Geofences and alert zones were used to monitor traffic, manage vehicle speeds and identify operational issues as they occurred. Crucially, the data showed where productivity was being lost, allowing the team to prioritise improvements and measure their impact.

Widening the road reduced congestion and cut fuel consumption by 3.4%, while increasing daily cycles from 34 to 45. Resurfacing the road delivered a further 9.8-10.6% improvement in fuel efficiency across the standard fleet.

William explains: “A prime example of how data-driven site adjustments can deliver fuel savings typically associated with next-generation machinery.

“As more sites begin to measure the impact of operational changes, data like this will begin to help site managers make significant improvements that might otherwise be left unidentified.

“Across construction sites, the pressure of earthworks operations is constant and the difference between an efficient operation and a costly one is often measured in litres of fuel, time of journey and the condition of the roads.”

Overall, the changes enabled the operation to move an additional 176,000 tonnes of material each year while cutting fuel costs by an estimated €26,520.

The data quickly identified the two biggest operational bottlenecks, allowing relatively simple changes to be made and their results measured almost immediately. It is an example of how connected technology is increasingly being used not simply to monitor machinery, but to identify and address inefficiencies across the wider earthmoving operation.