Drones snag some of spotlight at ConExpo-Con/Agg trade show
Cranes, bulldozers, excavators and other heavy equipment will dominate the 2.5 million square feet of floor space at ConExpo-Con/Agg, the construction industry’s largest global trade show, which kicks off Tuesday at the Las Vegas Convention Center.
And while sales and leases of those big toys will continue to make up most of construction industry equipment deals, drones will likely see the faster revenue growth as they gradually become as essential to a new development as bulldozers. The greater presence of drones at this year’s ConExpo-Con/Agg certainly attests to that.
“There will be a ton of drones all over the floor this year,” said Al Cervero, senior vice president of the construction sector for the Association of Equipment Manufacturers, which manages the expo. “They will be at all aspects of the show — in the aggregates area, the crane area. They will probably be in 100 different booths.”
Global demand for drones in real estate and the construction industry through 2025 will reach $20.5 billion, with total shipment exceeding 6.3 million units, according to a recent report by Research and Markets. The compounded annual growth rate of drones for the construction industry will exceed 10 percent over that period, according to the report.
Drone demand is being driven by the prospects for significant efficiency improvements they can bring to the construction industry, which often suffers from cost overruns, delays and waste. Drones enable contractors to quickly survey sites, capture construction progress, calculate stockpile and manage inventory.
“What is happening now is that drones are able to do two, three or four functions,” said Cervero.
To help drive awareness of drones to the 130,000 industry professionals heading to Las Vegas, ConExpo-Con/Agg has set up a drone zone in its Tech Experience, a 75,000-square-foot pavilion dedicated to the latest industry advancements. ConExpo-Con/Agg attendees will be able to train with the drones in the Tech Experience pavilion as well as attend lectures on their use.
Besides drones, there will be zones in the Tech Experience dedicated to 3-D printing, infrastructure, jobsite and workforce. Attendees can walk on solar roads, try on Microsoft’s mixed reality Hololens and watch 3-D printers make steel objects.
With the rapid implementation of technology upending the industry and eliminating some job functions, Tech Experience will help professionals identify what skills will be needed in five to 10 years, said Cervero.
Workers visiting the Tech Experience can scan their badges at kiosks to find out what their future job will likely entail.
Contact Todd Prince at tprince@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0386. Follow @toddprincetv on Twitter.
