Digitalisation Changes Bar Bending Work Forges Ahead the Era of Industry 4.0

The construction industry has accelerated its transformation in recent years. Every trade strives to advance and adopt environmental friendly techniques. Bar bending, which used to be carried out on sites, can now be prefabricated in factories. Thanks to the help of digitalisation, now efficiency, sustainability and safety can be enhanced. Ir HO On-sing, Thomas, Chairman of the Construction Industry Council (CIC), visited Golik Steel (HK) Limited and VSC Steel Company Limited to experience automated steel reinforcing bar prefabrication process. He also observed how Tin Wo Engineering Co. Limited uses AutoCAD in rebar detailing. From cut and bend to further processing, CIC looks forward to joining forces with the industry to forge ahead the development of Industry 4.0.

First Automated Off-site Rebar Prefabrication Yards

Traditionally, rebar processing mostly carries out on site. Being two of the government-approved steel reinforcing bar prefabrication yards in Hong Kong, Golik and VSC are pioneering the industry. Golik first set up a bar prefabrication yard and established another yard with storage in Tsing Yi a few years later. They are now equipped with advanced automatic cut and bend machines developed in Netherlands, capable of processing 300 tons of 40mm steel bar daily. VSC also started from an automated rebar factory and is the first government-approved steel reinforcing bar prefabrication yard for public works. It is also equipped with automatic stirrup bender and other advanced machinery.

Apart from normal cut and bend, fabrication of reinforcement cages, threading of rebars and coupling with reinforcement connectors can also be produced efficiently by these steel reinforcing bar prefabrication yards. Thousands of Reinforcement Connectors are used in construction projects, prefabricating such parts in factories can greatly improve efficiency of projects.

New Technologies to Meet Increasing Demand

There are four steel reinforcing bar prefabrication yards in Hong Kong, contributing to 300,000 tons of stock per annum. Thanks to the introduction of large-scale automated cut and bend machinery, production capacity rose to 126,000 tons in 2021 from around 40,000 tons in 2018. The demand will definitely rise as the total annual construction output will reach HKD225 billion to HKD345 billion in the coming decade, coupling with the development of the Northern Metropolis Development Strategy, the Lantau Tomorrow Vision and other construction projects.

Monitor by Full Digitalisation

The CIC has been actively promoting Industry 4.0. Off-site steel reinforcing should be viewed as a good example of automation. Raw materials will be tested once arrived. Staff will then create computerized tag with traceability before proceeding to manufacturing. Once they scan the material tag, product nature like bar length, radius length, quantity and project details will be displayed.

Safety Improved and More Environmental-friendly

CIC has been promoting the importance of “Life First” for years. Safety is enhanced as rebar processes are done by automated machines in factory. Construction workers can also work in a less congested environment as fewer steel bars are stored onsite with the help of digitalisation. Ir Thomas HO, Chairman of CIC said, ‘The economic system of Hong Kong is mature and well developed. For the sake of workers, we would be delighted to see automated cut and bend processes to be done in factory to replace on-site processing soon.’

Environmental protection is also crucial in the roadmap of Industry 4.0. While steel industry generates enormous carbon emission, automated cut and bend in factory can help reduce wastage by 3% to 10% while producing consistent and quality rebar, which eventually minimizes impact on the environment. Environment protection can be achieved as 1,000 tons of carbon emission can be saved while producing every 10,000 tons of steel bar with auto cut and bend.

Refined Transportation Tool Heightens Traceability

While visiting VSC, Ir Thomas HO, Chairman of CIC, also praised the adoption of ‘Yellow Board’ system. Once production process has been completed, the team will create production tag based on bar bending schedule. All finished goods will be lifted on a tailor made platform called ‘Yellow Board’ and be delivered by truck with GPS Tracking & Video Surveillance. Ir Thomas HO said, ‘The design of “Yellow Board” undoubtedly makes logistics easier and safer.’

BIM Enhances Efficiency and Accuracy of Rebar Detailing

Traditionally, bar bender & fixers rely on paperwork with handwritten numbers and drawings, which may be time-consuming and unreliable. To boost construction productivity and efficiency, CIC does not only take the leading role in promoting Building Information Modelling (BIM) and MiC but is also eager to help implement rebar detailing digitalisation, which saves time, reduces error and improves efficiency and effectiveness. ‘Standard Rebar Shape Codes for Offsite Prefabrication’ has also been published to facilitate structural design, detailing and/or offsite prefabrication of rebar.

The CIC has also encouraged the industry to train up young talents. The Tin Wo team demonstrated rebar detailing by using AutoCAD. With the help of this software and Excel, they can easily categorize structure components like beams, columns and slabs. ‘Shapes of steel bars are simple, yet provide a great flexibility in use. Every site is unique. To achieve perfection, we also seek advice from experienced site workers,’ the Tin Wo team said. The team also longs for the use of 3D rebar detailing, which can help maintain efficiency and accuracy.

During the visit, Ir Thomas HO is pleased to see the modernization of the rebar trade and that practitioners are eager to improve. He suggested the introduction of BIM software Tekla which is now commonly used worldwide. This tool helps build up structural workflows with rich data on a collaboration platform. With a goal to enhance productivity and catch up the housing demand, Ir Thomas HO suggests industry stakeholders to join hands to introduce new technologies to welcome Industry 4.0.

Increase Use of BIM and Land Supply for the Industry

As we can see from the teams, the cut and bend sector is maturing. Steel fixers are also actively adopting BIM. Ir Thomas HO hoped both public and private clients to include cut and bend usage in contracts. In a view to the upsurge of works in the next few years, he also look forward to the provision of land for cut and bend factories and for transitional use to cope with future challenges.