Advanced Manufacturing Centre: When Construction 2.0 Meets Industry 4.0

Hong Kong’s construction expenditure remains high in the coming decade, however we shall not be satisfied with the status quo but to seek reformations as the development of the industry is challenged by lack of new blood and construction safety issues. Ir HO On-sing, Thomas, Chairman of the CIC, Ir CHENG Ting-ning, Albert, Executive Director, together with Council Members Sr HO Kwok-kwan, Thomas and Mrs. LO LEE Oi-lin visited the newly completed Advanced Manufacturing Centre (AMC) at Tseung Kwan O INNOPARK in early June. The design and construction of AMC has combined the concept of “Industry 4.0” and “Construction 2.0”, methods like “Design for Manufacture and Assembly(DfMA)”, Building Information Modelling (BIM) and Multi-trade integrated Mechanical, Electrical and Plumbing (MiMEP) were introduced to enhance construction’s productivity, sustainability and safety performance.

The Government has been actively promoting reindustrialisation in recent years with a hope to integrate manufacturing experience and the power of innovative technologies to stimulate industrial development. Constructed by Gammon Construction Limited, AMC was unveiled in April. The 8-storey building block provides 1.1million feet square of space, facilities includes multi-stories of high standard industrial production area, car park in the basement, Communal Warehouse and Distribution Centre etc. AMC is an advanced manufacturing base equipped with Asia's first multi-industry, automated and intelligent logistics services, which offers one-stop support for advanced manufacturing enterprises of all sizes. It is designed to unlock the potential of high-end manufacturing and help Innofacturers accelerate their local R&D and production process.”
 

Link Bridge assembles in 2 days

AMC has a vision to upgrade enterprises to “Industry 4.0” while during the construction stage, the project exemplifies the essences of “Construction 2.0”, namely Innovation, Professionalisation and Revitalisation. Offsite prefabrication is becoming a global trend nowadays, AMC’s project team has applied DfMA principles in different aspects, 75% of the structural steel works and Mechanical, electrical, and plumbing works (MEP) have adopted DfMA approach. The construction of the link bridge between AMC and the Data Technology Hub situated on the opposite side of the road involved the assembly of 3 structural modules, with the heaviest module weighing 67 tons. The project team made use of the geographical advantage of AMC to deliver the modules by sea, it only took 2 nights to complete the installation process which greatly uplift the efficiency and minimise the adverse impact to the surrounding area.
 

DfMA for Sustainability

In terms of superstructure works, AMC project team replaced flat slab by precast double tee, which could reduce in situ formwork and falsework, and prevent workers from working extended hours at height. Besides, as modules were precast in offsite factories, it optimises resources allocation and helps lessen 60% of in situ concrete volume. In comparison with the conventional way of construction, DfMA approaches helped save approximately 460 tons of carbon dioxide emission, which is equivalent to the carbon emission of 477 aircraft trips from Hong Kong to the USA.

For electrical and mechanical works, more than 5,000 modules, including water pipes and ducts were used in the AMC project. Apart from manufacturing modules in mainland factories, the project team had also set up a flying factory in another part of Tseung Kwan O INNOPARK. With a total area of 2,790m2, this flying factory mainly focuses on producing pump modules, and the Smoke Extraction System (SES) Fan Room was also assembled there. Compared to working at construction sites, the controlled environment in the flying factory has created a safer workplace for workers. As workers’ safety is always the prime concern, the project team has explored different innovative methods to assist the modules installation process. A patented “Synchronised Tailor-Made Lifting Platform” was developed to install the air ducts. The team has also developed a delivery system to help deliver and install the pipe header modules, manual lifting and working at height could thus be reduced.

Integrated Digital Project Delivery for Productivity

Behind the successes of innovative construction methods, the contributions of BIM cannot be neglected. AMC project team extensively applied digitalisation in construction, BIM was employed to simulate the installation process of double tee. The simulation helped identifying high risk zones in advance, and validated truck swept paths to all unloading zones to ensure a smooth and safe logistic arrangements. “GAMBOT A.I. Algorithms Sequencing” was also used to optimise the construction sequence of installing precast double tee with the use of tower cranes. The team introduced the use of different Apps to raise efficiency, for example an Augmented Reality (AR) mobile app that can navigate BIM modes on smartphones and tablets, helping frontline to visualise final placement of installation. “Integrated Digital Project Delivery (IDPD)” was developed to integrate construction datas, through presenting information such as submission status and attendance record in the form of a dashboard, the team can hence understand the latest progress of the project.

Embraces technologies to attract new talents

Skilled labour shortages and ageing workforce have casted a shadow on the development of the construction industry, while the AMC project has illustrated that the use of innovative technologies could be a way out. The average age of MEP workers of the AMC project is 43 years old, significantly younger than Hong Kong’s average of 50.1. In addition, nearly 20% of the AMC team members are female, breaking the barriers of the male-dominated industry. As Sammy Lai, Director – Building of Gammon Construction Limited explained, the AMC project team replaced many high skill manual works with precast modules, thus on one hand lowered the requirement of workers’ skills levels, on the other hand it also served to enhance safety performance. Besides, improvements in the working environment, the team’s open-minded attitudes towards new technologies and the extensive application of digitalisation could also attract new talents to join the industry.