Indonesian building construction firm PT Multibrata Anugerah Utama (MAU) recently invested in positioning and machine control technology to increase productivity. The mid-size construction company is based in Bandung, West Java Province, Indonesia. It specialises in large commercial and industrial building projects.

With a range of earthmoving machines including dozers, graders and excavators, MAU has worked with Aptella, the largest distributor of Topcon Positioning Systems technology in the Asia Pacific region. With an office in Jakarta, Aptella was well-suited to offer technical support, training and assistance to the MAU team as they learnt how to integrate technology into their business.

“We have worked very closely with the MAU team, first to ensure we provided the best solution to meet their needs and secondly to support their employees with training and technical support to make sure they are using the systems to their full potential,” said Putri Pratiwi, Business Consultant at Aptella’ Indonesia office.

Starting small

Initially, MAU purchased a Topcon System 5 2D grader machine control system that uses laser levelling technology to guide the machine operator to the correct grade without having to rely on stringlines and someone checking grade on foot.

“Initially the operators were a little afraid of the technology as they did not understand it and could not see why they needed to change from conventional methods,” Ms Putri explained. “But once they saw how much time it saved and how they were able to see when they got to the right level without someone outside the machine checking, they could see the benefits very quickly.”

Since then, MAU has installed another 2D machine control system on a dozer, experiencing similar benefits of saving time and eliminating over cutting and over filling and the associated rework.

Eliminating guesswork

Most recently, the company has invested in a new iDig 2D excavator solution that is very simple to swap from one machine to another.

“Again, it is a case of eliminating the rework from either cutting too much or too little, filling too much or too little, and having to go back over the same area again and again until it is right,” Ms Putri said.

“With this system there is no guesswork for the machine operators, they have a very clear display that guides them to the right grade so they can get it right the first time and move onto the next section of work,” she added. “They have also found it a lot easier to use than they expected, they are very comfortable using the technology now.”

MAU also uses laser levelling technology to make sure that various aspects of the build are constructed to level, including concrete pads, walls, roof trusses and interior fit-outs. The Topcon RL-H5 series is a general construction laser that can be used for a wide range of applications on the job site.

Construction set out technology

In addition to machine systems and laser levels, MAU has invested in a Topcon LN-100 3D layout tool to give its team the ability to set-out a construction plan for a building accurately. This unique system is as easy to operate as a laser level, but has the accuracy of a total station to layout complex building designs.

“Because MAU specialises in large commercial buildings, the Topcon LN-100 system will save a lot of time and reduce the need to ask a surveyor to layout the plan. The building contractors can do this work themselves very easily, but also very reliably,” Ms Putri said.

Since adopting the technology, MAU reports almost double the productivity on its building projects, Ms Putri explains. “Once the employees were comfortable with how to use the technology and that it is not difficult or time consuming to setup, they could quickly see how much time and money it saves,” she said.

“Having our team in Jakarta to support them in this process from the beginning has been key to its success I think,” she added. “We have a trusted business relationship to make sure we match the technology to the challenges they face on their projects successfully.“

“By using a machine control application, the productivity of a grading job has increased,” said Mr Risman Ardi, Site Manager of PT Multibrata Anugerah Utama for Toyota Astra Motor project, Karawang.

“We are very satisfied with the results given by the machine control application a year ago. We will invest again in technological solutions that Aptella can provide to help our work,” testimony from Mr D. Sudjana, President Director of PT Multibrata Anugerah Utama.