TaiwanConstruction and engineering2024 – ongoingKedge Construction
AI on the Guan De Wanhua construction site
Kedge Construction cut cost estimating from 3-4 months to 1-2 weeks with AI
Problem
Construction in Taiwan faces a labour shortage, and formwork workers are mostly over 50. Cost estimates took months, and architectural renderings were outsourced.
Approach
The company began planning AI use in 2024 and ran trials for about two years. On the Guan De Wanhua site it used a spray-painting robot whose height, thickness and distance are set with AI, AI cost estimation, BIM with AI for renderings, and AI image recognition that detects missing hard hats and sends alerts. Staff review the AI estimates. Workers still finish edges by hand.
Results
Takeaway
The gains came from specific tasks such as estimating, rendering and spraying. An executive said many subcontractors stayed conservative and that robots may not pay off at once for skilled trades such as painting and plastering.
Categories
- Industry
- Construction and engineering
- Business function
- Production and quality
- Innovation type
- Process innovation
- AI technology
- Robotics and automationComputer visionGenerative AI
- Adoption
- Built in-house
- Evidence
- Company's own claim
Sources
Source summaries
CNA interviewed a company executive about AI on the Guan De Wanhua site. The executive described a spray-painting robot run by one operator instead of several workers, cost estimates cut from 3-4 months to 1-2 weeks, and renderings brought in-house at about 1 week. The article also notes that many subcontractors remain hesitant and that all results come from the company.
Full details are in the original sources.
