Drones becoming integral in the GCC construction industry post COVID-19

As the industry starts to get back on its feet, players are looking to save time, effort and the health of their workers.

By Rahul Vaimal, Associate Editor
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Usage of drones is becoming widespread in the construction business according to Falcon Eye Drones (FED), a major drone technology provider in the Middle East. The construction firms using them have seen an increase in the reporting turnaround of 25% and a decrease in the site time wastage of 18.4%.

“Cashflow is crucial in today’s times, hence, more and more companies are turning to drones as they provide a cost-effective, time-saving and safer alternative to the conventional construction process.”
Rabih Bou Rashid
MD – Falcon Eye Drones

This addition of technology is simplifying the rigorous and time-consuming work in the industry. Activities are quicker and more accurate than before. Being the global leaders in construction, this will be a great improvement for UAE.

“The UAE’s construction sector is now gearing up to continue projects as the country begins to restore its economic operations. Companies are also exploring game-changing solutions to break ground in the ‘new normal’ while being mindful of workers’ health and safety” says Mr. Rashid.

“However, this is harder to achieve when you use the traditional construction process. Having said that we have noted a dramatic increase of enquiries and orders with regard to the drone services that FEDs can offer to get them going again”.

Drones help to make the process efficient in a number of ways by preventing costly mistakes, measuring progress and improving the safety of the workers in a dangerous work environment. The unnecessary expense of human supervision can be eliminated by reducing the project value costs by 11.8% and also the time spent on snag list compilation by almost 32%.

Drones are now extensively used on the construction sites to conduct site surveys, security checks and damage assessment.

With drones, the expenditure can be kept in check as the aerial view, high resolution and accurate data can help managers to sit down, determine and prevent problems early on.

In a COVID-19 world, drones ensure lesser human to human contact. “Drones offer a safe alternative to what is considered to be one of the most critical phases of construction. The task that usually takes days to complete can now be accomplished in a matter of minutes, depending on the requirement, and provide more precise inspection data.”

Mapping of the site is one of the most rigorous and time-consuming tasks in the construction industry but the drones make it easier and quicker. A drone can function as accurately as a satellite in terms of collecting data, sending them to the computer for analysis, map sites and produce data irrespective of the size of the project.

“It used to be that mapping a wide construction site involved hiring a helicopter to fly over the areas just to capture images. Now, drones can get more accurate images in a shorter period and at more affordable costs,” he said.

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