Talking machines: The new language of networked construction

As digitalization continues to advance, networked construction is establishing itself as a decisive factor for the future of the construction industry. Digital technologies, standardized interfaces, and smart machines are opening up new potential in terms of efficiency, safety, and sustainability.

The world's leading trade fair bauma highlights these developments in the bauma TALK podcast. In the episode "Talking machines: The new language of networked construction" from February 5, 2025, experts Katharina Schick and Benjamin Beck discuss the opportunities and challenges of connectivity on the construction site.

Introduction of the speakers

Zur Person

https://www.linkedin.com/in/benjamin-beck-7576b2121/

Zur Person

Digital construction machines as a treasure trove of data

Thanks to increasing digitalization, construction machines are becoming valuable sources of data. They continuously record information about their condition, performance, and work quality—a real treasure trove of data for construction companies. This data opens up new possibilities in fleet and construction site management: Fuel routes can be planned more efficiently, idle times minimized, and machine utilization optimized based on precise utilization analyses. "Many new construction machines are delivered with pre-installed connectivity modules that send important information such as positions, fuel levels, and error codes to the OEMs' servers via mobile communication," explains Benjamin Beck. Construction companies can then use this data via the manufacturers' software and draw conclusions from it. However, the key to progress lies in interoperability.

Interoperability: The key to a connected construction industry

Interoperability is both a challenge and an opportunity on the road to digital construction. It enables machines, systems, and software from different manufacturers to communicate smoothly with each other and exchange data. "So the overall topic for both of us is interoperability. If you have mixed fleets and want to fit everything together perfectly, and you don't want to put effort into proprietary interfaces and develop every single interface yourself, you need interoperability to get solutions ready and usable in the market", explains Benjamin Beck. "But the problem today is that if we want smarter, better functions, the current interfaces we have between the machines and the attachments, which are mostly just hydraulic, are simply not enough to work for these smarter functions," adds Katharina Schick. Without common standards, companies would have to develop costly manufacturer-specific adaptations.

So the overall topic for both of us is interoperability. If you have mixed fleets and want to fit everything together perfectly, and you don't want to put effort into proprietary interfaces and develop every single interface yourself, you need interoperability to get solutions ready and usable in the market.

Benjamin Beck

The biggest hurdles to establishing universal standards are not primarily technical: "Technically, it's mostly solved. I think there are more organizational and political challenges, as with any standardization process. Everybody has their own focus and their own products, and it will take some initial effort to change company processes," says Benjamin Beck. It requires an initial effort to adapt business processes, and above all, it must be clear "why someone wants this data point for which use case."

In addition, the quality of existing standards such as ISO 15143-3 leaves room for interpretation, which makes machine data transfer difficult. Added to this are challenges such as patchy mobile phone coverage and time-delayed data transmission – problematic for real-time monitoring and remote control.

The opportunities of interoperability at a glance

Increased efficiency and reduced costs: It enables automated processes, optimizes machine utilization, and reduces idle times, resulting in significant cost and time savings.
Increased safety: Standardized communication enables malfunctions or improper attachments to be detected and accidents to be avoided.
Improved data quality and availability: This creates the basis for the development of numerous new innovations and the automation of processes such as documentation and task management.
Simplified fleet management: Project managers can keep track of the machine fleet, plan logistics, and monitor progress accurately.

MiC 4.0: The game changer for networked construction

This is where MiC 4.0 comes in, a VDMA project dedicated to standardizing communication in the construction industry. At bauma 2025, the working group will present the MiC 4.0 bus: "The MiC 4.0 bus is a canvas communication standard which is supposed to simplify and standardize the communication between the excavator and the attachments that it uses," explains Katharina Schick. "I think the prime example of a tool where MiC 4.0 bus is going to help on the construction site is a tilt rotator, which is a tool that you can attach to your excavator and it acts like a wrist for the arm of the excavator," Schick continues. "Today, we're kind of limited there because the machine just has the hydraulic interface, but for the smart functions we also need the electronic interface. With the MiC 4.0 bus, you can send control commands directly to the tilt rotator, say 'please tilt,' 'please rotate,' 'please operate the grapple' in a standardized way so that it works no matter what manufacturer the tilt rotator or the excavator is from."

MiC 4.0 isn't just about machines talking – it's about simplifying processes. You don't have to set up every detail manually; systems can share data seamlessly, allowing you to start working right away.

Katharina Schick

MiC 4.0 systematically addresses the challenges:

Common semantics: Common definitions for variables (e.g., "last known position" with unit and decimal places) are established, comparable to a common language, to avoid misunderstandings.
Testing and certification: To ensure compliance with the standards, MiC 4.0 has developed a test tool for ISO 15143-3 data. This gives construction companies the assurance that products are compliant.

The success of MiC 4.0 is based on its unique ability to bring together relevant stakeholders, including 126 members from European countries, both construction machine and assistance system manufacturers and construction companies. The development process has always been focused on customer benefits, which has served as the guiding principle in all discussions. The results of the work are publicly available and can be downloaded from the MiC 4.0 website.

Future opportunities and outlook for bauma 2025

The long-term impact of connectivity on the construction industry is immense. Improved data quality and availability will enable thousands of innovative ideas to be realized, leading to increased efficiency and automation. "So, I think if we keep working towards better connectivity, we have a good chance to really enable new innovations. There are thousands of ideas we could realize based on the data collected on the construction side. But today, we often run into the problem that the data quality is not what we want, or the data availability is not what we want," says Katharina Schick.

Benjamin Beck adds: "I would say that maybe we can focus more on the intended work that should be done. When I think about documentation and similar tasks, we would really like to automate these processes based on the machine data, so that I don’t have to fill in forms and documents, and can concentrate on the real work."

bauma 2025 will be an important platform for experiencing the progress made in the field of networked construction. Visitors will be able to discover a wide range of equipment that supports the MiC 4.0 standard. There will also be a MiC 4.0 booth in LaB0 at bauma (Hall B0).

For more details on the topic of networked construction, listen to the entire episode “Talking machines: The new language of networked construction”. And if you're curious about even more exciting insights, the next four episodes of our podcast feature further fascinating discussions and valuable perspectives on the key topics of bauma 2025. Tune in and be inspired!

More information on networked construction

All episodes of the bauma TALK podcast

To the key topic "Networked construction"

To MiC 4.0

Frequently asked questions about networked construction

What does connected construction mean in practice?

Networked construction means that construction machines not only do their job, but can also communicate seamlessly with each other and with external systems. This includes communication between the machine and attachments (internal connectivity) as well as the transfer of machine data to cloud systems (external connectivity) for remote monitoring, project management, and fleet management. The aim is to increase productivity, optimize processes, and enable new functions.

What are the challenges of connecting construction machines?

The main challenge is interoperability. Construction sites often use machines and attachments from different manufacturers (mixed fleets), and the current interfaces are not sufficient for intelligent functions. When communicating with the cloud, there are limitations due to interpretation differences in standards and delayed data transmission (e.g., only every 15 minutes). However, the biggest hurdles are organizational and political in nature, as different players have different interests and processes that need to be aligned.

How does MiC 4.0 help to solve these challenges?

MiC 4.0 creates standardized communication channels. The MiC 4.0 bus enables a "plug-and-work" solution between excavators and attachments from different manufacturers by defining standardized electronic interfaces.

What is the goal of MiC 4.0?

The MiC 4.0 working group addresses the weaknesses of external data transfer standards, reduces interpretation leeway, and develops test tools to ensure product conformity. Through the collaboration of over 126 members from across the value chain, practical standards are developed that focus on customer benefits.

What role do standards and certifications play in the context of digitalization?

Standards are crucial for ensuring smooth interoperability. They establish a common language and definitions for data exchange, similar to words and grammar in human communication. Certifications confirm that products meet the specified standards. This gives construction companies the assurance that different machines and systems are compatible with each other and work together smoothly, minimizing investment risks and creating flexibility for the future.

What advantages does networked construction offer construction companies?

Networked construction enables construction companies to seamlessly connect machines from different manufacturers, improving logistics, increasing efficiency, and creating new opportunities for automation.

Specific advantages include:

Improved fleet and project management: Real-time information on machine locations, working hours, fuel levels, and error codes enables more efficient logistics and planning.
Increased efficiency and productivity: Intelligent attachments and machines can perform tasks faster and more accurately.
Better data utilization: Higher data quality and availability enable new innovations and optimized processes on the construction site.
Process automation: In the future, processes such as documentation could be automated based on machine data, allowing employees to focus on core tasks.
Greater flexibility: Standardized interfaces make it easier to combine and use tools and machines from different manufacturers, reducing dependence on individual OEMs.