NEOM, the sustainable region taking shape in northwest Saudi Arabia, home to the ambitious Line ‘linear city’, has signed an investment agreement with GMT Robotics, one of Europe’s emerging innovators in advanced construction technology.
According to NEOM’s strategic investment arm, NEOM Investment Fund (NIF), the investment will accelerate the delivery of the region’s expansive capital project programme through construction robotics, while underpinning NEOM as an innovator in modern construction techniques, including automation.
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‘Our investment in GMT Robotics reflects NEOM’s commitment to driving transformative technologies that will unlock next-generation industries,’ said Majid Mufti, CEO of NIF. ‘By localising this advanced technology, we are laying the groundwork for sustainable development, high-skilled jobs and the growth of commercially viable sectors. It is through partnerships like these that NIF will turn visionary goals into reality and establish NEOM as a global hub for innovation.’
NEOM’s Design and Construction Sector, tasked with incorporating the latest developments in Construction 4.0 across NEOM, has been leading the partnership and the implementation of the technology across key projects.
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‘Enabling construction technology start-ups to align with NEOM’s ambitions is fundamental to what we do,’ said Bandar Ashrour, sector head, design & construction, at NEOM. ‘GMT’s agility and expertise in harnessing robotics for construction bring unparalleled efficiency, consistency and sustainability. We look forward to a dynamic collaboration that paves the way for a safer and more sustainable next generation of NEOM-built assets.’
Based in Copenhagen, GMT Robotics offers robotic technology tailored specifically to the rebar market. The company’s innovative robotic rebar cage assembly and handling systems deliver significant advancements in efficiency and workplace safety for the construction industry. In addition to enhancing safety, GMT Robotics’ systems reduce onsite workforce requirements by an average of 90 per cent through offsite prefabrication, significantly boosting productivity.
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GMT Robotics will play an instrumental role in localising the technology, with rebar cages produced in NEOM-based factories. The collaboration will also open a new frontier for Saudi engineers to further leverage robotics in other construction applications.
‘Having worked in the rebar industry in various forms for the past 30 years, it is very exciting to reach a point where the large-scale adoption of robotics and automation to improve the rebar process is happening,’ said Ulrich Deichmann, CEO of GMT. ‘We share in NEOM’s ambition to rethink how construction is delivered and look forward to a highly successful partnership that will help revolutionise the construction industry.’
With the global construction robotics market valued at US$168.2million in 2022 and expected to reach US$774.6million by 2032, representing market growth of more than 360 per cent in ten years, the benefits of robotics application within the construction sector are numerous. They include boosting task efficiency, reducing operating costs, improving health and safety, and optimising design flexibility.