The construction industry continues to be a hotbed of innovation, with activity driven by an increased focus on environmental sustainability and workplace safety, and the growing importance of technologies such as the Internet of Things (IoT) and robotics. In the last three years alone, there have been over 248,000 patents filed and granted in the construction industry, according to GlobalData’s report on Innovation in Construction: Hydraulic excavators. Buy the report here.

Smarter leaders trust GlobalData

Report-cover

Data Insights Innovation in Construction: Hydraulic excavators

Buy the Report

Data Insights

The gold standard of business intelligence.

Find out more

However, not all innovations are equal and nor do they follow a constant upward trend. Instead, their evolution takes the form of an S-shaped curve that reflects their typical lifecycle from early emergence to accelerating adoption, before finally stabilising and reaching maturity.

Identifying where a particular innovation is on this journey, especially those that are in the emerging and accelerating stages, is essential for understanding their current level of adoption and the likely future trajectory and impact they will have.

80+ innovations will shape the construction industry

According to GlobalData’s Technology Foresights, which plots the S-curve for the construction industry using innovation intensity models built on over 179,000 patents, there are 80+ innovation areas that will shape the future of the industry.

Within the emerging innovation stage, mullion-transom curtain walls is the disruptive technology that is in the early stages of application and should be tracked closely. Heat-insulated glazing panels, drainage gully grating, and acoustic ceiling panels are some of the accelerating innovation areas, where adoption has been steadily increasing. Among maturing innovation areas are abrasion-resistant decorative flooring and road construction milling tool, which are now well established in the industry.

Innovation S-curve for the construction industry

Hydraulic excavators are a key innovation area in construction

Hydraulic excavators are heavy construction equipment designed for digging and earthmoving purposes. They consist of a cab, an arm, and a digging bucket attached to a hydraulically rotating platform called the house, which is mounted on an undercarriage with tracks or wheels for mobility. The arm and bucket are powered by hydraulic cylinders, which use pressurised fluid to generate the necessary force to move the digging implements.

GlobalData’s analysis also uncovers the companies at the forefront of each innovation area and assesses the potential reach and impact of their patenting activity across different applications and geographies. According to GlobalData, there are 30+ companies, spanning technology vendors, established construction companies, and up-and-coming start-ups engaged in the development and application of hydraulic excavators.

Key players in hydraulic excavators – a disruptive innovation in the construction industry

‘Application diversity’ measures the number of different applications identified for each relevant patent and broadly splits companies into either ‘niche’ or ‘diversified’ innovators.

‘Geographic reach’ refers to the number of different countries each relevant patent is registered in and reflects the breadth of geographic application intended, ranging from ‘global’ to ‘local’.

Patent volumes related to hydraulic excavators

Company Total patents (2021 - 2023) Premium intelligence on the world's largest companies
Hitachi 1121 Unlock Company Profile
AB Volvo 492 Unlock Company Profile
Caterpillar 370 Unlock Company Profile
Kawasaki Heavy Industries 348 Unlock Company Profile
KYB 279 Unlock Company Profile
Komatsu 253 Unlock Company Profile
Doosan Infracore 234 Unlock Company Profile
Sumitomo Heavy Industries 231 Unlock Company Profile
Kobe Steel 218 Unlock Company Profile
Robert Bosch Stiftung 130 Unlock Company Profile
Kubota 101 Unlock Company Profile
Yanmar Holdings 77 Unlock Company Profile
Doosan 52 Unlock Company Profile
Nabtesco 46 Unlock Company Profile
J C Bamford Excavators 40 Unlock Company Profile
Parker Hannifin 31 Unlock Company Profile
Deere & Co 29 Unlock Company Profile
Hyundai Heavy Industries Holdings 28 Unlock Company Profile
Eaton 26 Unlock Company Profile
Danfoss 21 Unlock Company Profile
Liebherr-International 19 Unlock Company Profile
HUSCO International 16 Unlock Company Profile
Shandong Heavy Industry Group 14 Unlock Company Profile
Dana 13 Unlock Company Profile
Sany Group 13 Unlock Company Profile
Takeuchi 12 Unlock Company Profile
Linde Hydraulics 12 Unlock Company Profile
CNH Industrial 10 Unlock Company Profile
XCMG Construction Machinery 9 Unlock Company Profile
Sandvik 8 Unlock Company Profile
Toyota Motor 7 Unlock Company Profile
Syn Trac 6 Unlock Company Profile
Coneqtec 6 Unlock Company Profile
NOK 5 Unlock Company Profile
Moog 5 Unlock Company Profile
Epiroc 5 Unlock Company Profile
Xuzhou Xcmg Mining Machinery 5 Unlock Company Profile
AGCO 5 Unlock Company Profile

Source: GlobalData Patent Analytics

One of the leading companies in the hydraulic excavator space is Kubota. A recent innovation proposes an alternative to open and closed-circuit systems for hydraulic motors through the use of a hydraulic drive comprising a hydraulic motor that includes a first and second hydraulic connector. The motor will convert hydraulic energy into mechanical energy and is driven by a difference in pressure between the first and second connectors. The rotary movement generated by the hydraulic motor is then determined by the displacement volume of the hydraulic motor and by the quantity of the hydraulic fluid flowing through the hydraulic motor. Other leading companies in the space include Liebherr and HUSCO International.

In terms of application diversity, the leading companies are Takeuchi and Syn Trac, while in terms of geographic reach, the leading companies include Syn Trac, Kubota, and Sany.

To further understand the key themes and technologies disrupting the construction industry, access GlobalData’s latest thematic research report on Construction.

Data Insights

From

The gold standard of business intelligence.

Blending expert knowledge with cutting-edge technology, GlobalData’s unrivalled proprietary data will enable you to decode what’s happening in your market. You can make better informed decisions and gain a future-proof advantage over your competitors.

GlobalData

GlobalData, the leading provider of industry intelligence, provided the underlying data, research, and analysis used to produce this article.

GlobalData’s Patent Analytics tracks patent filings and grants from official offices around the world. Textual analysis and official patent classifications are used to group patents into key thematic areas and link them to specific companies across the world’s largest industries.