Brokk is revolutionising safety and efficiency in the demolition sector with its remote-controlled robots, relentlessly innovating its products to push the limits of possibility.
Born from a vision to make a difference in the demolition sector that started in 1976, Brokk has made its mark as one of the world’s leading demolition robot manufacturers. Today, the company is still driven by that same vision, with thousands of Brokk robots creating safer and more efficient workplaces worldwide.
Since its inception, Brokk has expanded rapidly from its grass roots in Sweden, seeing the establishment of its Australian subsidiary in 2010. Brokk Australia’s Sales Manager Stefan Mace has witnessed the extensive growth of the company’s Australian arm over the past decade, proudly sharing with Inside Construction some of its parent company’s latest innovations benefiting the Australian market.
“I’ve been working with Brokk for nearly 12 years,” says Mace. “It’s been exciting to watch how far Brokk has come in recent years in terms of technology and innovation, such as our new online asset management solution MyBrokk.”
The new hardware and software solution, an online platform developed for connected Brokk robots, was launched by Brokk in 2021. Mace says it allows operators to track and manage their machines, view real-time data and order new parts.
“The platform can also include Brokk Connect, an online platform which analyses and collects data and information to help the operator optimise utilisation and uptime,” he adds. “Many of our customers work on 24-hour sites and require instant information and support – Brokk Connect has made this a reality.”
Brokk’s range of compact, ground-breaking and reliable demolition robots provides unique characteristics and countless options for a number of industry applications. Brokk’s extensive range of machines, ranging in size and power, ensures contractors can choose the machine they need to meet specific job site requirements. For example, Brokk’s smallest machines can fit through doorways, and are light enough to easily enter lifts and climb stairwells. The larger machines provide incredible power to size ratio, with the largest robot, the Brokk 900, still weighing only 12-ton.
Further, Brokk has a huge selection of attachments available, ranging from hammers, crushers and buckets to grapples for soft demolition. Brokk’s ever-expanding range of attachments and tools take its demolition robots to the next level in terms of versatility and efficiency.
With over 10 generations of demolition robots, Brokk focuses solely on improving its signature product. “We’re constantly evolving our robots to offer a range of sizes and capabilities as well as attachments that further extend our offering,” he says.
“Almost half a century of knowledge and experience has gone into our demolition robots, and rather than releasing a bunch of new products like many of our competitors, our goal is to keep innovating and improving on our demolition robots to ensure they are the best in the industry.”
A decade ago, people used to see the Brokk robots as a very specialised piece of machinery, but Mace says that they’re now the norm on most demolition sites. Instead of having 12 workers on a jackhammer for example, a 1-ton Brokk robot can do the job quicker, silently and with less than half the manpower.
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“No matter if you are a small or medium enterprise in the construction industry or a large corporation operating on large government infrastructure projects of mining sites, we have a Brokk for you,” says Mace.
No stranger to Brokk’s robots and their site advantages, Canberra based demolition company Insideout Demolition has proven Brokk’s variety of attachments and size-to-power ratio makes them the ideal machine for demolition jobs.
Embracing Brokk’s robots for its projects has improved safety and efficiency for Insideout Demolition, including on its recent job at a private school in Canberra. Insideout Demolition’s Director Mitchell Neil says that having a range of demolition robots leads to improved methodology and provides the flexibility the company needs when approaching projects.
“On this recent job in Canberra, we were tasked to remove a mezzanine slab from a music hall within a school during school hours,” says Neil. “We used a Brokk 200 and 110 armed with Darda Crusher attachments to demolish the 300-millimetre-thick slab and adjoined staircase.”
“The robots handled the 60-square-foot job with ease in only six hours – a feat that wouldn’t be possible even with the power of a 10 or 12-ton excavator.”
Neil says Insideout Demolition competes for an increasing amount of internal work in tricky environments, and as such needs to be able to omit zero fumes and abide by site noise restrictions. “This capability, along with Brokk’s size-to-power ratio and easy manoeuvrability, enables us to compete on projects other contractors using traditional methods of demolition can’t,” he adds. “This improves our competitive advantage.”
As well as efficiency, safety is another huge benefit of having Brokk robots on site. They allow operators to stand further away from hazardous sites rather than having to sit in the machine cab and eliminate worker fatigue caused by operating heavy machinery. A person can’t operate for 48 hours straight, but a Brokk robot can.
Mace says a lot of Brokk’s machines can also be fitted with its water atomizing kit. “If you’re using the rock breaker in a dusty environment, you can use the water atomizer to bind the dust,” he says. “With no dust, no vibrations for the operator and increased accuracy, everything is a lot safer.”
“Our electric machines are also safer for the environment, emitting zero harmful emissions and no noise pollution.”
In the main, Brokk can provide a solution to many of the demolition sector’s challenges. On top of its range of standard machines, the company has a technical department that can design specialised machines for specific needs.
Brokk Australia also has a range of partner products available aligned with its commitment to safety and efficiency – including electric mini dumpers, electric mini loaders, vacuum lifting for material handling and Aquajet for hydro-demolition.
“In addition to our demolition robots and our partner products, Brokk’s head office in Adelaide has a variety of spare parts to ensure our customers have as little maintenance time on their machines as possible,” says Mace. “We have service agents who support our interstate customers, we visit our customers’ sites to look after their machines or they can come to our workshop for a machine rebuild after 15 years of use, and we visit all customers on site to provide training on their equipment.”
Looking back at his time with the company, Mace says the biggest challenge for Brokk Australia is increasing exposure of the benefits of the Brokk product.
“We’re an established global company with a growing local team who can provide efficient and personalised service,” says Mace. “Brokk has over 10-million hours of operational experience, and we deliver the latest in innovations for the demolition sector and beyond.”