Jerry Corder, product manager for construction equipment at Kubota introduces its new SVL97-3 compact track loader, a third-gen model that replaces the SVL97-2 with refined and upgraded tech, performance, comfort and serviceability features.IRONMARKETS
Compared to last year’s event — which also marked the show’s 50th anniversary — the 2025 installment not only nearly matched 2024 registration and attendance numbers, but also exceeded the exhibitor count by more than 100, bringing together some of the latest heavy machinery, tools, products and services for material handling, concrete reinforcement, concrete masonry, cement production and decorative concrete, repair, demolition and reconstruction.
Every year, the trade show finds new ways to educate, inform and advance the efforts of the industry and the many people in it. One prime example of this comes in the form of technology, which has been a recurring theme across the last decade of WOC events.
The drive for tech integration is happening on every level of the construction playing field. From back-office operations to on-site solutions, elements of technology have been implemented and established in the day-to-day actions of contractors and their teams. On the equipment side of operations, today’s latest earthmoving products do not come to market without boasting new tech features or upgrades, many of which now come on standard on most models.
At WOC 2025, Kubota introduced its new SVL97-3 compact track loader, offering several now-standard tech features, including 7-inch touchscreen and integrated backup camera, as well as adjustable track response, which allows for tailoring of the machine to the operator. This also has a passcode enabled keyless start, so you can program up to 51 separate pass codes, turning on or off certain features again to tailor that machine to the experience level or needs of the operator. Joining Kubota in facing the future head-on, several WOC 2025 exhibitors and major OEMs debuted new releases with tech-forward features throughout the show, including Ford Pro, Wirtgen, Bobcat, Cemen Tech, Stellar, Brokk, Toro and more. These offerings are among a wave of similar tech-focused features that newer operators have come to expect in their equipment on the construction jobsite of the future.
Brokk, a North American dealer for FIRSTGREEN Industries electric loaders, Ecovolve electric dumpers and SHERPA electric mini-loaders, showcased equipment for a fully electric jobsite.World of Concrete
However, in-cab tech features are just the beginning of technology in action transforming the jobsite. Sites today are beginning to feature even more accelerated solutions, such as new robotics, autonomy features and automated tasks, that help to deliver more efficiency and productivity. For instance, at the show, Dusty Robotics showcased its robot that performs the automated layout tasks that skilled trades have traditionally done by hand, snapping chalk lines. Dusty offers a combination of hardware, software and services designed to fit into existing construction work processes by printing digital models directly on the jobsite floor.
In attending my first WOC show over a decade ago, I was introduced to some of the early potential jobsite tech held for improving processes and productivity. But, much like the construction industry itself, it has taken time to fully embrace the scope of possibilities and applications within the construction environment. Some of what I first saw in 2015 is now considered standard. Will this year’s innovations become the new standard in 2035? To say the least, there’s certainly more tech to come.
