Fiftieth Anniversary of SILENT PILER™

GIKEN LTD. (Head Office: Kochi-shi, Kochi; President and CEO: Atsushi Ohira) manufactures and sells the hydraulic pile press-in and extraction machine SILENT PILER™, which welcomes its 50th anniversary this year since the development of the first unit in July 1975. So far, the revolutionary SILENT PILER™ has been anticipating the contemporary needs of society and markets, with GIKEN offering more than 100 SILENT PILER™ models and achieving a cumulative total production of more than 4,000 units. It has come to be adopted in more than 40 countries and regions, contributing to the realisation of a sustainable society both in Japan and overseas.

Having been founded with a desire to deal with construction pollution, the GIKEN Group’s starting point lies in solving social issues. Through its development, GIKEN has grown into a company that can handle natural disasters, which are becoming more severe with each passing year, by applying diverse advantages. These include the use of vibration-free, noise-free, space-saving, temporary work free construction to reduce construction times and costs as well as CO₂ emissions and rapidly building resilient infrastructure that can withstand earthquakes, tsunamis, and floods. GIKEN continues to always move forward, such as by advancing digital transformation of its press-in machines—such as SILENT PILER™—to address labour shortages. In addition, amid a rapid increase in accidents at many locations due to aging infrastructure facilities, there are growing expectations and necessity for the company’s unique solutions. Going forward, as a development-based company, GIKEN will continue to create totally new machines, construction methods, and structures while listening closely to feedback from customers and construction sites to achieve safe, secure urban development for the future.

Celebrating its 50^th anniversary, SILENT PILER™ exceeded 4,000 units in cumulative production in January this year. We owe this to the support of our stakeholders, including our customers, suppliers, and shareholders, as well as the hard work of every employee. I wish to express my sincere gratitude to everyone.

SILENT PILER™, which embarked on its journey as a pollution-free pile press-in and extraction machine 50 years ago, has evolved with the times and contributed toward solving social issues in Japan and overseas. After overcoming many challenges and undergoing numerous changes, it makes me proud to know that SILENT PILER™ is loved and supported by many people. However, year after year, various social issues are becoming more severe and manifesting around the world, including a greater risk of natural disasters due to climate change and labour shortages arising from a shrinking population. New machines will always be needed to respond to the ever-changing state of society. This is what being a development-based company is about, and it is a major role given to GIKEN, where the solving of social issues is our goal. We will continue to take on further challenges, committed to keep moving forward on our journey of evolution.

I hope you will continue to give GIKEN your strong support in the future.

Ever since the first unit was born in 1975, SILENT PILER™ has been improving significantly in performance, such as becoming faster, lighter, and more compact, as well as undergoing systemisation and automation. A variety of models have been developed to respond to factors such as the types of pile elements, ground conditions, and limitations. Using “Jiryu Dokuso” (unique and original) development capabilities that respond to the needs of the times, SILENT PILER™ continues to evolve day after day in ways that cannot be imitated by others.

Going back to its starting point, as a new development-based company, the GIKEN Group as a whole will implement a system that can create and provide solutions responding to changes in society. The development of new construction methods and products to realise these methods as well as commercialisation will be undertaken with speed. In addition, besides developing digital technologies and advancing development and such toward expanding business fields such as infrastructure and construction, GIKEN will also use advanced technologies from outside the company to improve the efficiency of value creation. Currently, the aggravating shortage of labour is becoming a major issue, especially in the construction industry, and GIKEN is working on digital transformation of press-in machines, such as automation of machine operation and allowing remote operation.

The social issues being faced by Japan are also faced in countries around the world and acutely require solutions. There are also many construction projects around the world that can only be carried out using press-in technologies—the unique technologies of GIKEN—or rationalised using such technologies. Their potential demand is immeasurable. Having accumulated a track record of adoption in more than 40 countries and regions worldwide, the press-in technologies of GIKEN are demonstrating their presence, but there are still many regions in the world where people continue to face issues in their daily lives as these technologies have yet to be adopted due to strict limitations. Going forward, as a development-based company, GIKEN will continue to create unprecedented machines, construction methods, and structures centred on press-in technologies to accelerate the building of sustainable societies around the world.

The fields of use are expanding across the globe and into space. GIKEN participates in the Project for Promoting the Development of Innovative Technologies for Autonomous Construction (Space Construction Innovation Project), led through the collaboration between the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT) and the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT), as part of the Japanese government’s Strategic Program for Accelerating Research, Development and Utilization of Space Technology (STARDUST Program). The company is currently undertaking technology research and development toward realising the concept of constructing a base on the lunar surface using press-in technologies.

With very little currently known about ground conditions on the lunar surface, apart from the surface layer, ground information obtained by press-in technologies can be used as the fundamental information when constructing a range of buildings in the future. Streamlining of design and execution processes in anticipation of construction activities in space may also lead to major improvements in Earth-based construction technologies. This project therefore has the potential to drive major innovations in the way construction is carried out.

Going forward, GIKEN will continue to advance its initiatives and seek a future where SILENT PILER™, currently in use all around the world, will play an important role on the moon and other planets.

■Profile of GIKEN Group
GIKEN developed the SILENT PILER™, the world’s first reaction-based, non-vibratory hydraulic pile driving machine that operates with minimal noise impacts. The GIKEN Group now actively promotes its press-in technology worldwide and contributes to the construction industry by proposing and implementing innovative solutions. The innovative press-in technology provides a unique solution and the adoption of this technology has spread to over 40 nations and regions.