It is almost cliche to read an article or news item these days that begins with “In these economic times…. “, but the phrase does capture the mood I hav seen in my business travels in the US and abroad. The current economic environment presents challenges to be profitable which effects our investment choices; technology is  such an investment choice. Some technology costs include the initial expenditure, training and cost of ownership. It is well documented that 3D positioning and machine control yields faster and more accurate results for all aspects earth moving which yield tighter bids, faster job cycles and improved profit margins. One technology choice I would like to revisit the value of site management systems, sometimes referred to as grade management or site supervisor systems, as an affordable entry point to 3D machine control and site management.

These 3D supervisor systems vary in their configurations but generally consist of an RTK GNSS receiver and a ruggedized field computer loaded with application centric software used as a rover. These can be mounted in a pickup truck, ATV or on a GPS pole for use as a man rover/walk about. I have seen some of these systems also mounted in machines offering basic cut and fill, although the screens can be small and difficult to see. The rover does require a “correction” generally provided by a base station (static GNSS receiver) or from a 3rd party network provider.

The site supervisor rover prices can range from $13,000 to $18,000 plus the fee for using a network correction. If you are using a base station, add another $12,000 to $22,000 depending on configuration. These prices are much lower than a typical 3D machine control system, i.e., installed on excavators, dozers or graders that can cost from $35,000 to $75,000 per machine depending on machine type, configuration and application. This makes the supervisor system a good first step.
While most traditional survey data collectors can accomplish many of the daily tasks performed by grade checkers and site managers, site supervisor systems have a more focused user interface. This makes it much simpler to learn and use. Cut/fill, simple slopes, elevation checks, line offsets, etc are upfront and center speaking the language of the grade contractor.

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I spent 2 days at World of Concrete. There were fewer attendees and exhibitors. Just like everyone expected. What follows are the surprises.

Manufacturers are advancing. All the major machine control players were excited to talk to me about their latest irons on the fire. Look for some great hardware in the future, it is amazing what we can do now compared to just a few years ago. Just like all of us, the big players are doing more with fewer resources. Nothing like a slow economy to force belt tightening. In spite of that they are still vibrant, excited, and planning through the slow down for the next upturn in business.

As a company, Take-off Professionals has the advantage of seeing the entire nations economy, just like the vendors do. We all agreed that there are no vertical spikes in business, just a simmer across the entire nation. Jobs are pricing out cheaper with more companies competing at each bid opening. Everybody is running lean in the contracting business too. The good news is that the contractors who are adopting technology are actually making money on the low prices for work out there. It is no surprise to us, we have been proving that for years, but now instead of an option, technology is mandatory to running in the black.

Don’t be confused about a vendors presence, or lack thereof at World of Concrete. Some tough decisions were made in regard to smaller booths, fewer staff, or not exhibiting at all. Just as you are watching the bottom line, it makes sense for our vendors to do the same to stay healthy.

The general feeling from the show? Watch expenses, work smart, and the job you felt you just gave away for too little money can make you a profit.

Speaking of time...This is a long time ago.

After my first software review article was posted, I got a lot of questions. The review of Carlson Construction was based on our experience doing data every day. We use this data for machine control and takeoffs. Over the years we have figured out the easiest way to accomplish any task related to our industry. The questions ranged from basic to advanced, and that got me thinking.

Many users are able to get results from software after a little use. Programs are designed to produce results. If you add elevations to contour lines, you will get a surface. The difference comes in accuracy. It reminds me of; “good, quick or cheap. Pick any 2″ It takes time and effort to produce good results. This is true for data as well as a job site. If you get rushed, quality suffers. The other time component is for learning software. With the improvement of automated processes the software vendors are adding, it does not take long to obtain results.

Our corporate philosophy is simple. The customer gets reliable data they can use to build a site, period. In light of that, we have to do a lot of work to achieve this end. We reduce the number of hours involved through training and experience. The training is usually us trying different methods for a process and documenting the fastest result. (Note to self, I need to get a hobby) It may sound like a waste to you, but we do better work and charge our customers less.

When we conduct training , we need to balance classes with enough approaches to a problem to make you efficient and not so many you feel overwhelmed. I love having a beer and discussing the various ways to work with polylines. Students want the one way that produces results now.

The answer? Learn how to get results. At first they may not be pretty, just practical. Set aside time to learn more. Try different commands. Take classes and watch training videos. Talk to vendors at the shows. You will be pleased at the improvement in the quality of your work with a small investment in time.

As with any emerging technology, a host of names and acronyms begin to surface. Positioning and machine control technology is no different. What do they mean? Are two terms similar?

Our team is busy assembling an industry glossary for an upcoming newsletter. Certainly this will also be posted on MachineControlOnline.com. If you there are  terms you believe should be included or if there are terms for which you want clarification, please drop me an email. We will include all terms received in addition to our list. Send to editor@MachineControlOnline.com

Thank you and more to come …

-Randy Noland

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The ability to remotely manage your assets have been a reality for several years. There are several new systems on the market as well as traditional machine control providers getting in the “haul truck” business.

For more information, please see the new article “Site Connectivity - Positioning & Machine Controls Next Technology Step” There are links to some of the providers at the articles conclusion.

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In the January issue of Machine Control Online I will write about modern positioning technologies for construction layout.  This will be the first of three articles on this subject.  Initially, I will write about application programs that reside in the new, modern data collectors/field controllers. The following articles in this series will address reflectorless measuring and dedicated construction field software and sensors including imaging and scanning devices. 

You may feel you are up-to-date on surveying and layout solutions, but these tools are advancing so quickly that a fresh look at their capabilities will be worth a look.

So check out the January issue and follow along each month and make sure you are aware of the new possibilities.  They can increase your accuracy, productivity and profitability.

Time to be proactive! You would have to live in a cave to not have felt the pinch of the global economy. If you are employed and working at the 2007 wages without a pay cut or reduction of hours, consider yourself blessed.  We are not out of this downturn yet. Consider using this time to investigate new technology investments. Or invest in technology training for you and your employees.

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In this month article, I discussed mentoring and the cross-training of younger workers.  In that article I mentioned a source of grievous error called a “blunder”.  I thought it appropriate to discuss the different types of errors that impact measurements as well.

According to surveying scholars/authorities; there are three basic types of errors.  These are Systematic Errors, Random Errors and Blunders.

Systematic errors are consistent and the easiest to detect and fix but are serious in nature.  An example of this is a series of measurements that are all off by 0.1 foot.  If you can detect this error in time, you can apply a consistent correction to all the measurements made to prevent problems.  In the book “Elementary Surveying” , Sixth Edition, by Russell C. Brinker and Paul R. Wolf; the authors state: “These errors conform to mathematical and physical laws. Their magnitude may be constant or variable, depending upon conditions. Systematic errors, also known as cumulative errors, can be computed and their effects eliminated by applying corrections.”

Another type of error is “Random Errors”. These errors are very difficult or impossible to detect after they are made. Two random errors may compensate for each other (mathematically cancel each other) and become impossible to detect at all.  An example would be an incorrect rod reading on just a few measurements in a series of many.  Most of the measurements will be accurate, but an unknown few will be in error.  Careful attention to all measurements and redundant checks will eliminate most random errors.

The last type of basic error is called “Blunders”.  These are extremely dangerous.  They can throw off all measurements and cause serious problems. This is especially true when performing layout work.  As I mentioned in my article I put a few buildings in the wrong place due to blunders.  Blunders come from false assumptions and lack of experience, for the most part.  For example: you may believe you used the correct backsight to start your measuring but actually measured to a different one that lay nearby.  If you had measured the distance to that backsight you would have discovered the error before it was too late, but you didn’t know to do that and assumed you had the right one. Measuring to the wrong benchmark and not checking into another one is also a blunder that would have been discovered if you had used proper procedure.   Working with the wrong set of plans (not the latest revision) is another example of a blunder.  Caution and good checking procedures will usually reveal a blunder before damage is done.  However, the initial bad assumption may go mentally unchallenged and cause rework.  The best defense against blunders is a suspicious mind that always asks if things look and feel right, but that takes lots of experience; so checking procedures are critical for the less-experienced.

I hope this is helpful and helps you prevent errors in the future. Rework is expensive and that effects the Bottom Line.

-Paul

Over the next several months I will be looking at software related to take-offs and data. I am uniquely qualified to do this for several reasons. One reason is that I drew the short straw, but  the biggest one is the fact I have never been afraid to press buttons.

Everybody is concerned about ruining something. Breaking a glass, cutting a board too short, or trashing 20 years of family photos on the home PC. We have some control over the glass and the lumber, but the intangible state of files on a computer make us all feel beyond any sense of control.

I pressed buttons on a new program until it did what I wanted. A call to technical support usually returned the response, “you can’t do that”. I would mash the keyboard until I got the desired result. Fast forward many years and software will now do more than we want, it is now up to the user to decide the best way to get from point A to point B.

There are many ways to draw lines, points, and to calculate volumes. Software vendors have done a good job of automating tasks. There are times when the one press solution will work, and others where you just have to go one step at a time. When to do either is a matter of training and experience, I will show what the quick and slow methods can do to files as a guide during reviews.

When you purchase new software, set aside some time a few days a week to play with the program on a file that does not matter. The best file is one that you already have had good results with. In other words, the takeoff was done in your current software, the volumes are good and you work with it in the new software and achieve the same results. You can experiment with pressing buttons and not be under a time crunch or worry that numbers that you may not trust.

So go ahead and press some buttons, nothing will happen. The best thing is you will be learning new things you thought you could never do.

Unless your company has a dedicated in-house training department; there may be a belief that training need not be an on-going investment. In a society where “if all else fails; read the manual” is a mantra, the value of training is oft times overlooked. There are many reasons for this and they appear to make good sense: 

A company has been successful doing things as they have in the past-so why change?  Perhaps new equipment is already providing an increase in productivity, so you may believe you are optimizing its use. Probably the biggest misconception is that you can use one of your trained operators to train the new guys. Here is the scenario where that assumption often falls apart:

Two years ago you sent employee X to manufacturer’s machine control training and he came back just smoking. He could make that new machine sing and dance and productivity went way up. Then he trained employee Y, who later trained employee Z.  The problem here is that X only remembered 80% of what he was taught by the manufacturer in the first place. Y only got about 70% of that and now Z is doing all right, but just getting by (in the meantime X and Y quit and moved on). Meanwhile, the software that drives the process change four times in that two year period and none of the new productivity-enhancing features and time-saving shortcuts are being utilized.  So now you are getting maybe 60% out of the new system due to a lack of investment in on-going training. 

If you ever learned a software program from a fellow employee and later took a class from a professional trainer- you know exactly what Im talking about. Heavy equipment and machine control systems change frequently with software and enhanced control systems.  The only way of insuring that optimum benefits are realized is to commit to initial and on-going training.  That decision leads you to your greatest return on investment.  By squeezing everything you can out of these investments you raise the competitive level of your bids and realize greater profitability at the end of the project.  If you already understand the benefits of investing in training or would like to find some resources for the first time; check the directory section of our web site and look for the Training section.

My experience is you should get training as close to the source as possible.  If you can’t get your training directly from the manufacturer, then seek out your dealer, who should be manufacturer-trained and current on the latest software and firmware versions.  There are also training organizations that stay current and up-to-speed on the latest enhancement.  Proper training will save your operators time and produce the best possible product.  It is one of the best investments that you can make.

If you would like to read more about training opportunities, check out our recent article http://machinecontrolonline.com/content/view/6073/65 and check our directory for training services 

-Paul