Doing It Right...Right in Your Own Backyard

Feb. 13, 2013

Sponsored Blog

We regularly work with contractors all over the world to help them understand and maximize the potential of construction technology. Recently, we found an opportunity to demonstrate this potential quite literally in our own backyard.

Sponsored Blog

We regularly work with contractors all over the world to help them understand and maximize the potential of construction technology. Recently, we found an opportunity to demonstrate this potential quite literally in our own backyard.

We have outgrown our facility here in Westminster, Colorado and are in the process of building a much larger campus across the street. This creates a great opportunity to “practice what we preach” by showcasing our end-to-end survey, civil construction, and building construction products and technologies all on one project. In fact, more than 25 products and solutions are being used throughout the project, including Trimble® Connected Site® integration and communication tools. 

For the earthworks phase, we selected a local contractor, OE Constructors, who had some experience with machine control, site positioning and software solutions, but nothing like the scale we had in mind for this project.

All earthworks machines were equipped with grade control systems... from dozers to soil compactors. Trimble’s office software solutions were used for data prep and takeoff, and wireless data syncing between the field and the office.

Since the build site is fairly complex, creating very accurate models for all the excavation, subgrades, trenches, etc. and communicating that data wirelessly to machines demonstrated just how productive the technology can be.

The project’s assets – machines, materials, fuel, etc. – were managed using our site productivity management tool, giving site managers greater insight into material quantities and materials movement and also the ability to monitor and track earthworks progress. Site positioning was handled with rovers and tablets, communicating updates directly to the contractor’s office over a cellular network, and quickly receiving design changes and approvals back in the field.

The exciting part of this project for all of us at Trimble is seeing how easily and quickly a small-to-medium-sized contractor can adapt to the technology in a fully connected site. There are lots of details on this project available in a white paper documenting the whole Westminster Building Project, which is available for download at trimble-productivity.com

You can read many stories about why and how customers made the decision to implement technology, and what their experience has been, at trimble-productivity.com.

About the Author

Johan Smet

Johan Smet is Director of Technology Consulting and Services for Trimble’s Heavy Civil Construction Division. He joined Trimble in 2004 as Director for the Construction Division. Johan holds an Engineering degree from the University of Antwerp, Belgium, and an MBA from the University of California, Berkeley.