Down to Earth Spring 2011 Machine Control Newsletter

Spring 2011 The Machine Control Newsletter from KOREC

Down to Earth this issue: n New releases from Trimble n KOREC opinion - reducing fuel costs n Customer story - Going Green in Essex n Meet the Technical Support Team

Hydrex Order KOREC wins substantial Hydrex order for Trimble Machine Control KOREC is delighted to announce that it has won a substantial order from Hydrex, a leading specialist plant and equipment rental company, who operate throughout the UK. The order, which includes five Trimble GCS900 Machine Control Systems, will supplement the three GCS900 systems already owned by Hydrex and effect the upgrade of three further Trimble 2D systems to 3D. The new systems will be fitted on five Komatsu D41 road/rail dozers and used by the company’s Rail Services Division. This Hydrex division operates from twelve depots nationwide and currently owns the largest and most modern fleet of road/rail excavators and attachments in the UK. Hydrex’s Rail Services Director, Peter Baverstock, stated “In order to move with the times, the main players within the industry are pushing for ways to save time, increase productivity and improve accuracy. For these reasons, 3D Machine Control is ideal. Our Trimble GCS900 systems really come into their own when used on S&C renewals as multiple passes are required. With 3D control there are no ridges and every pass marries the last. The rail industry has used 2D machine control for many years but is now realising the full benefits for its improved speed and accuracy. There is a common view in the industry that Trimble is the system of choice for this application and in our case, reliable, easy to use systems that require very little additional training for our drivers, have been backed up by KOREC’s onsite training and technical support 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.” nnn

“...there is a common view in the industry that Trimble is the system of choice for this application...”

Trimble Announces...

March has been another exciting month for KOREC with Trimble’s announcement of two new products, the TSC3 Controller and the GCSFlex System.

New Trimble TSC3 Controller - GPS Navigator, Wireless Communications, and Camera in One Unit Trimble has just announced its new TSC3 handheld controller for construction described as the contractor’s new information hub. Bluetooth and optional radio capabilities allow the TSC3 to be used with Trimble Site Positioning Systems, GNSS or total stations, where the highest accuracy is required. It can also be used for standalone location and measurement purposes and comes pre-installed with Trimble SCS900 Site Controller Software designed specifically to meet the needs of heavy and highway contractors.

Key features: n Large 4.2 inch, high-resolution LCD touch screen and alphanumeric keypad make it easy to enter data in the field n An optional internal 2.4 GHz radio provides flexibility for GNSS or total station operations n A 3G modem for contractors to quickly receive base station corrections, send email, and sync with the Connected Community n In-built GPS and 5MP camera allows contractors to collect site information for documentation and quality control nnn Continued inside

Stop Press: Scotland - KOREC wins hefty Trimble Machine Control order from David Smith Contractors, Aberdeenshire

Trimble Announces...

Trimble GCSFlex System - Affordable and Flexible Grade Control for Excavators We are delighted to announce a new category of machine control that’s been designed to offer small to mid-sized contractors a reliable, flexible and affordable option to make contractors more competitive. The Trimble GCSFlex System is here!

The rugged system is easy-to-install, easy-to-learn and easy-touse. It is also highly flexible with several sensor options that allow the contractor to easily use the system for a variety of jobsite tasks.

Contractors can start with the low cost “system in a case” solution and add additional sensors for increased system capabilities as their needs change. Installation can be done by the contractor and typically takes less than a couple of hours—allowing the contractor to be up and running very quickly. With a fast install time and no welding or drilling, the system is ideal for non-permanent installation on rental machines.

Designed for small to mid-sized excavators, the Trimble GCSFlex Grade Control System can be used for a broad range of work including: trenching for underground utilities; digging footers and basements; building roads; and site prep on residential, commercial and industrial jobsites. nnn

Trimble Quantm Desktop Trimble’s Quantm Alignment Planning Software has been used extensively throughout the world and will be the latest addition to the KOREC portfolio. Recently covered in a one page article in NCE magazine (www.nce.co.uk), this powerful Trimble software supports road planners and engineers through the complex process of selecting and generating 3D corridors and alignments. Its unique route optimisation technology generates millions of alternative alignments and returns a range of 5-20 best options for review by various stakeholders. And the result….savings of up to 25% in the cost of building a new road can be achieved by getting the route optimization right. However Bill Lazaris, Trimble’s Quantm channel manager, is keen to emphasize that Quantm should be seen as a decision-making tool and not as a replacement for engineering judgement.

Mounting Plate

In Cab Control Box

Sensors

Trimble clearly highlight the benefits of using Quantm: n Improved community relations n Better environmental outcomes

System Cables

Instructions Installation Tools

n Reduced planning time and delays n Road Construction cost savings Quantm is also the subject of our latest webinar in the KOREC ‘Know How’ Webinar series. See the webinar section in this newsletter. nnn

KOREC Opinion

The fuel savings that machine control can offer are predominantly due to increased productivity, or to be precise, a decrease in the amount of work performed to complete a task.

Whether it be; a reduction in the number of passes a dozer or excavator needs to do to complete the earthmoving or the building of the base course; a reduction in the number of material loads required to build the base course and do the embankments or a reduction in the number of passes a grader or dozer needs to do to build up the base course and do the final grading, all of these separate elements result in less fuel being used overall.

The material is placed once, correctly with no re-work.

Remember there are even more machines involved in these processes.

Dumpers and trucks also use less fuel when less material needs to be uploaded and carried on site.

We often quote the Road Construction Production study carried out by Caterpillar at their Malaga Demonstration Centre and it’s definitely worth re-visiting in this case.

For the test, two identical roads were built, one using conventional methods with stakes in the ground and the other using Trimble Machine Control (AccuGrade). A comparison was performed by measuring several operations on both roads including the number of passes, bucket loads, fuel consumption and accuracies for both methods.

Passes

Conventional Way

New Way

Earthmoving Sub Fine Grading Base Course

259 214 156

Earthmoving Sub Fine Grading Base Course

200 60 46

+30% +257% +239%

Total

632

Total

306

+107%

Base Course

62

Base Course

17

+265%

Trimble’s Quantm Alignment Planning Software

221

n Increase in overall job site productivity of 101% n Higher and more consistent accuracy n 43% fuel saving Note that further savings were also achieved on Survey staking when Machine Control was used.

The Caterpillar trial underlines that in

71

35% saved

* fuel price data in litres is supplied by Experian Catalist in cooperation with Arval UK Ltd

level critical areas where operators begin to slow down whilst seeking confirmation of their actual level and position, the GCS900 system gives them the ability to work at the maximum production rate to within a few centimetres of the finished design before engaging the automatics to trim the final surface. This clearly has a major impact on the amount of passes required to achieve the desired grade and is reflected in the comparative pass / fuel consumption figures above.

Fuel saving does not have to stop there. Increased computer power combined with Trimble’s extensive development in the fields of wireless communication and workflow integration are the key ingredients in Trimble’s Connected Site strategy.

The site standard for data transfer to and from a machine and/or engineer

can download these to their Trimble data collector or control box and start constructing the new design. This contributes to increased productivity and a reduction in unnecessary travel time and fuel costs.

Building on the same technology, an operator or engineer in the field might record points of interest in their daily work. These could include but are not limited to; setting-out information, as-built surveys, volume calculations, site photos etc. Rather than driving their data storage device back to the office for someone to process, these files can be uploaded to the internet. Again the employee back in the office can download these files to process, greatly reducing workflow times to increase productivity and reduce fuel costs.

In the next issue of Down to Earth we’ll be taking this a step further and examining Trimble’s Connected Community in more depth.

Meanwhile, why not take a look at the new Trimble TSC3 controller launched in this newsletter and billed by Trimble as “The contractor’s new information hub.” nnn

…and the result? n Overall time for building the road was 3½ days vs. 1½ with Machine Control

Productivity Gain

Passes

Grader

Fuel consumption is becoming a real point of interest and it therefore seems timely to take a look at some specific benefits that Trimble Grade Control and Site Positioning Systems can bring to a project.

Excavator

Diesel prices in the UK are the second highest in Europe* and troubles in the Middle East threaten further rises - a worry backed up by The Civil Engineering Contractors Association (CECA) which has warned that rising inflation, particularly affecting fuel prices, will hinder contractors in 2011.

Oliver Brooks Technical Director, KOREC in the field has revolved around the humble motor car and the driving talents of a site engineer or other employee. Traffic flow and distance between the site office and the site itself have always proved to be the major hurdle with this approach. Rather than utilise an engineer or other person’s time and fuel transferring data, this task can now be performed via the power of the internet. Using Trimble’s Connected Community, a construction worker can upload files to the internet, then the operator or engineer in the field

Software Notes •TBC-HCE has been re-named BC-HCE and the latest version of BC-HCE is 2.21. A new version, 2.3, is expected to be available from late March •SNM910 released alongside IBSS (Internet Base Station Service) to support field-workers •IBSS now available for all SPS customers with a Connected Community subscription. It’s designed for use in areas where radio coverage is not great.

Features include ability to limit to particular devices – contractors can control their service TCC can send and receive SPS data to and from controllers on site, negating the need to travel between site and office and extremely long baselines are possible – up to 200km (30km for Precise RTK, >30km for Location RTK) •TSC3 for SCS900 just released and includes internal location GPS, internal camera, Windows Mobile 7, internal compass, iIntegrated GPRS modem, larger display than TSC2 and longer battery life. QWERTY or ABC keypads available •Latest firmware for SPS x30 Total Stations is C9.1.5 •Latest firmware for SPS x20 Total Stations is M2.1.20 •AutoAdjust for PCS900 available to keep the screed end on-design. Benefits include less or almost no grade checking, automatic correction for material changes, smoother surfaces and better accuracy •zSnap available for all versions of CB4x0 from v10.7 onwards. Features include quick troubleshooting on site, option to press “Menu” and Softkey “4” to create the snapshot, files stored on data card, emailing of files to KOREC support for a solution •TabletSync v1.1 now available for all Trimble Tablet users to synchronise their Tablet with their PC

The Machine Control Newsletter from KOREC

Customer story Going Green - GCS900 Just off Junction 31 of the M25 near the Essex town of South Ockendon lies Little Belhus, a former Landfill Site and now home to an ambitious project which will see it turned into a country park with cycleways, walks and bridleways open to the public.

The park will also be home to an ecologically diverse landscape that is both attractive and healthy.

The transformation is being undertaken by Rural Arisings Ltd, a firm of engineers and ecologists specialising in the innovative recovery and re-use of wastes such as construction and demolition rubble to create environmental enhancements on complex projects.

Site History Working closely with Rural Arisings on this project is Going Green Restoration Ltd who will manage the earthworks – a proven partnership that has already undertaken a similar successful project at Church Marshes Country Park in Sittingbourne in Kent.

The Little Belhus site had historically been used for the extraction of gravel and sand dating back to the 1940’s and the resultant pits filled with household waste and commercial/industrial waste. This process of infilling was completed by the mid 1970’s and as the standards and enforcement procedures at the time were limited, no environmental protection occurred. Restoration purely involved a thin cover of soil and no planting was carried out.

The history of the site presented the partnership with an immediate challenge - an 86 hectare area that was now despoiled contaminated land with all the associated health and safety implications.

Martin Dace, Managing Director of Going Green Restoration explains how the partnership approached the problem. “Our primary concern at Belhus was making the site safe. The surface landfill had just a shallow covering of soil over it and there were leachate* and gas problems to contend with. This was not helped by the permeable nature of the current surface covering, if there even was one. Potential contamination of water resources both on and off site, was a real threat and the only viable solution was to provide an engineered cover. The constituent parts of this cover would be layers of regulating material made up of the inert waste soils suitable for remediation from the local area that we were still taking in, then a layer of clay at least 0.5m – 1m in depth as our waterproof layer and then above that, a topsoil layer to create a planting medium. The end result would be a cover over the entire landfill that will be for the most part, 2m deep.”

The partnership also knew that as well as shifting large amounts of material (1.6million m³ over the ten year period), the earthworks would also involve extensive

Complex design data for the water vole section

machine control system on our Caterpillar D6T dozer.”

Martin was already familiar with both the Trimble name and machine control technology following a visit to Caterpillar’s Demonstration Centre in Malaga. During the 2010 Furturesource Exhibition at Excel in London he met up with KOREC’s Machine Control Sales Manager, Peter Brooks, on the Trimble Environmental Solutions (TES) stand (together TES and KOREC provide specialised solutions for the environmental industry) where they discussed what KOREC and Trimble’s GCS900 machine control system could bring to the project. A demonstration was arranged and following a month long trial, the partnership purchased a Trimble single GPS GCS900 3D Grade Control System for the dozer and a Trimble SPS852 base station to provide the GPS infrastructure to cover the whole site.

How the System Works The Trimble GCS900 system was installed on Going Green’s Caterpillar D6T dozer. Using a single GPS Smart Antenna mounted on the blade, it is a full 3D control system that puts the site plan - design surfaces, grades and alignments - inside the cab. From the single GPS antenna mounted on the blade, the position and blade slope is measured. The single SPS852 base station was mounted on the site cabin roof and provides sufficient RTK GPS coverage for the whole site.

The on-board computer uses this position information, and compares it to the design elevation to compute cut or fill to grade. This information displays on the Trimble CB430 screen- in plan, profile, cross-section view, or text. The cut/fill data is also used to drive the valves for automatic blade control. Additionally, the cut/fill data is passed to the GCS900 lightbars, providing additional visual guidance to the operator for up/down to grade and right/left to a defined alignment.

system, the dozer can accurately construct the complex profile of this area. Similarly, the system is also perfect for the undulations we require across the remainder of the park. This is a country park and whilst we require a ‘gently rolling’ landscape, we also need to direct rain water into ponds and streams. The GCS900 system allows gradients and undulations to be constructed, some of which may not be discernible to the human eye. Without the GCS900 system, this would definitely be more of an art than a science!”

Site ecology also means that the GCS900 system has come into its own in the East field which is home to an important invertebrate population. The field has been divided into ten sections with just one section being worked on in each year of the project’s duration. This will ensure that there is minimum disruption to the existing wildlife. The design for this area incorporates ‘avoidance zones’ which means the cab operator will receive an audible warning if he comes within close proximity of a new or previously worked section boundary in the field. Avoidance areas have also been built into the design for sections where ground nesting birds need to be avoided.

Whilst Rural Arisings’ overall design demands just +/-100mm tolerances, the GCS900 can provide an accuracy of 15-30mm which is vital for the critical laying of the drains. The higher accuracies will also come into use towards the end of the project when a new playing field will be created for an adjacent school. Sports surfaces must be smooth, level, free draining and able to withstand regular use and these crucial requirements

Early Progress

Peter Brooks and Martin Dace

contouring to further aid drainage, the creation of gentle slopes to reduce the visual impact of the M25 and the execution of some complex design work to meet stringent environmental requirements.

Martin continues, “This scheme is about delivering on many different criteria; it is about ensuring water runs off the surface and not into the ground; it is about creating a consistent depth of clay throughout the site; it is about creating natural looking hills that don’t show the wave effect we have to incorporate for drainage and it is about reproducing complex ecological friendly designs on the site. If we were to deliver efficiently on all these levels, the obvious solution was for us to install a

Down to Earth | Spring 2011

Martin Dace reports that the most obvious advantage of using the Trimble GCS900 system is that they were able to remove all the pegs from the site. “This is a heavily contoured site with a huge amount of setting out required. The site is not secure and we had been putting out profiles time and time again only to have kids pulling them up. Rural Arising’s engineers are now freed up to spend more time managing data and assisting on other projects. From an operational point of view, our foreman Dave Frost says that the drivers have all found the system both straightforward and productive and in particular the perfect solution for eliminating the over fill problems that had occurred when they were working blind. Everyone on site tells me it’s a good bit of equipment and that without the need to rely on an engineer, they can now work more independently. ” Design Data The data for the project is prepared by Rural Arising’s engineers in AutoCad which is then easily processed in Trimble Business Center for use in the machine. Data is prepared in sections as the park progresses. “Ecology has defined a lot of what we do on this project,” explains Principal Engineer, Neil Gibbens. “For example, we have a large area where we are constructing a water vole habitat. It’s an intricate design that requires the construction of a channel that is just 1.25m in depth but 4m wide at the bottom and 9m wide at the top with shallow reeded areas on either side. Using the GCS900

Trimble GCS900 system on Going Green Restoration’s CAT D6T dozer

demand that excavations, sub-base and drainage must be installed correctly and to precise levels if undulations and depressions where water can gather are to be avoided.

Whilst it’s still early days for Going Green Restoration, Martin Dace is impressed with the system. “The GCS900’s accuracy means that we have total confidence that we are working exactly to Rural Arising’s design and that the surface and sub soil drainage, so critical to this project, is exactly as it should be. Our machine operators can work independently and now that this site is pegless, the engineers can use their time more productively in other areas. The system has been straightforward and easy to use and KOREC staff very helpful – they’ve been just great.” nnn * Liquid that has dissolved or entrained environmentally harmful substances which may then enter the environment

On the web...

A blog to visit...

We’ve been trawling the web to save you the job! The Trimble website continues to be a great source of information from products to technical support. Here are two sections definitely worth a visit: Trimble Productivity Trimble’s online magazine, Productivity, can be found at http://www.trimble-productivity.com/ It’s constantly updated and has all the latest machine control news and product information backed up by special sections that include Customer Stories, Trimble TV, Trimble Ready, and Downloads.

Learning Center (Centre for us UK users!) and a Solution Center. The Solution Center allows you to search the knowledge database, pose questions on a technical topic, or query a specific subject whilst the search tool allows for the browsing of documentation for self-help. Our Technical Support Team particularly recommends several of the free courses. nnn

Machine guidance systems have replaced many surveying job activities. So are surveyors still needed on the job site? How can they modernize their skill set and re-brand themselves to stay relevant? Visit Software Advice’s blog to read Houston Neal’s point of view on how the modern surveyor’s role is changing and how they can adapt. The link is too long to reproduce here so visit our own blog at www.korecgroup.com/blog and click through from there. nnn

n GCS900 v11.0 Introduction to Manager Mode

Trimble Knowledge Network

n GCS900 v11.0 Introduction to Operator Mode

Also worth a visit, and recommended by KOREC’s Technical Support Team is http://www.trimble.com/tkn/ where you’ll find Trimble’s Knowledge Network. It’s the perfect supplement to KOREC training and virtually all the online content is free. Made up of two parts, it offers a

n SCS900 v2.33 Software for Site Projects Introduction

Come back!

n Introduction to GPS n Introduction to GNSS n SiteVision™ Office v7.1 Software Introduction

KOREC Webinars

Trimble Knowledge Network

KOREC frequently hosts webinars. To register for upcoming webinars or to catch up with re-runs of what’s gone before, please visit www.korecgroup. com/events New Trimble Technology for Asphalt Paving and Milling Machines

Trimble Productivity

Meet the Technical Support Team In the first issue of Down to Earth we introduced the Sales Team. In this issue we’d like to introduce those that back up the sales consultants and look after all our machine control customers, the KOREC Technical Support Team. Responsible for everything from installation of the systems to providing advice, troubleshooting and sorting out software niggles, the members of our support team travel the length and breadth of the country sharing their skills and knowledge. They’re busy people so we’ve kept this issue’s ‘Meet the Team’ question short and sweet!

Q: Why Trimble?

DA: Its distinctive yellow branded colouring is identifiable by anyone working in the Survey, Construction and Heavy Highway industry. “You can spot a Trimble anywhere”. Its ease of operation and

familiar logic makes setting up both quick and efficient and a popular recurring comment from customers is that “it does exactly what it says on the tin”.

RS: Trimble are the pack-leaders. Every hardware or software

release they produce pushes the boundaries of what is possible, both on site and in the office. The robustness of the GCS range goes to show how much ‘quality’ is an important factor when making decisions on how to develop a piece of hardware.

David Allen, Sr. Construction Apps Engineer, KOREC

Ross Smith, Construction Apps Engineer, KOREC

Stuart Minney, Construction Apps Engineer, KOREC

SM: Simply the best!

Keith Kelly, MC Install Engineer, KOREC

KK: Trimble have a very rounded view when it comes to product development, electronics, software and hydraulics. Their Machine Control systems have benefited from many years of experience with hydraulic systems maximising

production, accuracy and reliability.

LW: The systems are robust and reliable and also very easy to use and understand.

Uncomplicated setups for customers and operators alike plus Trimble’s commitment to development keep them a step ahead. nnn

Lee Woodgate, MC Install Engineer, KOREC

Contact us: Please do get in touch for further information on any of the products or services mentioned in Down to Earth, a demonstration, support or just a chat about your requirements.

T: 0845 603 1214 E: info@korecgroup.com www.korecgroup.com

This was the subject of our latest webinar delivered

by KOREC Machine Control Sales Manager Peter Brooks. Peter introduced the latest Trimble Paving and Milling solutions and explained how they enable contractors to build smooth roads more accurately and more profitably. The webinar provided recent customer application stories and explained how these customers have delivered improvements with the new paving and milling technology.

Trimble’s Quantm Alignment Planning Software ...was the subject of another recent webinar in the KOREC ‘Know How’ Webinar series. KOREC’s Mapping & GIS Consultant Martyn Palmer and Trimble’s Planning Solutions specialist Ben Broad introduced this exciting new technology, drawing upon examples from transport infrastructure projects in China, Australia, Europe and the US.

Events

Coming Soon…SPS Focus

Visit: www.korecgroup.com/events for a re-run of any webinar

Events The tenth Railtex exhibition will take place in London in June (14-16). Firmly established in the rail industry’s calendar as the only UK showcase for technological innovation across all sectors of the supply market, the show returns to London’s Earls Court exhibition centre, the venue for highly successful 2009 event.

...and one for your diaries; later in the year we will again be attending the Infrastructure Show in October (17-19) at the NEC. ‘Hubs’ with with their own seminar program will include Roads, Rail, Airports, Utilities and Cities and Regeneration.