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Machine control from Topcon for compact equipment

A new system from Topcon Positioning is taking the firm into a new market segment. Mark Contino is vice-president of North American Retail Distribution at Topcon Positioning Systems and commented that the technology is now well-accepted on larger projects, “We’ve been doing GPS since the late 1990s. It’s not new anymore. Everyone uses it now.”
March 17, 2023
Topcon is now offering a machine control package for use with compact machines
Topcon is now offering a machine control package for use with compact machines

Contino said that while many firms use Topcon machine control tools on large items of construction equipment, there has been a pent-up demand for simpler units to use on compact machines.

The company is therefore now offering its MC-Mobile system to meet the needs of users of compact equipment, many of which are much smaller contractors. The system has been tailored for use with customers such as owner-operators. Contino said, “A lot of these companies don’t even have an office. Their office is the cab of their truck.” He continued, “We’ve taken machine control and entered into the compact machine space.”

A laser can be used to take points onsite, a task taking 25-30 minutes, and the customer can then use the data to build a model using a tablet device. The same tablet then can be mounted on the item of compact equipment for the operator to follow the design. A GNSS capable option is also being made available for the MC-Mobile product offering.

“We initially built MC-Mobile with the smaller or mid-size contractor in mind,” said Murray Lodge, executive vice-president and general manager, Topcon. “Working with a prism pole and our 3D robotic instrument, the LN-150, users easily measure, design and build right on-site, expanding their capabilities. Now, this new GNSS option allows fleet managers to easily integrate compact machines into much larger, more complex, workflows. Both the local positioning system (LPS) and GNSS versions are made possible thanks to the MC-X platform.”

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