The Trimble Dimensions 2024 conference and exhibition has attracted a record number of attendees, with in excess of 7,000 people registered. The main conference and exhibition is being run at the Venetian Hotel in Las Vegas, although there is also a substantial offsite demonstration area featuring around 60 construction machines of various types from a record 20 OEM suppliers.
Trimble CEO Rob Painter spoke at the opening session for the conference, discussing the democratisation of technology for construction. A key focus of the firm’s strategy is for interoperability according to Painter, recognising the array of technology tools and suppliers in the market, as well as the fact that many contractors run mixed machine fleets.
Meanwhile communications and the ability for all participants in a project to utilise data continue to improve and he added, “…think about connecting in the field with the office.”
Trimble retains its strong position in the market and Painter said, “This is what is uniquely Trimble, the breadth and depth of our offering.”
But he added that it is important to recognise that customers may often be using an array of technologies, including those from Trimble’s closest competitors and these systems should still be able to work together. “Now we’re in a new era of interoperability.”
The firm announced recently that it was extending its long running partnership with Caterpillar, with Painter saying the two firms will develop further products and systems jointly. He said, “We are going to broaden that availability,” explaining that these technologies will also be made available to other OEMs. He explained that within Trimble and Caterpillar there is the recognition that interoperability is crucial as most customer do use tools from other suppliers and run mixed fleets.