‘The Intersection of Infrastructure and Technology’ is
Topcon sees itself at the conceptual crossroads that provides construction, surveying and engineering professionals with the advantages and know-how to be at the forefront of technological innovation, increasing productivity and profitability for growing infrastructure needs.
Industry professionals are continually challenged to cut costs and produce results more quickly. Topcon is inviting them to meet at this unique point – the intersection – where infrastructure opportunities and technology come together to meet the demands of today and tomorrow.
We spoke to Murray Lodge, VP construction.
“We are really excited to launch the ZPS100,” he said. “It is a completely revolutionary product for the concrete paving industry and combines the best of two different technologies, robotic total stations and Millimeter GPS.”
The ZPS system, with the new Z-Robot and Z-Stack sensor, enhanced by Topcon Millimeter GPS technology, is designed to bring unmatched accuracy to concrete paving with a fraction of the hardware required for traditional LPS (local positioning system).
“This is a breakthrough in this industry and at this point we have numerous customers saying they want it first,” Lodge explained. “Our target is the concrete business. Concrete is the segment of industry that requires the highest tolerance levels. This system allows them to have fewer set-ups, fewer instruments and essentially minimize the complexity on a job site. It makes set-up so much easier.”
He went on: “This sector is worth $1billion and we are making quick inroads with this technology. But this isn’t just relevant to concrete paving; what we now have are systems that plug and play together, so whether a customer decides that he wants a GPS system and down the track wants to add the capability of a robotic solution or to Millimeter GPS, these are no longer separate systems. This means a customer can instantly change between applications, on the fly, giving them far more flexibility on the job.”
He acknowledged that there is a significant cost involved for customers, but added: “When you put it in perspective in terms of the ROI they receive with increased productivity it’s really not that high. When our customers invest in this technology they want to be confident it’s going to be working all of the time. That’s when the ROI is really positive for them.”
He said the company has recently introduced some new support systems to care remotely for customers. “So instead of a service engineer having to drive to a job site which can be several hours or even a day away, the customer can log in, tell them that he’s having a problem and within minutes it’s solved,” he said.
“Topcon is at the cusp of this technology. For 20 years, machine control has been an aftermarket sale and it’s good to see that the OEMs are truly embracing it. The customer is the main reason this technology is really taking off - they now fully understand the benefits and are demanding it. From Topcon’s point of view, having the OEMs get on board is fantastic: it takes the size of the pie from relatively small to a much bigger one for everyone.
Topcon doesn’t view the OEMs as competition - we’re working with all the major brands.”
