The future of construction is in Rosser

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This article was published 24/06/2010 (5581 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A small Rosser-based construction com­pany is using state-of-the-art technology to reduce the time it takes to construct projects by as much as 50%.

Rosser-based Outdoor Solutions recently installed a Topcon machine control system on an excavator and bulldozer the company owns. The system uses American and Russian satellites for 3-D global position to determine where to dig rather than the traditional method of physically marking dig points for thinks like roads and sewer lines.

Topcon takes human error out of the equation during excavation and allows for a greater amount of safety on the site.

Machine operator Trevor Lange said that the system has proximity alarms, which can be set for site hazards. For example, if an operator is digging near a natural gas line, Topcon will warn the operator with an alarm.

“This system is just better,” Lange said. “It is operator friendly, has better view screens and has quicker reaction times on the automatics.”

Lange said there is no comparison between the Topcon system and traditional equipment that doesn’t use GPS technology.

“This is way quicker and more efficient,” he said, adding that he expects more and more companies will begin using the technology in the near future.

Steve Hudson, sales manager for the prairie division of Fort Garry-based Brandt Technology Solutions, which sold the Topcon system to Outdoor Solutions, said it can speed up the construction process by as much as 30% to 50% because of its accuracy.

Hudson said that technology used in the system is light years ahead of the GPS systems used in personal vehicles.

“These are dual frequency GPS systems with sub-centimeter accuracy,” Hudson explained. “The kind you purchase for your car are single frequency that are only accurate within three to 10 metres.

Hudson said that Brandt has sold nearly a dozen Topcon systems in Manitoba and 60 systems in western Canada over the last two years. However, he admitted that companies have been reluctant to convert their entire fleets to the system just yet.

Hudson said the main reason for the reluctance is the cost of the Topcon system. It ranges in price between $50,000 and $80,000.
Still, Outdoor Solutions owner Darren Minaker said the system has been well worth the investment and he can’t imagine working without it.

“It is just so accurate and efficient,” said Minaker, whose company has been in business for six years. “As a company we will be able to do twice as much work in a season with this system.”

Minaker, whose compamy  is in its first season of using the Topcon system, said he has already seen results in the 38-lot subdivision his company is working on in Sanford.

prescott.james@canstarnews.com