PRESS RELEASE
Howard Civil Engineering tracks its success with Groundforce
A robotic total station sourced by Groundforce Survey Technology has helped Leeds-based Howard Civil Engineering cut survey times by up to 25%
Groundforce Survey Technology has helped Leeds-based Howard Civil Engineering cut survey times by up to 25% by sourcing a robotic total station featuring specialist technology that searches, locks, tracks and aims to requisite positions. The company has been so impressed with the Sokkia SRX robotic total station during a £5 million-build project at a residential development in Grimsby that it’s looking purchase a second unit.
The contract to construct 1,000 metres of roads and deep-drainage sewers, as well as a pumping station, setting out plots and laying brickwork up to the damp-proof course, began in November 2007. Since then, the SRX has proven an important piece of kit despite this being the first time the Leeds-based civil engineering firm has used it.
“The more I use it, the more I like it” says Wayne McCutcheon, site engineer at Howard Civil Engineering. “The motor in the Sokkia will track me at a fast pace even when I’m close up which means I can get the job done without wasting time with the equipment. It saves me time and makes life easier. Depending on what you’re doing, it can take 25% off a survey time because of the way it tracks you.”
Howard Civil Engineering contact McCutcheon says the pre-sales service was impartial and thorough. “It was very helpful because Phil took me through each machine so that when I got out on site with it, I knew what to expect. If I had any niggles, I’d call Phil and he’d sort them out over the phone.”
As well as sourcing the Sokkia SRX, Groundforce Survey Technology also provided the appropriate training so that the technology could start delivering results as soon as it was on site. Phil Dean, robotics/GPS manager at Groundforce Survey Technology, says understanding the client’s objectives ensured Howard Civil Engineering got the right piece of equipment. “They wanted something that would help them speed up their work so we helped them work quicker and more efficiently by providing the right kit and the right training.”
Roads and sewers at the Ferriby Rise development are expected to be completed in July 2008. The overall project has a three-year life span
