Synchronising workflows with machine control

Author: Reka Vasszi

Groundworks and landscaping are the first stages of any construction project. Preparing subsurfaces for stable building, requires the synchronised work of several heavy-construction machines. Leica Geosystems offers a wide range of machine control solutions to increase efficiency and productivity in field.

JBG Contractors, an Australian medium-sized privately-owned company, has been performing civil works, demolitions and asbestos removal for the last 40 years. The company works on various sites, ranging from small cottages, large multistorey offices, industrial sheds to bonded asbestos in Sydney and on the South Coast of New South Wales, Australia.

Phil Butterfield, operations manager at JBG Contractors, discusses his onsite experience with machine control and total stations from Leica Geosystems and how iCON solutions improved their operations while working on the Bomaderry Wastewater Treatment Plant in New South Wales.

Increasing flexibility with interchangeable screens

Long-time partner of C.R. Kennedy and devoted customer of Leica Geosystems, JBG Contractors has introduced many developments to increase productivity and ensure safety in the field.

Their fleet of heavy-construction machines includes more than 50 different apparatus – rollers, dozers, graders, excavators and Posi-Track loaders – equipped with advanced machine control technology, GPS and safety systems.

“We no longer need someone checking with lasers in front of the machines, it is a one-man operation now – that is one of the reasons why we choose machine control solutions from Leica Geosystems,” said Butterfield.

At the moment, JBG Contractors has 20 machine control systems in place at the treatment plant, including:

• Leica iCON GPS 80 machine receiver 
• Leica iCON GPS 60 Smart Antenna 
• Leica iCON robot 50 robotic total station
• Leica iCON CC80 field construction tablet.

Using the iCON GPS 80 machine rover in combination with iCON GPS 60 Smart Antenna mounted inside the construction equipment, JBG Contractors can increase productivity with machine control applications. The machine control panel is interchangeable between the Posi-Track loaders, graders, excavators and dozers, offers JBG Contractors a great flexibility to overview the workflow in 3D and quickly change between base and rover as required.

Total stations for construction

Besides the efficiency and safety enabled by the machine control systems, iCON robot 50 total stations allow the team to accurately map out the entire workflow – from detailed earthworks for stormwater ponds to sludge lagoons and pavements.

“With the Leica iCON robotic total stations anything on the planet could be mapped. Basically, you are just not limited to pavements or slaps, any surface you can put down in 3D can also be converted into the machines’ control system,” said Butterfield.

In situations where accuracy is key, JBG Contractors found robotic total stations a great solution to measure with ease of use and, with the iCON CC80 field construction tablet, visualise data in real time. The combination of state-of-the-art Leica Geosystems’ solutions and C.R. Kennedy support exceeded the expectations of JBG Contractors and increased their productivity, especially in large-scale projects like the groundwork of Bomaderry Wastewater Treatment Plant.

“It is really unlimited and sensational piece of gear. I honestly think that every building company will be running total stations in the future,” said Butterfield.