Cooperation between Nordby Maskin and Leica Geosystems: win-win for all

Author: Eskil Bjørshol, Text: Native Media

A construction project in a residential area in Minneson in Norway involves the construction of three kilometers of water and absorption trenches, 90,000 tonnes of earthmoving and paving of 13,000 m2 of asphalt. Last autumn, the cooperation became even closer, when they ordered full upgrade of both hardware and software for 22 machines. A decision that Nordby Maskin does not regret!

- The close cooperation over the course of many years has built a huge confidence in Leica Geosystems as supplier to us. The way they operate when it comes to service and support gives us the impression of being an important customer. It’s the close cooperation that is vital for us to perform work fast and efficiently on construction projects, says Ruben Wattum, project engineer in Nordby Maskin AS.

The combination of speed and efficiency is what is required for a project like this that takes place next to an area of 230 buildings. The machine control solutions just have to work.

- We have chosen Leica Geosystems as the total supplier, because they can deliver solutions for all machines, both backhoes, stakeout equipment for survey engineers, total stations, soil compactors, dozers etc. 

- The software platform Leica MC1 applies to all machine. I don’t know any other supplier with such a wide range of products, and it is worth a lot in a project like this, says Wattum.

Input to R&D

The satisfaction goes both ways. Key Account Manager Kim-Alexander Bakken explains that feedback from a customer like Nordby Maskin makes our products better.

- We are the total supplier of machine control products to Nordby Maskin, and we cooperate about the software development. They are some of the first customers in the world to test new software on their construction machines. That means that we receive quick feedback on what is working and what needs to be improved. Trust and a good dialogue benefit both parties, and helps them to get more productivity out or their machines, says Bakken.

– I don't know other companies with this kind of depth in ther product portfolio, says Ruben Wattum, project engineer, Nordby Maskin AS.

Fast support

Leica Geosystems is a large supplier of machine control solutions, but that does not mean that they are difficult to get in contact with when needed or that you have to got through a large and impersonal customer care centre.

- We want to be present locally for the customers when they need us. Our goal is to offer the best solutions for our customers, also when it comes to service and support. We are a global company, yes, but we are also a solid company with local service workshops on several locations in Norway and service engineers on the road. We have service engineers all over Norway and a large support team available for phone support, at any time, Bakken continues.

Everybody can of course claim that, but it helps that Karl Martin Nordby the owner and business developer at Nordby Maskin validates the statements.

- We have chosen Leica Geosystems because of the scale of the organisation and the competences that their employees have. The scale of their product portfolio and the fact that they offer machine control for all the machines that we need. We only have to deal with one supplier and that saves us time in administration and support. That counts a lot for us, explains Nordby from the headquarter in Nannestad.

– At the same time as we are the total supplier of solutions to Nordby Maskin, we also cooperate on the development of the software. They are among the first customers in the world to test new software on their construction machines, says Kim-Alexander Bakken, Key Account Manager på Leica Geosystems.

Win-win for both parties

Back in the harsh northern wind in Minnesund, the site is full of activity on the project that is planned to be finished this autumn. Stakeouts are made and a lot of excavation and earthmoving is taking place. Ruben Wattum explain that the project could not be done so efficiently without good planning and the help from connected solutions.

- This is actually a perfect project to demonstrate the advantages of good machine control solutions. We have started by building the entire project on a digital platform, so that all roads and absorption trenches are available with trench models. It makes it much faster to build because the machine operator in principle can build everything directly, he says.

Wattum himself has more than 10,000 hours of experience from working in an excavator and knows for a fact that the benefit of modern technology is a win-win for all parties.

- We could of course have done this without machine control, but it would have been far less efficient. With the solutions that Leica Geosystems delivers and with the proper training, it becomes an easy choice.

- We spend less time on a project like this with water supply and water absorption, and the customer saves costs. We exert less impact on the environment, because we spend less time on the project, he continues.

One thing that remains from a day in the trenches in Minnesund is that Nordby Maskin has not ordered their last products from Leica Geosystems.

Facts about Nordby Maskin's machine control solutions

• Nordby Maskin AS has used 2D machine control for excavators since 2004 (delivered by Scanlaser/Mikrofyn now Leica Geosystems)
• 3D machine control with GNSS has been used since 2006
• Models for on-site are mainly prepared by own engineers and architects in the office and continuously distributed through ConX.
• More than 80 active projects from early design phase to delivery of final as-built documentation. Thanks to machine control this can be done by only four survey engineers on site.
• All projects include 3D/BIM models for production and documentation.
• Nordby Maskin has a little more than 200 employees.