Reporter 89

Do good, help others do good, talk about it, and let others talk about it. That is how we take responsibility, by accelerating sustainable developments and harmonising the planet, people and prosperity.

Our solutions already contribute to environmental and social sustainability by improving efficiency, quality, and safety in a broad array of industries. We have long been proud enablers of our customers’ sustainability journeys — but we didn’t talk about it. With this edition of our customer magazine, we’re changing that.

2021 is a very special year for us — we are celebrating 100 years of Innovation Heerbrugg and, with it, honour thousands of committed people who have driven innovations worldwide for a century and created many unforgettable moments. Heerbrugg is and will remain one of the largest global locations for Hexagon. The high-performance innovation factory ensures technology leadership for Hexagon. Innovation was important 100 years ago when WILD Heerbrugg was established, and it is essential today. In the historic review by Eugen Voit, who held various senior technology leadership roles over the last decades, you will read that tradition and change do not have to be a contradiction. The continuous striving for innovation is the link between stability and change, and the basis for sustainable developments.

Learning from the past means a better future. The urge to spread innovations and thus technology to solve customer and societal problems is firmly anchored in our corporate culture. Let Burkhard Böckem, CTO Hexagon, take you on a journey into the future. Find out which technological leaps are already possible, which future technology trends we’re translating into concrete solutions and how we leverage these opportunities for good by making the technology broadly accessible.

Of course, selected, highly innovative sensing and software solutions will also be featured in this issue, even if, as every time, we have more than fit into this issue. We’re telling you how customers use our solutions to solve their business challenges and grow their companies. In addition, we will explain how the project positively affected sustainability or how the featured solutions contribute to crucial research. A professional land surveying company in Singapore expanded its business with the Leica GS18 I GNSS RTK Rover while making work safer for its employees. Optimising mining fleet management with Hexagon solutions means significant cost savings and also a considerable reduction in a mine’s environmental footprint. Learn how the Leica Chiroptera 4X helps assess ocean health and how machine automation in heavy construction ensures companies deliver projects as specified, on time, within budget while keeping people safe and lowering emissions.

Beyond enabling others’ sustainability journeys, we are also committed to lowering our own impact on the environment and that of our supply and value chain. Driving a culture of sustainability within our company is going to be accelerated.

Read the interview with Hexagon’s Head of Sustainability Maria Luthström to learn more about Hexagon’s pledge to contribute to solving the world’s most pressing problems.

By believing in the future, we as innovation enthusiasts will aspire to lead by example and to demonstrate what can be done. I wish you a lot of reading pleasure and let’s move on to “do good, help others do good, talk about it, and let others talk about it.”

Thomas Harring


Thomas Harring
President, Hexagon's Geosystems division

Read our customer stories here:



The more we automate, the less we waste

We are all increasingly aware of the impact of climate change. And we need to care deeply about the environment if we all want this Earth to be preserved for future generations. And I am concerned about the future. At the same time as Hexagon’s Chief Technology Officer, I am also optimistic. I believe in the power of technology and innovation to solve the most pressing problems. Much of the technology that will significantly reduce waste and emissions already exists, and at Hexagon we’re determined to make it more inclusive and more broadly available in more seamless workflows.

Versatile geospatial solutions

Throughout our long history, a core driver of innovation has been our ambition to create solutions that are easier to use.

Why Hexagon places sustainability at the core of its business

Why is Hexagon making sustainability a key part of its strategy? What areas is the company focusing on?

News

Latest Geosystems happening

Our customers

Images of customers using our technology

100 years of innovation in Heerbrugg

The company "Heinrich Wild, Werkstätte für Feinmechanik und Optik" was founded a century ago in Heerbrugg, Switzerland, on 26 April, 1921.

GS18 I case study

Measuring the point cloud with a GNSS rover

Takeaways from JTRS Registered Surveyor on the Leica GS18 I GNSS RTK Rover

Using 3D laser scanning to detect structural changes in salt and ice caves

3D models help researchers to understand geological processes in Chile and Italy.

How hybrid airborne data supports sustainability initiatives

Accurate digital representations of our world play an essential role in creating a sustainable future.

High-density airborne LiDAR sensor ideal for challenging coastal survey of Sylt

Arctia-Meritaito efficiently produced a seamless digital terrain model of land and water along the shallow coastal areas of the German island of Sylt using a Leica Chiroptera 4X airborne bathymetric sensor.

Colour-infrared images provide a different perspective

For many applications, particularly those involving vegetation and wetlands, the fourth band in an aerial imagery product provides a wealth of information. The fourth band refers to the near-infrared (NIR) wavelength in the electromagnetic spectrum, invisible to the human eye but a valuable tool for image analysis and change detection. A colour-infrared (CIR), or false colour image, is composed of NIR, red and green bands, while a true colour image displays the visible red, green and blue bands. By displaying the invisible NIR band as a visible band, the NIR reflectance values can be “seen” and analysed.

The benefits of a holistic approach to open pit scheduling and optimisation

Aligning mine planning with mine operations by implementing mine planning software and mine monitoring systems can result in significant increases in production while lowering operational and capital costs. Generating the best possible mine plan requires a wholeness approach and monitoring its execution is key to ensuring the operation stays on track and that business objectives are achieved.

Keeping trucks on target

Minimising operational and maintenance costs is a key business driver in mining. The challenge is doing this in a stressful, ever-changing environment. At the front line are dispatchers responsible for scheduling and assigning work orders to operators and equipment. Their decision-making keeps a fleet running efficiently.

Kumba Iron Ore at the intersection of talent and community

Adding autonomy and other technology to a mine can cause significant concerns within the local community. Improving efficiency can be directly perceived as reducing the need for local labor. Likewise, skilled labor might be drawn from the talent pool further afield, leaving the surrounding community with fewer jobs. In 2017, Kumba Iron Ore committed to the local community by setting a new target enabling R500 million (US$30 million) of its procurement spend to be directed to, and invested in, local business.

Going Towards Sustainable Construction

The thought leadership article will be about sustainability: around high-performing, efficient buildings and how innovative technologies boost building performance

Creating the first digital shopping center in Peru

Plaza Santa Catalina shopping center in Lima, Peru, opened its doors to visitors in April 2019. Dormeson SA, a subsidiary of Grupo Mulder, started developing this project in 2018. Understanding that the proper maintenance of a large building can be complicated, Dormeson wanted to invest in innovation that enables effective, timely decisions, increase transparency, and reduce operating cost while delivering an excellent visitor experience.

Leica BLK3D with width, height and area measurements

The BLK3D Cuts Perfect Stone for Historical Façade Restoration in New York City

Jim McMahon, President of Structural Stone Concepts, sometimes took weeks, working long hours, to get the right measurements for his projects. Not anymore. “With the BLK3D, that process will take a few days,” he says.

Heavy construction draws on digital capabilities to meet sustainability demands

Digitalisation underpins the future sustainability of the construction industry. Today’s technology is ready for companies to build their own digital foundations for efficiency gains and reduced environmental impact.

3D or nothing

Learn how the team at 3D Concrete Solutions maximise their productivity of your concrete slipform machine with 3D machine control solution in Florida, USA.

Beyond 3D machine control: An integrated piling solution

Learn how the seamless integration of machine control technology, precise location data, a flexible gps rover and easy collaboration with the office crews through the cloud makes the daily job of Birchmeier Spezialtiefbau AG easier, quicker and more productive.

Reporter 89

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