New Technology Can Increase Accuracy and Speed for Construction Companies
A few years ago, Bill Jagoe, Owner of Jagoe Excavating, approached Mark Ballard, President of R.A. Alexander & Sons, about expanding the existing relationship between the two companies. The new collaboration helped both firms immediately by filling gaps for each. Together, the two businesses can now handle nearly any earthwork-related project.
Benefits for R.A. Alexander & Sons included the ability to offer utility-installation services and the opportunity to upgrade its equipment fleet. For the latter, Ballard contacted his local Komatsu distributor to discuss additional intelligent Machine Control equipment to complement the D51PXi dozer he purchased. Ultimately, Ballard acquired a second D51PXi as well as a D61PXi dozer and PC210LCi excavator. All feature factory-integrated grade control technology that makes operators even more effective from start to finish.
Advantages in Accuracy and Speed Immediately Apparent
“Augmenting our fleet with intelligent Machine Control equipment made us 40 to 50 percent faster, and we’re achieving accuracy within two-tenths of an inch,” stated Ballard. “Having a model that we can plug in and follow, speeds us up significantly. We save the most time on minor details associated with parking lots and streets. It’s also phenomenal on earthmoving projects with major grade changes. There’s no lost time with operators stopping to read plans or ask questions. Everything is on the in-cab monitor.”
Jagoe said the results were noticeable right away. “I was surprised there weren’t any stakes at the jobsite. However, I noticed that the machines never stopped moving, and they were finishing jobs sooner. The intelligent Machine Control products save us money on things like surveying and material costs. Plus, we are able to do more projects because we can work so much faster.”