2000 Feet in 1 Day with Komatsu’s PC360Lci-11

2000 Feet in 1 Day with Komatsu's PC360Lci-11 Excavator

After watching an inexperienced operator exceed his company’s goals by digging more than 2,000 feet of footings in a single day using an intelligent Machine Control (iMC) PC360LCi-11, PWS President and CEO Lee Meyer was convinced it would make his company more competitive and profitable.

So, he bought it.

“We were going so fast, the concrete guys behind us could not keep up,” he said. “They actually asked us to slow down. We knew at that point we had to have the excavator in our arsenal.”

PWS discovered that, like all of Komatsu’s iMC excavators, the PC360LCi-11 features Auto Grade Assist and Auto Stop Control to help prevent overdigging. That means you reach your target depth faster and with less guesswork, which helps you complete jobs sooner so you can get more done.

Read below to see how intelligent Machine Control can benefit your operation.

2000 Feet in 1 Day with Komatsus PC360Lci-11 Excavator
Lee Meyer, President and CEO
2000 Feet in 1 Day with Komatsus PC360Lci-11 Excavator
Rich Schmid, Vice President
2000 Feet in 1 Day with 1 Highly Productive Excavator
A PWS operator uses a Komatsu intelligent Machine Control PC360LCi-11 excavator to dig footings. “This excavator is set up so you can’t overdig,” said Vice President Rich Schmid. “The equipment cost per unit for performing our work is amazing; we see a higher proficiency in production with a lower equipment and labor cost factor. It allows us to be more aggressive in our bidding.”

Water and sewer firm trims costs with iMC excavator that reaches target depths faster, with less labor

As an owner in his family’s multi-generational business, it would appear to most that Lee Meyer’s future was already set in place. That was until he purchased a specialty water and sewer company and set off on his own path.

“We partnered with the company on some jobs, and I knew they did good work,” recalled Meyer. “When I heard there was an opportunity to buy it, I jumped on it.”

Meyer bought the business in 2014, changed its name to PWS and began expanding. While specialized water and sewer projects remain the primary focus, the operation introduced other services, such as excavation and demolition, that Meyer carried over from his previous work.

As he began to secure contracts, Meyer knew that finding more efficient methods would improve PWS’ competitiveness and profitability. Upgrading his fleet to include additional GPS-equipped machines became part of the plan. PWS demoed a Komatsu intelligent Machine Control (iMC) PC360LCi-11 excavator with factory integrated GPS and acquired it immediately.

“We dug footings with it,” detailed Meyer. “We had a number we wanted to hit, and we crushed it, digging 2,000 feet in one day with an operator who didn’t have a ton of experience. We were going so fast that the concrete guys behind us could not keep up. They actually asked us to slow down. We knew at that point we had to have the excavator in our arsenal, so we bought it.”

2000 Feet in 1 Day with 1 Highly Productive Excavator
A PWS operator uses a Komatsu intelligent Machine Control PC360LCi-11 excavator to dig footings.

More aggressive bidding

Like all iMC excavators, PWS’ PC360LCi-11 features Auto Grade Assist. As the operator moves the arm, the boom automatically adjusts the bucket height to trace the target surface and minimize the chance of digging too deep. Auto Stop Control halts the working equipment when the bucket edge reaches the design surface.

“The excavator is set up so you can’t overdig the footings,” added PWS Vice President Rich Schmid. “The machine won’t let you dig deeper than the target depth you set it to. The equipment cost per unit for performing our work is amazing; we see a higher proficiency in production with a lower equipment and labor cost factor. It allows us to be more aggressive in our bidding.”