A scene from this year鈥檚 Trimble Dimensions conference in Las Vegas, Nevada, US. (Image courtesy Trimble)

From new solutions for 鈥榦ld-reliable鈥� construction equipment to an emphasis on improving workflows, the construction technology sector is becoming more accessible and affordable for everyone.

Here鈥檚 three things we learned at Trimble Dimensions:

1) Fitting technology to the right construction equipment

Trimble鈥檚 Siteworks Machine Guidance Module on a Volvo CE compact track loader. The module extends Trimble鈥檚 all-in-one solution for survey and machine guidance to any compact track loader bucket. (Image: Trimble)

Early in the construction technology evolution, machine-automation features and products (like grading assist or automated geospatial services) were often developed for and affixed to the biggest equipment: cranes, excavators and mining trucks being some of the first and more productive receivers of advanced technology.

But over time, firms have found their tech products too often ended up exclusively attached to equipment outside smaller contractors鈥� price ranges or to units those firms do not regularly use.

Steven DiBenedetto, a product manager for Trimble鈥檚 field solutions software division, told Construction Briefing this reality inspired a shift in attention.

鈥淲e recently announced the availability of a solution that is available for compact track loaders [CTL],鈥� DiBenedetto said at Dimensions, referring to Trimble鈥檚 Siteworks Machine Guidance system. The inclusion of Siteworks on CTLs was announced the week prior to Dimensions.

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鈥淲e鈥檙e looking to really start to help our contractor friends in the smaller contractor space,鈥� DiBenedetto said. 

The Siteworks programme includes a Trimble SPS986 or a Trimble R780 GNSS Smart Antenna with tilt compensation and the Trimble ProPoint positioning engine, along with any bring-your-own-device or Trimble field tablet that supports the Siteworks software.

Steve DiBenedetto

鈥淭he module enables contractors to use Siteworks off the machine to design, measure and layout projects,鈥� said the company. 鈥淐ontractors can then transfer the GNSS receiver and field tablet from the pole to the compact track loader鈥� to provide in-cab, 3D machine guidance and grade checking capabilities without the need for a surveyor.鈥�

DiBenedetto acknowledged new tech in general can be overwhelming to implement for even experienced construction crews, which is why the focus has been on putting workflow products like Siteworks on machines smaller contractors own or rent regularly.

鈥淲e are putting a lot of emphasis on the workflows themselves, trying to make it as easy as possible to start getting into Trimble technology,鈥� he said, noting modern surveying and geospatial products have become 鈥渟uper accurate, super precise鈥�.

When coupled with a software designed to make jobs easier, DiBenedetto said customers typically adjust rather quickly.

He added, 鈥淎 lot of times, that comes with a fair bit of complexity, and that is a hurdle for these contractors to get into. So, guided workflows, those sorts of things, can allow people who might be technology afraid鈥� to not have that fear of jumping in.鈥�

2) Continuously connected construction powered by AI

Trimble鈥檚 Jon Fingland (center, in blue) applauds during a Trimble Dimensions keynote presentation. (Image courtesy Trimble)

But advanced tools for compact track loaders is just one step.

Jon Fingland, a Trimble vice president and building category general manager explained for Construction Briefing how smaller firms that have not updated their technological approach in the last decade can catch up quickly.

They are focused on companies that have some of the highest construction costs in the industry, Fingland said, with materials and labour making up the bulk of those costs. 鈥淚t鈥檚 where, if you make an error, there鈥檚 a lot of rework, and the cost is high.鈥�

Fingland believes once construction crews like these make the jump into connected workflows, they鈥檒l realise the long-term cost savings, particularly within sectors where material and labour can be higher than average.

He noted, too, that Trimble has leaned into a subscription-based model for most of its offerings, which allows companies to budget month-to-month instead of paying outright for the services.

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3) 鈥楽eeing the full story come together鈥�

The Trimble Dimensions off-site environment located in the Nevada, US, dessert just north of Las Vegas. (Image courtesy Trimble)

Ultimately, construction鈥檚 major tech players have all (mostly) been on the same page regarding their innovative projects: the more they can work together, the better the industry will be.

This means that more tech firms than ever are relying on 鈥榦pen鈥� or 鈥榝ree鈥� launches of their software so that contractors and project managers of all sizes can find the right combination of solutions.

From Trimble鈥檚 perspective, it means their software needs to communicate with competitors like Leica Geosystems, Hexagon Geospatial, or Esri, because the company can鈥檛 demand its mid-sized and smaller clients abandon prior technology investments.

Nathan Patton, a product marketing manager of construction tech at Trimble, says that whether a contractor invests entirely into one company鈥檚 suite of products or uses a mix-and-match approach doesn鈥檛 matter.

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鈥淧eople call it the golden thread that connects you through from field all the way through to your budget, your schedule,鈥� Patton told Construction Briefing. 

Aiding the construction storytelling process has been the advanced leaps in reality-capture tech, Patton said. From use of drones to advanced scanners and photogrammetry to real-time modelling, the data created from these processes is getting easier to create, disseminate, categorise and share among stakeholders.

鈥淭rimble Connect, our cloud platform, brings the ability to support complex, massive files like point clouds and reality-capture data,鈥� explained Patton, who said the next step in the process is key. 鈥淭his makes it easier for contractors鈥� to tie it into actual downstream workflows.鈥�

Nathan Patton

He noted Connect now works with scanning platforms that can be installed to phones or tablets, a huge development for smaller contractors who previously would have had to invest in additional (and pricey) purpose-built processors.

鈥淵ou can take a scan with your iPhone,鈥� explained Patton. 鈥淭hat data flows seamlessly into Connect and funnels into our project management software.

鈥淭o finally unlock that value of reality capture has been, for sure, the biggest thing this year.鈥�

Looking ahead, Patton, Finland and DiBenedetto all shared an acute optimism about the future of construction technology.

Patton perhaps summed it up best.

鈥淚t鈥檚 about democratising,鈥� he remarked. 鈥淚t鈥檚 about getting people together and communicating. When I鈥檓 talking to our customers in the field asking these questions, they鈥檙e so ecstatic about it because they鈥檙e able to bring data to the table and not problems.

鈥淭hey鈥檙e able to come to the table and have a conversation and get away from some of that stigmatised version of construction with this argumentative and combative [nature].

鈥淚nstead, it鈥檚 like we have this shared view of the world: How do we collaborate and build better communities together?鈥�