Trimble Technology Puts Irish Construction Company One Step Ahead of Competition

Maveric Contractors has a different way of looking at the construction industry-one that includes implementing the latest technology into everything they do. As a result, their fresh perspective is helping them not only compete, but thrive in an industry that is in the midst of a global downturn.

All of Maveric Constructors' equipment is outfitted with Trimble hardware and is managed via Trimble Construction Manager software.

From conception to completion, the four year- old civil engineering company based in Galway, in the West of Ireland, relies heavily on technology. In fact, Maveric Contractors utilizes the most advanced solutions available at every step-from survey to site assessment and development, to handing the project over to builders. Maveric employees check their email on their BlackBerries and use sophisticated ground-penetrating radar (GPR) for high resolution sub-surface mapping.

But it is the construction asset management solution from Trimble that is really helping the company prove its value to both current and potential customers. "With fuel and labor costs on the rise, it's important for us to keep a close eye on our cash flow, expenses and profit per job," said Philip McNamara, marketing director at Maveric. "Our clients are also more cost conscious these days, and with Trimble Construction Manager software, we can provide them with very precise data about job progress and costs." With the Trimble Construction Manager solution, Global Positioning System (GPS) hardware is mounted onto Maveric's construction equipment, which includes all company vehicles, excavators and bulldozers.

Back in the office, supervisors access information from Trimble Construction Manager via their desktop computer which is connected to the Internet. The Trimble Construction Manager software displays information about their equipment in real time, including precise location, speed, idle time, cycle times, maintenance alerts and more. In addition, Trimble Construction Manager provides a highly accurate cost assessment tool that enables Maveric to more accurately bid on projects and to charge their clients a more competitive rate. "All of our competitors are guessing at how long it takes to move a certain amount of dirt, or how many trips a dump truck will require," said McNamara. "At any given time, we can log in-or even let our clients log in-to see details about every trip a dump truck has taken, how long it took, how much earth was moved and the exact cost. Because of this level of transparency, we've been winning a lot of work while our competitors are losing money." In addition to more accurately bidding on and billing jobs, Trimble Construction Manager is making it easier for Maveric managers to keep track of their many employees spread across as many as 10 different job sites throughout the country.

From the office in Galway-or anywhere in the world-Maveric decision makers can tell where its machines are located, when they were turned on, how long they're idling and whether operators started work on time that day. In addition to monitoring what's happening on the job site, executives can also manage what's happening on the road. Company owners have cracked down on employees who are speeding because the cost is passed along to the company in the form of higher insurance rates. "All company vehicles-even the owners' trucks-have GPS receivers in them, and the Trimble Construction Manager software will automatically notify us when someone is speeding," said McNamara. "Our policy on speeding is firm-three strikes and you're out, and technology like this makes it easy to enforce." And, according to McNamara, employees have been quick to adopt the new technology and have readily accepted the increased visibility that owners and managers now have into the construction site and on the road. "Given the downturn in the construction industry, a lot of companies are going under. We're winning new work all the time, and very few can offer the job security we're able to offer in today's market," he said. "It's a new era for construction companies. Our employees appreciate that this technology is working for our company, and that we will continue to win more business because of it." The maintenance-tracking component of the software is also paying off for Maveric.

While most companies estimate when a piece of equipment needs maintenance, or keep track of it in a notebook, Trimble Construction Manager automatically sends an e-mail to managers on maintenance due dates. This functionality alone is paying dividends because Maveric can have its equipment serviced precisely when it needs it and there are fewer breakdowns, thus keeping the equipment in the field and operational. In addition to asset management, Maveric is using Trimble GPS technology to guide its earth-moving equipment and obtain millimeter accuracy earth moving precision. Trimble SPS850 base stations link to Trimble MS990 GPS receivers mounted directly on excavators and dozers. The technology allows the equipment to be operated via a computer. "Previously, it would take three people to work on digging one hole-one in the excavator, one holding a laser level and one in the hole taking constant measurements," said McNamara. "Now, GPS technology makes it easy for the machine operator to do this job by himself, and it means no one has the dangerous of job of standing in the hole next to the operating equipment."

McNamara estimates that the company's use of technology enables them to reduce their costs on each project by as much as 15 percent, and he's sure that it helps Maveric win new business. "We always knew technology would differentiate us from the competition, we just didn't realize how much," he said. "Trimble is the best that's out there, so working with them was an easy choice to make. Now, we're always looking for a way to make it even better, easier and more profitable."