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I'm taking a course on emerging technology relating to my field (land surveying) and my first homework assignment was to compare 3 of the leading companies latest instruments, and to make a "capital investment" purchase, based on the current project you're working on, and your company in general. The professor is quite hands' off, and gives next to no direction (he intimates he grades that way as well - show up, do the assignments - A), and this assignment was just to be quite general, and no longer than one page. He didn't even mention he wanted it in paper form (I thought he might want a hand written word cloud and chart). It's one part research, and x parts bullshit as this technology might as well be Greek to me right now. Please tell me what you think, after you wake up. :P
The purpose of this discussion is to compare and contrast the capital purchase of three current Total Station models - Leica TPS1200+, Trimble S8, and the Topcon IS - with their opportunity costs. The amount of money invested in new equipment needs to be justified by the potential to increase revenue using the new equipment, whether it be by decreasing man-hours, or opening up job opportunities that are not accessible using older equipment.
All three models are robotic stations, which eliminate the need for a typical 2-man (and in some cases, 3-man) field crew. Assuming the typical 2-man hourly rate will be applied, the company will immediately begin to accumulate the pay grade of the Instrument Operator for every hour billed. This should more than make up for the extra time required for one person to set-up and break down. The one man crew also eliminates field errors due to miscommunication between crew members. Each of the models also incorporates Bluetooth technology, which enables the field engineer to transmit field data to the home office. This ability to communicate with the home office eliminates the travel time associated with manually downloading field data, which should negate the extra time associated with one person setting up, and breaking down. Instant home office communication can also lead to quicker turn around for problems that may arise in the field, as well as eliminate errors due to verbal communication. The wireless communication also allows a seamless transition of data for clients who wish to process the field data themselves, or via another party. These common features make each instrument a potentially, valuable capital investment, so their individual capabilities must be addressed to make the proper investment.
The Trimble S8 offers an engineering package that allows instant visualization of field data as overlaid onto design data. This is valuable for construction as-built surveys that require a quick turnaround, as the surveyor can quickly inform the contractor whether any items constructed are correct or beyond tolerance, as opposed to the typical one day turnaround of data processing and plotting. The engineering package also decreases the man-hours associated with long-term deformation monitoring. Once the initial round of targets are set and located, the S8 memorizes their locations and the robotic station will monitor the targets without the manual turning. This monitoring program (once the first round is completed) also allows for the surveyor to complete rounds of deformation monitoring at night, which can be invaluable for active, and disruptive, daytime sites. Another factor to consider with purchasing the Trimble S8 is their claim to have less wear and tear due to its "frictionless motion" so the life of the instrument is prolonged, and the cost of typical maintenance is mitigated.
The Leica TPS1200+ has a large, and user-friendly graphic color display which is ideal for the project I'm currently working on - obtaining horizontal, and vertical data in the field and calculating the new design in the field to meet all minimum slope requirements, as well as adequate drainage. The graphic representation of the data I obtain will eliminate the errors of visualizing a 3-dimensional representation of what is current, and the effects of what my design will produce. The TPS1200+ can work with GPS as well, making many projects for a one-man crew that much faster (eliminating the closed traverse control usually required to get onto a set coordinate system, sometimes from a prohibitively long distance), and in some cases, more accurate.
The Topcon IS offers an updated version of laser scanning which is ideal for my company. We were at one time, ahead of the curve when laser scanning first came into the surveying industry in a meaningful way, and were one of the leading "Scanners" in the country (to the point, that we were getting inquiries/projects from overseas). Our aggressiveness in marketing this capability has waned, and it may be due in part to our not upgrading our equipment. We still do an occasional scan job, but it does not generate the revenue it once did, so an investment in Topcon's latest scanner may be the jump-start that is needed to propel my company back to top echelon it once enjoyed. The Photo Fieldbook of the IS also offers near, instantaneous imaging while collecting data so an errors, or missed data can be readily noted and corrected.
The downsides of each capital investment is the initial high cost, which can be regrouped if it decreases man-hours and opens up new job opportunities, and the billable time lost to training. The current state of the economy indicates that this winter will be a reprise of the stagnant/negative revenue stream of the winter of 2007. If the initial cost can be taken on, along with carrying the core workers during the winter, this "dead" time will be the opportune moment to train our workers with the new equipment and software. The Trimble S8 is the most intriguing to myself out of the three models, reviewed and if I were to start my own company I would most likely invest in this model. The Leica TPS1200+ appears to be the most compatible instrument for the current project I'm working on. The project, however, is only scheduled to last 5 years, so that alone should not be my criteria for choosing to invest in this model. For my company, I would choose to invest in the Topcon TPS1200+ to get us back on top of the scanning side of the industry, and also because our familiarity with Topcon equipment may ease the transition during the training, "down time."
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