Precision Laser & Instrument Inc. has been very busy in the Buckeye State lately.

In the first part of September, the company was on hand at several Ohio CAT locations to lend technical support to the AccuGrade GPS Grade Control training sessions. Then it teamed up with Trimble to put on the Precision Laser/Trimble Technology Day, which educates and trains Ohio contractors on the increased efficiency, safety and profitability as technology moves the industry toward the “connected site.”

Technology Day was hosted by the Ohio Operating Engineers Apprenticeship & Training program in Miamisburg, OH, on Sept. 22. Mike Cassity and Maurice Davis, both instructors of the Ohio Operating Engineers, said the organization was happy to offer its site and assistance for the event.

Cassity and Davis know first hand the effect that both laser and GPS technology are having on the industry, but they are the first to admit that the technologies have come a long way in the past 10 to 15 years.

Cassity spearheaded the GPS program of the Ohio Operating Engineers and when the technology was first introduced it required an extremely high level of training and a major commitment from the companies and people involved.

“Back then, the training required a dedicated full time effort that many found was difficult to get through,” he said. “Now, the systems they use are incredibly user friendly.”

A few of the many advantages that Trimble’s grade control technology offers include:

• Increased applications — the system was originally introduced for dozers only. Now, in addition to dozers, it can be used on motorgraders, excavators and scrapers. The sensors can be switched from machine to machine easily.

• Significant increases in productivity through improved accuracy, virtually eliminating the need for reworking of materials.

• Reduced wear and tear on equipment and reduced fuel consumption.

• Increased safety that reduces the need for large numbers of personnel on site to move stakes and check grades.

• Remote monitoring of equipment for productivity status and security.

The event offered sessions that explained many of these benefits and introduced the products that make them possible, such as Trimble Site Vision office software, two-way data communication, laser and sonics, GPS, accessories for 3D and Trimble Construction Manager Software for asset and personnel management.

Based on the number of contractors in attendance for the events, GPS technology is catching on fast in Ohio.

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