For a limited time only, you can get a Loadmaster Alpha 100 system for less than $6,000 + GST! 

We’ve partnered with our buddies at iSeekplant to bring you this exclusive offer. So ensure you take productivity to the max in 2016 and beyond with a system that will save time, increase productivity and ensure you load it right the first time, every time. 

*This campaign has now closed.  Keep an eye out for the next hot deal!

Interested?

Give us a call on 1300 867 266 or

fill out your details on the iSeekplant page and we’ll explain how you can start saving money on fuel and machine wear and maximise tons per hour performance right away. 

 

 

Sokkia distributor, Position Partners NZ Ltd, announces the release of SOKKIA’s new iX Series robotic total station.   Specifically designed for survey applications, the iX is built to exceed expectations with high precision and ultimate reliability.

New ultra-sonic motors enable the iX Series to turn 150 degrees in a single second – fast enough to keep up with the most challenging of tasks. A third smaller than its predecessors, the iX is also compact and lightweight to make transporting and setting up easier.

“Sokkia’s new robotic turns to a single point faster than ever, and is extremely user friendly,” said Jamie Nelson, Sales Manager for Sokkia’s exclusive New Zealand distributor, Position Partners NZ Ltd.

“When combined with the new SHC-5000 tablet, Sokkia’s range of GNSS solutions and the power of MAGNET software, surveyors now have access to a seamless workflow solution that will take productivity to the max,” he added.

Sokkia’s new SHC-5000 field computer has 15 hours’ battery life, two built in cameras, GNSS, cell modem, and a 7inch sunlight-readable display.   This can be easily coupled with the SOKKIA RC-PR5 quick search accessory kit, or Sokkia’s Hybrid solution that enables users to switch between optical or GNSS positioning at the touch of a button.

Driving the productivity and power of these devices is the MAGNET software suite.  With the latest version 4.0 release, MAGNET offers a new level of direct communication with other systems and has improved work flow from field to CAD programmes.

For increased peace of mind and to protect customer investment, the iX Series comes with a threeyear instrument warranty and five year motor warranty, backed by Position Partners’ factory trained staff for servicing and support.

“In today’s climate where you compete to meet efficiency and productivity demands, the security of knowing you have total back up and support for your survey instruments is vital,” explained Jamie Nelson, Position Partners NZ’s Sales Manager.

I’ve been providing hardware solutions to the geospatial industry for most of my career and there has been a consistent complaint from end users about unscheduled costs for the upkeep of instrumentation. It’s usually expressed in the high cost of replacements parts like batteries and cables, or sometimes the loss of income during a service or repair. The net cost of these ongoing expenses, plus the purchase price, amounts to the total cost of ownership.

Want to know how to fix the total cost of ownership for up to five years?

Like good car service agreements, some survey equipment suppliers include a certain amount of service costs in a maintenance package, although most fall short of offering a complete wear and tear solution.

The pressure and demands on a surveyor are ever increasing. You need to concentrate on your job and your surveying equipment needs to be like a ninja, silent, efficient and precise. Stay with me on this.

Cost of uptime

Even with good care things can just break or fault. Regardless of brand, batteries die, cables break, and electrical equipment can fault. Whereas a standard maintenance agreement would draw the line at the instrument itself, a comprehensive plan takes the unknown costs out of the equation and extends to everything in the box.

When you subscribe to one of our plans, If your battery goes flat, it gets replaced free of charge. If your UHF antenna is faulty, it too is fixed at no cost. If anything else faults from normal wear and tear, it’s covered.

Just as Kochie keeps reminding small businesses and families to demand more from the banks, surveyors should get better support from their suppliers, and thats exactly what we’ve done!

Imagine starting your new survey business and being able to lock in your costs for up to 5 years. You can finance the complete solution over a 5 year term and know exactly what your costs are to establish your competitive rates and keep your cash flowing to more important things……like a fishing boat!

Cost of downtime

Survey equipment is no different to people, sometimes they get sick. And just like being sick and out of the field, downtime on survey hardware will cost you money…..not anymore! When one ninja falls another takes its place, silent, precise efficient. Our maintenance plan includes no change loan equipment in the unlikely event of any hardware failure.

Getting your equipment serviced and calibrated every year is important to keep you as productive and your results as precise as possible. The service is of course included in a good maintenance contract and loan equipment is always provided for all scheduled services.

Our comprehensive maintenance agreements mean the hardware is completely covered. The only time you’ll need to put your hand in your pocket is if you leave it on the tray and drive off…..even then your insurance will step in.

The cost of this hassle-free, no surprises plan? A lot less than you would expect. Just as having your equipment running keeps you more productive, having the majority of customer equipment regularly serviced keeps our productivity up too. Planning for the unexpected means we are faster and more efficient at handling those instances, which keeps our costs down too.

Don’t accept those surprise costs as part and parcel of owning surveying gear.

Partner with us and you can and should get a better deal that wears the unexpected failures and keeps you out in the field doing what you do best, surveying.

Article by: Cameron Waters – National Product Manager – Geospatial

 

 

If someone handed you a Nokkia 5110 to run your business you would likely laugh them out of the room…..after playing snake for a few minutes.

The same could also be said for today’s smart phone, if it doesn’t have a data plan then it’s just a phone and not very smart at all, certainly not smart enough to help run your business.

I could even go one step further and suggest that if your data isn’t centrally stored and accessible remotely then you might as well keep playing snake on the 5110.

So why do I still see so many projects and surveyors using old data collectors when we are all using smartphones in our daily lives?

The mobile computing market has had some big changes that have directly affected the surveying and construction industry in a very positive way. 

In terms of point positioning you can only store points as fast as you can walk and whilst improvements to GNSS and robotic total station equipment do make incremental improvements, the vast amount of productivity is really achieved through the field controller and software. The good news is that these have the lowest impact to your budget and highest impact to your productivity.

So here is why I think you should upgrade you survey controller today.

1. Performance

Gone are the days when you had small project files or the time to disseminate what you need for your work. Often the project file is the entire job and your work needs to be done yesterday. This is where the power of a full-featured Windows tablet comes into its own, handling huge files at lightning speed.

The extra grunt also allows software developers to look at 3D and a range of other visualisation features to help you make decisions in the field.

2. Flexibility

The old style data collectors are good for only one thing, collecting or setting out data. The same is not true for the modern tablet. These are consumer level devices and the good ones will come standard with Windows 10. This mean you can run your field software, office processing, word processing, spreadsheets, accounting, time sheets….should I keep going…..it’s likely more powerful than the computer you’re reading this on. Don’t pigeon hole the device for a single purpose, use it for the complete end to end management of your business and maximise your investment by making it your all-in-one survey and business computer.

3. Mobility

Just like a smartphone without a data plan, a survey tablet without a data plan isn’t very smart. If you’re not managing data remotely, getting support remotely, managing people remotely then I’m afraid you simply won’t be in business for too much longer. People’s time is likely the biggest cost in your business and keeping them productive is essential to managing that cost. The right data, accessed remotely from a common location is a key to this success and cloud computing has opened the door for companies of all sizes to have instantly deployable productivity applications to manage all aspects of the business.

4. Gen-Y demands it, and your business needs them

This might throw some of you but Gen Y’s primary motivation for choosing an employer won’t be money……..sounds crazy but stay with me. Technology is a key factor in their choice. If you’re taking advantage of cloud productivity on a modern survey tablet then you’re far more likely to attract and keep the best of the next generation. The same can’t be said if you hand them a Set-2 with a field book and pencil!

5. Price

The survey market and the consumer market have finally met and the result is the survey tablet. Unlike the old SDR33s, TDS Rangers and Juniper Allegros, the modern tablets are used by a huge range of markets, reducing manufacturing unit costs and passing the savings onto end users. A survey tablet with all the above advantages is still around $1,500-$2,500 less than a ‘data collector’ equivalent.

Call one of our offices today on your Cloud-connected smartphone and we’ll improve your surveying experience just like the smartphone has for the rest of your life…..1300 867 266

7 Must have features for a new survey tablet – click here

 

 Article by:  Cameron Waters – National Product Manager – Geospatial