Video: U.S. Heavy Civil Contractors Are Changing Their Construction Technology Brand Preference to Leica Geosystems. Here’s What’s Driving the Transition.

In the realm of construction, where the precision of every measurement and the safety of every worker are paramount, technology matters more than ever. While the U.S. industry has long relied on a few established brands, a new name has begun to take hold for machine control and other technology. Increasingly, heavy civil contractors in the region are recognizing what the global industry has long known — Leica Geosystems is a leading innovator and unmatched partner in redefining excellence in construction operations.

In a recent interview, Troy Dahlin, vice president of the heavy construction segment for Leica Geosystems in the U.S. and Canada, highlighted six key reasons heavy civil contractors are increasingly changing their technology brand preference to Leica.

While Leica Geosystems’ journey in the U.S. construction industry has occurred primarily over the last decade, the company has a rich history spanning 200 years of innovation in the surveying and geospatial industry.

“Being able to use that history and the reputation around excellence in positioning and data quality has really translated over,” Dahlin explains. “As we take care of customers, we gain their advocacy in the market and build our brand reputation. So although we started later in the market, we’ve been growing the business very, very quickly.”

This move has not only expanded Leica’s horizons but has also established the brand as a key player in modernizing construction processes.

A pivotal aspect of the transition is Leica Geosystems’ compatibility and interoperability with equipment from leading manufacturers, including John Deere, Caterpillar, Case New Holland, JCB, SANY, Liebherr, and others in the roading business. Dahlin also notes the long-standing relationship with OEMs like Amaco Construction Equipment Inc.

These collaborations make it easier for contractors to find and use Leica Geosystems technology on their construction projects.

Leica’s commitment to innovation is evident in its unique approach to machine control solutions. Unlike traditional systems, Leica’s offerings are designed with an open architecture strategy.

“Contractors in general do not run exclusively one brand of machine, even one brand of pickup,” Dahlin says. “We really pride ourselves on making sure that we have an open architecture strategy where contractors can have a mixed fleet of technologies on a site.”

With a growing emphasis on safety in construction, it’s not surprising that contractors are making safety innovation a primary consideration for construction technology. Here, too, Leica Geosystems offers an advantage.

“Within machine control, we’re incorporating some of our other technologies around safety awareness such as our partnership with Xwatch, where some intelligence can be built into a design to prevent an excavator, for example, from swinging into a building or hitting the utility,” explains Dahlin. “So creating avoidance zones where we’ll just hydraulically lock out the machine, not just on digging, but raising the boom, swinging, all of those things — even the travel motors on the tracks to stop them from creating damage on a project site.”

“There’s some really interesting blending of the technologies on-machine and off-machine that help really set us apart with respect specifically to machine control,” he adds.

While machine control is a valuable tool to gain efficiency on the jobsite, it isn’t the only tool today’s contractors need to stay competitive. With the right technology, everyone on the site can contribute to the project being on spec, on budget, and on time, and to bringing people home safely.

Dahlin points out that Leica’s solutions go beyond machine control to include ground-penetrating radar for mapping underground utilities, wearable safety technologies, collision avoidance systems, reality capture products, and jobsite surveillance. This broad spectrum of solutions underscores Leica’s dedication not only to improving efficiency and accuracy on construction sites but also to fostering a positive work environment for construction professionals.

“When people are feeling productive, they’re feeling safe, they’re feeling like they’re contributing to this greater cause, it’s a big benefit to their mental health, even their willingness to stay in the industry longer,” Dahlin says. “So there are a lot of very obvious benefits, and then there are a whole lot of intangibles that are huge that technology can help provide.”

At its core, Leica Geosystems is not merely a provider of products but a partner in building the future of construction. With a vision that encompasses the entirety of heavy construction operations, Leica is leading the way in revolutionizing construction sites. The company’s unwavering commitment to excellence, safety, and productivity is setting new benchmarks in the industry.

“Products are great, but support is everything,” Dahlin says. “We make sure that we back up the quality of our products with the high quality of service through ourselves and our partners as well.”

To learn more about how to maximize productivity on your construction projects, contact us.