“We’ve been very successful at getting our models to work with the Leica system. The guys love it, and I don’t think our D6 has been down a day since we bought it. It’s the best investment we’ve made.” —Courtney Statham, Owner, MDB, Inc.
Having worked in heavy construction for more than 15 years in both business and project management roles, Courtney Statham was used to hearing complaints from field personnel about machine control technology. “It felt like we were always fighting the technology, rather than the technology working for us,” she says.
Now owning and running MDB Inc, a general engineering construction firm specializing in earthmoving and demolition work in Southern California, there’s even more at stake. She’s concerned about profitability, but also about meeting deadlines so the company can continue to qualify for bidding opportunities in public works. If a jobsite goes down, the costs can be staggering—upwards of $20,000 a day for the union contractor.
Tim McKenna, operations manager for MDB, was an early adopter of GPS technology. He grew up in construction, first working as an operator alongside his father, then later preparing estimates, doing take-offs and working as a project manager for a large road building contractor.
“Since the early 2000s, GPS systems have given contractors the ability to survey their own cuts and fills and run a topo on the surfaces removed to get paid for those quantities,” says McKenna.
McKenna had some success with these systems, but when GPS technology advanced to machine control, he experienced a number of issues.
“There was such a steep curve to learn the systems, and I couldn’t rely on it,” says McKenna. “There were so many problems. We were investing hundreds of thousands of dollars into the technology, but it was garbage in, garbage out.”
Finding someone to operate the machine control technology was also challenging. “A lot of people said they knew what they were doing but really didn’t,” he says.
When McKenna had the opportunity to purchase GPS systems for MDB, he was determined to fully investigate all the brands to find the right technology.
“I was amazed at how simple the Leica user interface was. With the other brands, there are a lot of file structures and complicated things that you have to know, but with Leica it was one file. It was something you could come back to a week or month later and there wasn’t a big learning curve.” —Tim McKenna, Operations Manager, MDB, Inc.
Dealer Support Makes All the Difference
McKenna reached out to DirtPrep Solutions, the Leica dealer for Southern California, and met with Jason Lambrich, founder and CEO. “I was amazed at how simple the Leica user interface was,” says McKenna. “With the other brands, there are a lot of file structures and complicated things that you have to know, but with Leica it was one file. It was something you could come back to a week or month later and there wasn’t a big learning curve.”
After DirtPrep came out and trained MDB on the system, the field personnel got on board quickly. “We’ve been very successful at getting our models to work with the Leica system,” says Statham. “The guys love it, and I don’t think our D6 [dozer] has been down a day since we bought it. It’s the best investment we’ve made.”
“At DirtPrep we really take pride in helping people get from A to Z,” says Lambrich, “in making the technology investment pay for itself many times over.”
The company first rented, then purchased three iCON GNSS base and rover systems, iCON Site Software, and the Leica MC1 machine control system for a dozer and skip loader. Since adding Leica machine control for the skip loader and dozer, they no longer need to use a motor grader on most jobs.
“It has been very convenient to move the system between different pieces of equipment and to be able to finish with that piece of equipment when we need it for finish,” says Statham. “If we’re not using it for finish, it can be utilized for other functions. We’ve been very successful having a very multifunctional fleet that’s always running. Nothing’s ever sitting.”
Technology has also helped the company win jobs that require greater accuracy or are without a direct line of sight to the sky. For example, the ability to achieve 0.02 ft (1/4 inch) tolerance with a Leica total station enabled the company to win a bid on an artificial turf field in Los Angeles, California.
“If you want to compete in the artificial turf market, you have to have total station capabilities,” says Statham.
Another project required MDB to excavate for a 17-foot shotcrete wall with a 15-degree slope. “We were the only bidder,” says Statham. “Nobody wanted to touch the job because it was so steep and so technical.”
To successfully complete the job, DirtPrep added GPS to an excavator equipped with a grading beam attachment for precise cutting of the wall slope.
“I don’t know how we would have done it without the technology,” Statham says.
In-House Model Creation Improves Workflow
Building their own site models with AGTEK software is another way MDB is gaining a competitive advantage in the market. “One of the frustrations I’ve had over the years is that I could look at a screen and know what a model was supposed to look like and know that it needed to be corrected,” says McKenna. “I could tell somebody to fix it, but I could never really get what I wanted. I decided that I wanted to learn how to build my own model so that I can have the power to make changes.”
After the success with Leica machine control training, MDB again turned to DirtPrep Solutions to train McKenna, and others in the company who wanted to learn how to take an AutoCAD file, bring it into AGTEK software, and build the 3D model. “We invested a lot of time and money, but the results have paid off,” says McKenna.
“We now have several people in the company who can build a model,” he adds.
The result is a better workflow, where jobs are never held up by one person being out sick or unavailable.
“At DirtPrep we really take pride in helping people get from A to Z in making the technology investment pay for itself many times over.” —Jason Lambrich, Founder & CEO, DirtPrep Solutions
Building models in-house also allows the company to build models in stages, which helps improve productivity in the field. “We use the model to simplify things in the field so the equipment operators can focus on how to achieve their goal for the day,” says McKenna. “It takes a lot of the thought process out of the field operation and in return, it gives you more production.”
One of the keys to bringing model creation in-house was the Leica ConX cloud-based collaboration platform. The tool allows key stakeholders to visualize and validate all job-related data in real time.
“We like that ConX allows us to make changes on the model and immediately send it to the machines and rovers through the cloud service,” says McKenna. This allows for greater flexibility and ensures no time is wasted physically delivering files to jobsites.
On the rare occasion there are issues, MDB can rely on the DirtPrep Solutions team for a quick response. “Anytime that we need help, they’re Johnny-on-the-spot,” says Statham. “For us, keeping a crew rolling is key. With the Leica system, they can remotely log in and troubleshoot problems for our guys.”
“Anytime that we need help, DirtPrep is Johnny-on-the-spot. For us, keeping a crew rolling is key. With the Leica system, they can remotely log in and troubleshoot problems for our guys.” —Courtney Statham, Owner, MDB, Inc.
Confidence in Jobsite Data Boosts Success
Since they started using Leica machine control, Statham has a much higher level of confidence in the data she receives from the field. “As a business owner, having the GPS system work as well and as seamlessly as it does is a huge deal because there are schedule constraints and deadlines that we have to meet,” she says. “With the Leica technology, things have been running smoothly and we don’t have downtime. We’re much more successful at hitting schedules.”
The MDB team recognizes how instrumental DirtPrep Solutions has been to their success. McKenna likens them to a turbocharger. “We can chug along at 300 HP with our technology, but when we put on that turbocharger on, it kicks it up to 500 or 600-HP.”
To speak with a heavy construction expert who can guide you on your technology journey, contact us.
