Early adoption of technology increases profitability for Benchmark

Benchmark Construction takes pride in delivering contracts on time and within budget for all their clients, and they’ve got a good reputation for using innovative solutions to solve challenging civil engineering problems. So when they saw the iCON Robot 50 total station being demonstrated at a trade show, they were quick to appreciate the potential of what Global Survey was offering.

Benchmark were cautious enough to check with surveyors and other professionals before investing in the station, of course, but everyone they spoke to recommended the adaptability and flexibility of this integrated Leica system – and its rugged construction that delivered extraordinary accuracy.

“We were working on a new Christchurch subdivision at the time,” explained Christchurch Contract Manager Julian Fairmaid, “and the station looked like it might be a good option for us. But right away we saw other advantages. It could cope with all sorts of projects on a lot of different sites and situations – everything from setting out the work site, completing as-builts, site topography, measuring area’s/volumes etc. and the ability to export in any format to supply the engineer. Also, because they’re so busy, it can take surveyors up to a couple of days to make it to site, meaning costly downtime – and now we can do it ourselves within the day!”

Best of all, says Julian, it has meant fine grading and paving can be performed under really tight tolerances and any site or weather conditions. Kerb and channel lines can be thoroughly checked regularly meaning once the kerb subcontractors arrive to site, the grades are extremely accurate. The iCON Robot 50 can also be easily adapted to set up machine guided control, which they are looking to invest in shortly.

He’s full of praise for the support Global Survey has given him throughout. “Two staff spent a day with me, ensuring I was completely confident using it, and that I understood how to get whatever I needed from it. The staff from the Christchurch office is always able to sort me out if I do have a problem, though,” he says. “These are really good guys.” At the moment, just two Benchmark staff have been trained to use the Robot 50, although Julian suspects any of the senior guys could operate it with some training.

The company now owns four pipe lasers and two Rugby 410 rotating lasers as well, all supplied by Global Survey and all integrating seamlessly with each other and the station. “It’s taken the stress levels down a bit,” admits Julian. “We can be sure we’re cutting it right first time, and never accidentally damaging anything. It’s paid for itself already, and we’ve only had it 12 months!”

Investment in Leica’s technology has meant Benchmark jobs can be completed with absolute accuracy, they can be tendered more accurately, and timeframes can be more correctly calculated – which means clients can trust in Benchmark’s project estimates every time.