Max Goodman of Waikanae-based Goodman Contractors won the latest round of the EPIC Photo Competition (themed ‘EPIC Technology’), after sending in an awesome photo of Goodmans’ excavator operator Mitch doing finishing earthworks on the Peka Peka to Otaki Expressway using the Trimble GPS system built into his excavator.
“We have been using GPS for a long time now, but we have integrated it a lot more over the past five years,” he says.
Max says it’s important to have precision and a good quality finish, something that can be tricky to achieve when working on projects of the scale of the Peka Peka to Ōtaki project. The GPS technology allows the operator to achieve work productively, accurately and to fine tolerances. Operators have current designs loaded in their machines and can constantly check their work. At the same time, as-built information is being recorded.
“We like to think that people can see the finish looks awesome and tidy. Goodmans leave the job in the best condition we can. From the photo, you can see Mitch has done a massive amount of work. And after that work has been done, it will be planted out.”
He says the civil construction industry is becoming increasingly high-tech, which will enable contractors to appeal to people like PC and console ‘gamers’, who can put their focus, strategic skills and technological understanding to good use in a career where talented excavator operators are needed.
Want to see more EPIC photos of infrastructure in action? Head over to our EPIC Photos page.
>Round four of the EPIC Photo Competition: EPIC People is now open! Do you work in civil construction and infrastructure? Enter now>>
