Equipment World Digital Magazine
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/699963
EquipmentWorld.com | July 2016 13 reporter | continued CONSTRUCTION SOLUTIONS topconpositioning.com From start to finish. With you all the way. Lose the Mast! Introducing 3D-MC MAX , Topcon's integrated 3D Dozer System. • Faster blade position updates than any other after-market dozer system • No receivers or antennas mounted to masts on the blade • Unparalleled inertial sensors that are the future of automated dozer performance • The best available grade control on steep slopes, bar none Learn how 3D-MC MAX changes everything and download a list of available dozer models by visiting www.topconpositioning.com/MAX Untitled-27 1 6/14/16 3:49 PM (continued from page 11) Through the TSE you can arrange for a demonstra- tion of a GPS/GNSS machine, acquire the GPS/GNSS factory-ready machine and peripheral hardware (base stations, rovers, etc.), have the TSE to set up your first jobsite and get training for your operators. The TSEs can also help you with trouble shooting, give you recommendations for best practices, get your site plans digitized for import into the machine monitors and even get an aerial survey of your site using drones/ UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles). "If you are new to machine control, you don't just need a machine," says Jason Anetsberger, Komatsu senior product manager. "You need data in that ma- chine. Maybe you need a base station and rover, and a trained operator. In our model of support, all this is just a single phone call away. We'll take you from being a non-user of machine control technology all the way to having a full set up without having to purchase any ad- ditional product or hire additional staff." The TSE service and support model can also be used when you need to rent an intelligent control machine or set up a GPS/GNSS site far from your home base. Komatsu designed its machine control systems to issue data and reports via Komtrax, the company's telematics system. "Instead of waiting for someone to drive out to your site to troubleshoot a problem, the TSEs can remotely connect with any of these intelligent machines and solve the problem," says Anetsberger. The machines come with a cellular modem as standard, and your TSEs can review data about your usage pat- terns and make recommendations on how to optimize your use of 2D and 3D GPS/GNSS. TSEs are dealer employees, and the company started training and putting them into the field in 2013 with the introduction of its first intelligent control dozer. Today, dealers must have a TSE on board to sell Komatsu's intelligent machines. "It takes more than just product to make this work," says Peter Robson, director of Intel- ligent Machine Controls. The TSEs combine construction and machine knowl- edge with three weeks of initial training on technology and 2D and 3D machine control operations, says Rob- son. That's followed by advanced training and continu- ing education, including a lot of informal networking with other TSEs. In the past, when technology was sold and supported by the aftermarket, the experts tended to be indepen- dent and isolated from each other, Robson says. But Komatsu's TSEs have created their own network and regularly compare notes and help each other find solu- tions via conference calls, he says. – Tom Jackson