Equipment World Digital Magazine
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EquipmentWorld.com | September 2016 79 receivers, and perhaps fan lasers, all of which can cause contractors to balk. But in reality, Garcia says, the ROI on machine control systems is so quick that cost isn't nearly the hurdle it used to be. "It's more about the skill set of the crews in the fi eld," he says. And contractors who do dirt work – where stringless controls have been proven performers – may have a leg up on paving-only con- tractors, since their crews already have that skill set. "If a company also does earth- work, they may already have the in- frastructure with their grade control systems on dirt moving equipment and the expertise to use it," Ander- son says. Laikram posits one of the biggest challenges in the paving industry is the low number of contractors who understand the 3D side of things because they aren't involved in the dirt work. "On the dirt side, however, you have contractors who have specialists employed," he says. "Most asphalt contractors don't do the dirt work themselves." Laikram sees this on the jobs he visits. In one instance, an asphalt paver subcontracted the stringline work. "That stringline probably cost them $50,000 to $75,000," he says. "If they had had a 3D system, they could have plugged all of that into the 3D system and controlled the machine right off it." Moving forward Increased adoption of 3D for paving contractors depends on strengthening specifi cation require- ments – some of which may even mandate 3D machine controls. "We're starting to hear states consider making machine con- trol mandatory," Garcia notes. "When that happens, I think we'll see a lot of contractors adopt it. There are contractors who have embraced this technology whole- heartedly and use it extensively in their crews, but they are still the minority." Anderson says a contractor might see 3D paving as an op- portunity to specialize in more challenging work and to be one of only a few who can offer the op- tion as a competitive advantage. "There are considerable differenc- es compared to standard 2D pav- ing in terms of workfl ow, exper- tise, training and infrastructure," he says. "But when the tolerances are tight, these systems are reli- able and worth the investment." More contractors are adopting 3D machine control, Garcia says, adding: "To remain competitive at the bid table, and to ultimately put down the highest quality surface, they need machine control." Y O U R M A C H I N E MAXIMIZE MC-MAX technology with CONSTRUCTION SOLUTIONS topconpositioning.com/MAX 3D-MC MAX Make tighter turns, cut smoother grades, and get the most out of your machine. This revolutionary system features our advanced blade technology that lets you work faster and smarter than ever before. With intelligent automation that intuitively guides you to cut the right depth, grade, and slope every time. And it's versatile enough to work on just about any machine. For more info, visit topconpositioning.com/MAX © 2016 Topcon Positioning Group