Skip to main content

Topcon: Technology the only way to meet infrastructure needs

Operators, materials and machines will not be able to keep pace with growing infrastructure needs as the global population grows, a Topcon Positioning Group official said on Wednesday. The solution: technology. “That’s the only way we can meet that gap in the construction industry,” Mark Contino, vice president of global marketing, said at a press conference on Wednesday.
January 6, 2017 Read time: 2 mins
Topcon's LN100
Operators, materials and machines will not be able to keep pace with growing infrastructure needs as the global population grows, a 342 Topcon Positioning Group official said on Wednesday.

The solution: technology. “That’s the only way we can meet that gap in the construction industry,” Mark Contino, vice president of global marketing, said at a press conference on Wednesday.

Contino said the global population will grow 30% in the next few decades. “That will create infrastructure demands,” he said. But those demands cannot be met by today’s equipment and workforce. “There are only so many machines, and so many operators, to get this work done,” he said.

Technology will increasingly have to be used to find efficiencies to fill that gap, he said.

A more immediate change Contino and others at Topcon have observed is the increased use of technology by smaller contractors. A few years ago the contractors said they couldn’t afford the technology. “Now they say I can’t compete anymore unless I have it,” Contino said.

It’s up to companies such as Topcon to find ways to make that technology accessible and user friendly, he said.

He pointed to the company’s LN-100, a BIM 3D layout solution, as an example. The product, released in December, integrates flow of project data from the design to the field. The unit provides straightforward operation, removing what Topcon refers to as “the intimidation factor.
%$Linker: 2 Asset <?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-16"?><dictionary /> 2 48696 0 oLinkExternal www.topconpositioning.com Visit Topcon Positioning Systems Website false /EasySiteWeb/GatewayLink.aspx?alId=48696 false false%>

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Topcon’s multi-platform i33 3D indicate system
    January 6, 2017
    The i33 is Topcon’s cutting-edge economical and multi-platform 3D indicate grade system. The new system features GPS technology and a graphical display to provide a powerful indicate system at an economical price.
  • Topcon and DynaRoad announce major software upgrade
    January 6, 2017
    Topcon Positioning Group and DynaRoad Oy of Helsinki, Finland, have announced the release of DynaRoad 5.3 construction planning and control software.

 Juuso Makinen, CEO of DynaRoad Oy, said, “One of the largest project management challenges is collecting real-time information from large sites and comparing it to plans. We’re excited to be the first ones offering a solution to this.” DynaRoad claims to be the first software in the world to automatically monitor, update, and report schedule progress of eart
  • Topcon and DynaRoad announce major software upgrade
    April 18, 2013
    Topcon Positioning Group and DynaRoad Oy of Helsinki, Finland, have announced the release of DynaRoad 5.3 construction planning and control software.

 Juuso Makinen, CEO of DynaRoad Oy, said, “One of the largest project management challenges is collecting real-time information from large sites and comparing it to plans. We’re excited to be the first ones offering a solution to this.” DynaRoad claims to be the first software in the world to automatically monitor, update, and report schedule progress of eart
  • Topcon technology expanded to include haul trucks
    January 6, 2017
    Topcon Positioning Group is applying its technology to haul trucks, the company announced on Wednesday. “Our objective has always been to automate a construction site as much as possible,” said Kris Maas, manager of machine control product marketing for Topcon. “We know we can’t, or at least shouldn’t, remotely operate any vehicle. But, we can and should do the next best thing—manage and track the whereabouts and payload of site material. That’s what HT-30 does.”