Topcon Positioning Systems (TPS) has announced that Queensland-based Greg Frankish has been appointed regional survey sales manager for Australia and New Zealand. In his new role, Frankish will be in charge of survey sales for the Topcon line of products and will work directly with the company’s distributor network in the region. He will report to Murray Lodge, vice president of the TPS construction business unit. Frankish was a mine surveyor for more than 17 years before moving into the sales area, where he worked as a GPS sales team leader for survey dealer C.R. Kennedy in Australia. While with C.R. Kennedy, he worked closely with regional surveyors. Lodge said, “Greg’s reputation, experience and knowledge will be of immense
 Topcon Positioning Systems (TPS) has recently announced an industry-leading 5-year warranty on all laser products. Australian distributor Aptella has also confirmed that every Topcon manufactured laser product sold from 1st January this year – including pipe, construction, interior and slope lasers – will be covered by the new warranty. Brian Juroff, TPS construction director of sales, said, “Topcon’s eight decades of high quality manufacturing and proven reliability in the field has provided an umbrella of assurance and confidence for global construction customers. That guaranteed protection, extended to five years, is the best in the industry.” “Topcon has set the standard in the construction laser market for years,” Juroff said. “This new, industry-leading manufacturer’s guarantee is just another way
Aptella has launched an integrated suite of telematics services designed specifically for civil construction, quarrying, mining and related applications, incorporating machine tracking, remote servicing and site management. Tokara™ (from the Aboriginal word for “track”) allows users to monitor, service and control all plant equipment – across all machinery makes and models – remotely from any location and in real time. Tokara consists of three service platforms: Tokara Tracking, Tokara Service and Tokara Site, with each based on the same hardware, allowing users to upgrade at any time. The solution also incorporates Topcon’s advanced communication system, SiteLINK 3D, which powers the Tokara Site platform. Functions of the three Tokara platforms are: Tokara Tracking: Improving machine utilisation with customised tracking
Welcome to the fourth Automating your World column, a series of advice articles by Aptella technical experts. In this series of articles, we look at the various aspects of machine control solutions. In the previous column, we looked at how single-antenna, twin-antenna and dual-mast GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System – a generic term for all satellite positioning systems, including GPS)) grade control systems compared to each other and which application each was best suited for. GNSS-based 3D grade control systems have made a major impact on how heavy construction is done, but they still have limitations when it comes to achieving very tight vertical accuracies. This is true regardless of which brand you use. And, while triple-constellation (GPS,
At the recent Topcon Positioning Systems dealer conference in San Francisco, Aptella won four out of 20 global awards at the company’s annual global dealer awards presentation. These awards were for the best-performing Topcon global distributors and dealers, and were as follows: Top 10 sales award for survey products Aptella Queensland (formerly ABC Lasers) Top 10 sales award for construction products Aptella NSW (formerly LaserQuip) Aptella Victoria (formerly Laser Beams) Aptella Queensland (formerly ABC Lasers) “Our success in winning these awards reflects Aptella’ hard work, dedication and commitment to delivering product sales and customer service to our customers,” said a company spokesperson. “These awards demonstrate on a global scale that we measure up to and exceed similar organisations
Welcome to the third Automating your World column, a series of advice articles by Aptella’ technical experts. In this series of articles, we look at the various aspects of machine control solutions. Look at any job site and you can immediately tell whether or not the contractor is taking advantage of 3D grade control: The ubiquitous masts sticking up from the blades of the machines give them away instantly. They are on graders, dozers, scrapers and excavators and are now a common sight on Australian job sites. But why is it that some machines have a single mast and others have two? Is there a difference between the systems? Is one better than the other? How do I
Welcome to the second Automating your World column, a series of advice articles by Aptella’ technical experts. In this series of articles, we look at the various aspects of machine control solutions. Figure 1 One of the questions I am asked most often is: “How does the 3D system know how much to cut?” Many prospective 3D grade control buyers quickly grasp the concept that a GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) receiver mounted on the blade of a motor grader can give you the position of the cutting edge of the blade in real time. However, how the computer in the cab knows where grade is and how it gets that information deserves an explanation. Before we proceed,
A new series of high-quality, affordable machine control sensors – the LS-B100 series – was recently announced by Topcon Positioning Systems (TPS). The LS-B100 series, including the LS-B100, LS-B110 and LS-B110W (wireless), offers a modern new design and increased functionality. Replacing the LS-B2 and B4 models, the new series provides the tightest accuracy and largest working range of machine control receivers in the market today, according to Neil Other, Topcon Positioning Systems Australia and New Zealand sales manager. “The LS-B100 series is ideal for dozers, box blades, excavators and backhoes,” he said. “Its unique features, such as on-grade matching and wireless capability, offer unmatched performance on any job site.” Features of the LS-B100 family include: Large working range
