Measuring and survey instrument manufacturer (Sokkia) celebrates its 100th anniversary. The company was founded in Japan in 1920. Sokkia’s main distributor in Oceania, Aptella, reflects on the brand’s technology journey. Founded in Japan in 1920 under the name ‘Sokkisha,’ Sokkia marks its 100th year of manufacturing survey and measurement instruments for the surveying, construction and geospatial sectors. Technological innovation has come a long way since the company’s first instrument, a 12-inch Wye level that was introduced in 1920. In subsequent years, Sokkia developed a reputation for high precision and quality manufacturing of its survey instruments. Innovating in the 80s The 1980s was a period of rapid technological development for the company, including the release of the Sokkisha
Contractors reap the benefits of iDig 2D excavator grade control Two New Zealand contractors share their experience with the latest 2D excavator grade control technology. Ireland Earthmovers, based in Matamata in New Zealand’s North Island, specialises in a wide range of earthmoving work including small civil jobs, site clearance, building, drainage and agricultural projects. Owners Ricky and Jenn Ireland (pictured above) have one 6.5-tonne and two 13-tonne Hitachi excavators and the company recently invested in an iDig 2D excavator grade control system that they saw recommended online. Between a laser and a full-scale 3D grade control system “I was interested in a cost-effective machine guidance option that was more advanced than a laser receiver on the dipper, without
Serious Crash Unit delivers faster turnarounds and increased efficiency thanks to Sokkia GNSS New Sokkia GNSS technology is helping New Zealand Police’s Serious Crash Units (SCUs) survey crash scenes and get traffic flowing again faster. Having upgraded from theodolites, users report up to 50% time savings thanks to the new systems. Staff in Wellington, Canterbury, Central, Eastern, Bay of Plenty and Waikato districts are using Sokkia GRX GPS units which are credited with nearly halving the time roads need to be closed for mapping a crash scene. Training was delivered to staff in the Tāmaki Makaurau districts with a view to introducing them there. The remaining districts will have the systems rolled out in due course. Police worked
When Karl Lloyd joined C W Glasgow Contractors in November 2018, he was searching for a GNSS system to use on site to help with construction set out, topographical surveys and as-builts. The Sokkia GRX3 GNSS receiver was new to the market and Alex from Aptella offered an onsite demonstration. “Alex was more than happy for us to import the design data into the system and we used it to set out the first 100m of the stream alignment; Alex even banged the pegs in for us!” said Mr Lloyd. C W Glasgow Contractors is currently working on a range of projects. One of these projects is the Taiaotea Environmental Enhancement based in Sherwood Reserve, Browns Bay. The
