With another lockdown upon us, political uncertainty at home and abroad and winter fast approaching there are many aspects of the future over which we have little or no control…and we’ve certainly not been short of media advice on how to deal with the unexpected gracefully – keep calm, be patient, develop acceptance, adapt to the new conditions.

These are wise words indeed, but here at KOREC we’d like to offer something a little more concrete.

When you buy any Trimble S-Series Total Station (S5, S7 or S9) before the end of November, we will give you a 3 Year KOREC Total Care Package (KTCP) FREE. In short, peace of mind for 3 years with your Trimble S-Series instrument.

Our free KTCP package includes 6 key benefits:

  1. Annual Calibration on unit for 3 years.

For those that collect the data and those that use the data, it’s vital that 100% confidence exists in the quality of all information collected. Regular calibration checks not only ensure that instrument error – a possible source of inaccuracy – is avoided but can also prolong the life of your instrument by flagging up any maintenance issues. The Survey Association has an excellent Briefing Note on calibration that you can read here.

 

  1. FREE Non-Damage related repairs.

Our KOREC service technicians are fully trained to the highest standards, offering you complete confidence and peace of mind that your kit is in the best hands.

We have two service & support centres – located in Huntingdon (UK) and Dublin (Ireland). Both of these sites are Trimble certified, holding Service Level 3 – the highest level of certification available for a Trimble dealer.

 

  1. L2P (Locate to Protect) included

There’s nothing we like more than hearing about technology delivering exactly what it’s designed for, and that’s why we’ve heard many times over that Trimble’s L2P tracking and AllTrak software has provided KOREC customers with the means to track and recover stolen survey instruments. A recovered instrument reduces insurance claims and site down time as well as enabling our industry to track and prosecute thieves. Read just one example of how L2P has done just that here.

  1. Software and Firmware updates for Trimble Access and Robotic for 3 years

Updates contain important changes that enable your on-board and office software to run with stability and maximum efficiency. The KOREC Total Care Package ensures that you will have free access to all related software and firmware updates for 3 years along with clear instructions on where to find them and how to install them.

 

  1. 5% off a hire replacement unit

If site damage does occur to your S-Series Total Station, then we will offer a 5% discount on a hire replacement to keep you productive in the field whilst your own instrument is being turned around in our workshop.

 

  1. Dedicated specialist technical phone support

A fast solution to your problems when you are under pressure or working within tight time scales on site is something all our KOREC customers tell us they value highly. Trimble and KOREC trained, our technical support team has a high level of specialised knowledge on S-Series instruments and software enabling them to solve problems quickly, often on a single call.

Find out more about why the Trimble S-Series is rated so highly, visit our Total Station page.

This October we wanted to recognise Black History Month in our own, unique KOREC way. So we put it to our people – we asked our colleagues to tell us who inspires them, or has made a positive impact on their life.

These people could be world-famous faces, or a close personal friend. They could have shaped the course of history, or simply made a grey day a little brighter. We were delighted with the response from our colleagues, and we are pleased to share them with you.

Rachael Whelan is inspired by…Phil Lynott

Phil Lynott is an inspiration of mine as he was born in the late 1940s and grew up as practically the only Black person in Ireland. He was picked on because of his race but it instilled in him a fantastic confidence in himself that you could see on stage when he performed.  He formed the band Thin Lizzy in 1969 after being fired from the band Skid Row for not being a good singer!  The main line up for the band changed from time to time but Thin Lizzy was essentially Phil Lynott.  Best songs where ‘Boys Are Back in Town’ (featured in Toy Story 1) and the rock version of the Irish Trad song, ‘Whiskey in the Jar’ (also covered by Metallica).  He died of pneumonia on 4th January 1986, he was 36 years old.  In 2005 a statue of Phil was unveiled on Dublin’s Grafton street to commemorate him.

Rachael is an office administrator in our Dublin office

Debbie Vincent is inspired by…the children of South Africa

Mine would have to be the children that my son met out in South Africa in November 2016 – he went there with the Mellon Educate Mellon Charity completing a school building project.  Such happy bright individuals suffering hardship every day!

Debbie is Operations Manager of our Huntingdon office

   

Sarah Rodney is inspired by….Lincoln Noel

I would like to nominate my friend Lincoln Noel.  He’s a talented pianist and church organist and a very dear friend of mine.  He has supported me personally through good times and bad.  During lockdown, he would put on a little concert on Facebook on a Sunday afternoon and my daughter and I would sing along and dance round the kitchen like a pair of loons.  This was a wonderful way to boost morale during a very dark time and was often the highlight of my week.

Sarah is Hire & Workshop controller at our Huntingdon office

Julian Gray is inspired by…Nelson Mandela

How do I sum this man up in a few sentences? As a white African man growing up in South Africa, the background and context is vitally important to understanding this, something the rest of the world will find hard to grasp but let me try…

In the mid-1980s, my country was divided along racial lines with a division that was deep, cruel and affected every person, black and white living in our beautiful land. Hatred across the board was a passion all experienced at some level or other. And then one day, FW de Klerk announced that enough was enough and the laws supporting this system were abolished, and the one person we had come to believe epitomised everything we as white Africans fought against and black Africans defended, was released. For the first time we saw and heard Nelson Mandela –and heard his first speech calling for Peace and Reconciliation. Peace? Reconciliation? Huh? Where was the battle cry? Where was the call to arms?

This man started to perform a miracle. He spoke of Peace. He acted out Peace, He exuded Peace. He brought together enemies who hated the very ground each other walked on, made us all sit around a table, share a meal, talk together, work together. He taught us the meaning of the word Forgiveness. He was not alone – next to him was another great man Bishop Desmond Tutu – and they calmed the land, and brought Peace. They enabled us to start to heal. To realise that our enemy was not our enemy, but a fellow African, with dreams, aspirations, fears, joys just like us. He changed the whole country to the Rainbow Nation it is today. He changed me. We called him Madiba – Father of the Nation. And he truly was.

My deep regret is that he was part of our lives for such a short time. If only he had been there in the 1970s, if only he had shown us earlier that what we were doing, what we were defending was so unbelievably wrong…

Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela, father of the Nation, Madiba – without any doubt in my mind the greatest man to walk this Planet in the last 200 years.

Julian is a structural monitoring specialist

Florentin Toplicianu is inspired by…Barack Obama

I am inspired by this man, of course well known as the 44th President of the United States and the first African-American to hold the office.

As President, he slowly ended US participation in the Iraq War, having prepared the country to defend itself. He signed the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (often called “Obamacare”) which changed many health care laws and made affordable healthcare a reality for many millions of people.He also enacted many acts to create public works jobs to help the economy.

He became the first President to openly express support for gay marriage, proposed gun control and opened diplomatic relations with Cuba.

In 2009, he won the Peace Nobel Prize for his “extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between people”

In November 2015, he attended the Paris Climate Conference held in Paris, France. The United States committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Florentin works in our geospatial technical support team, in our Liverpool office

Black History month (UK) is marked every October, and the theme for 2020 is ‘Dig Deeper, Look Closer, Think Bigger’. Find out more about BHM on the official website;

https://www.blackhistorymonth.org.uk/

This September marks something of a milestone for Debbie Vincent, our Operations Manager (Huntingdon branch) – 10 years at KOREC.

Many UK KOREC customers may be familiar with Debbie and her team, but to mark her decade with the company, we asked Debbie to look back over her years working with us. Here’s what she had to say;

So, it’s been a journey, let me begin,

Back in July 2010 I was made redundant from a position I had held for almost 15 years, sadly the company was no longer and I found myself in the big wide world along with many others looking for work.  I just happened to bump in to a friend who said ‘they are looking for admin staff where I work I am sure you would fit in’ – this was the start of my journey.  I started with KOREC on the 8th September 2010.

Covering maternity leave for the admin team working for the Machine Control side of the business – I loved this as it was similar to what I had come from, the majority of machine control kit had to be installed so you had a number of factors to consider on every sale.  At that time we covered the three operational roles which included sales, workshop and hire for the product area you were working in.

Debbie with some of her team in Huntingdon

After a couple of years a role became available in the hire department which I was fortunate enough to manage.  This role gave me a huge insight into the products, which has stood me in good stead throughout my career here.  Hire is extremely reactive so you have to be able to juggle a number of balls without letting any drop to the ground!

From the hire role I was promoted to Operations Manager at the Huntingdon depot something I continue to do to this day – this role allows me to oversee the day to day running of the depot whilst ensuring our clients get the best possible service.

How time changes things, I have seen the TSC2 now replaced by the TSC7, R4 GPS units now replaced with R12’s, and now a unit that calibrates itself, nothing stays the same for long in this fast paced working environment!

But, I can honestly say I have truly enjoyed my time at KOREC, the people I work with and have met along the way have been truly wonderful 😊

From all of us at KOREC, thank you Debbie for your decade of dedication!

Find out more about our world-class workshops & facilities on our Service page.

The story of 2 customers

Cast your mind back to September 2019, when trade events were in full swing. At INTERGEO, Trimble announced the launch of a new type of laser scanner – one that delivers powerful performance, with simple operation.

The X7 promised fast, simple and accurate laser scan results, but 1 year on, does the product live up to the hype?

Barry Burrows takes delivery of his X7 from KOREC’s Barry Monk

Barry Burrows of BB Solutions didn’t have to think twice before making the purchase and became the first customer in the UK to own an X7. Since then Barry has put his new kit to the test on multiple occasions and has found that it was the perfect piece of kit for him and his business.

“I watched a few product videos on YouTube, read some online reviews and after about 15 minutes I knew that this was the right kit for me and my business.”

“With that scanner the amount of data collected was huge – I would easily spend 6-8 hours back at the office just processing the data, a lot of which was only needed for registration and would then be discarded”

In August, Survey Solutions took delivery of four brand new Trimble X7 laser scanners to use across their UK offices. The ongoing investment in the latest tech will insure that they continue to supply their clients with the best possible data as well as meeting important project deadlines.

“Laser scanning is a huge part of our measured building service and the new scanners further help our teams carry out their on-site survey and office processing.”

The Trimble X7 has most definitely lived up to expectations and gone above and beyond in just 365 days and we can’t wait to see what the X7 will get up to next.

To see for yourself just what the X7 can do, click here

KOREC are delighted to today (11th August 2020) be announcing their new initiative, Meet the Experts, to further help and support their growing customer base.

The concept is to increase awareness and understanding of eight key business areas and solutions, which are;

Each KOREC Expert has been selected for their specific experience, product knowledge, industry connections, and ability to share that knowledge with our customer base.

The initiative was launched with a introductory video interview with laser scanning expert, Melvin Penwill – watch the video here.

In addition to current features, we’ve added new functions that take augmented reality to the next level. While you can still use SiteVision to:

  1. Reduce costs by catching design errors and make adjustments before construction begins.
  2. Achieve greater productivity by accelerating decision making and minimize rework.
  3. Easily communicate design to a wide range of stakeholders with different levels of technical understanding.
  4. Improve safety through the ability to highlight any existing buried utilities before breaking ground.
  5. Measure points from model to real-world, real-world to real-world, and model to model.

The newest features include the ability to measure area, design dams/trenches/banks, assign symbols to measurements, create a project on-site, and more

The latest issue of our KOREC Ireland newsletter, Traverse, is now available as a PDF and will be coming soon as a Flip Book.

This issue includes:

Launch of ‘Pep Talks’ a series of motivational chats
New launch: KlearView360°
New case study: Keating – port wall monitoring using Senceive sensors
Technical Support: Hints & tips

Our next issue of our KOREC Ireland newsletter, Traverse, is coming soon and the front cover features data from a recent trial of the Trimble X7 at the Southern Regional College, Armagh. The college was constructed by Felix O’Hare, which we recently covered in a KOREC case study ‘Taking BIM to the construction site’.  SRC has a Queen’s University student embedded with Felix O’Hare under the Knowledge Transfer Partnership scheme (KTP) who was also part of the trial day along with Wayne Nolan, Senior Site Engineer at Felix O’Hare  John Meneely, 3D Scanning Specialist at Queen’s University, Belfast (@1manscan) and of course KOREC’s Enda Fox and Kevin Colwell. Over the course of the morning, the X7 was used to scan the entire external envelope of the new campus with 35 set ups. Our thanks to Wayne and John for sharing their thoughts on the X7.

John Meneely: “In recent years, laser scanners have followed a fairly standard development curve as seen in many technologies – faster and lighter with some minor additions to functionality.  However, what I like about the X7 is that it brings something new to the mix, namely, the ability to tie into and even place additional control on site, all thanks to the X7’s internal laser pointer. Combining this with the X7’s user-friendly tablet based software, intuitive workflow, on site registration and automatic calibration on power up gives you the reassurance that once a survey is complete, you leave with a fully registered, geo referenced point cloud – confident in the quality, coverage and accuracy of your scan data. Not only does this save a huge amount of time in post processing but engineers can verify on site that nothing has been missed, making the X7 an ideal instrument for the construction industry.

Wayne Nolan: Felix O’Hare & Co. Ltd. Throughout the Armagh SRC project we have embraced many forms of technologies throughout the construction process over our 2 year period on site, from the Trimble R10 GPS equipment to Trimble Robotic Total Stations through to Aerial Drones. As a main contractor, laser scanning is something we are readily looking at to help improve our QA/ QC procedures across all of our projects. The new Trimble X7 laser scanner definitely fits the bill from our point of view – firstly, it’s user friendly and intuitive interface is ideal for construction professionals.

New self-levelling and automatic calibration features not only give you piece of mind regarding the quality of your data but also saves you money year on year! In field registration is a huge benefit for construction professionals alike, as each and every scan is colourised and visible in the field without having to go back to the office – this leaves no stone unturned regarding data capture and eradicates the need to revisit scan areas.

One of the top features for us has to be the X7’s efficient workflows within the field using the Trimble Field Link software. The new integrated laser pointer tool has the ability to geo-reference scans to the site grid and carry out basic setting out procedures without the need to use the Total Station. This is most definitely a game changer for the industry which saves valuable time in any busy site environment. We are currently using this software with our RTS733 total station, so the transition to 3D scanning capabilities is seamless yet effective and productive!

With validation and field verification becoming ever more demanding on our BIM projects, we feel the X7’s capabilities are second to none. Using the T10 Tablet and being able to overlay the scan data onto the live 3D design models in the field ensures quality control and quality assurance are at the forefront whilst maintaining a true and accurate model of the construction project.

In conclusion, the Trimble X7 will provide an excellent tool for many Contractor’s across the industry to provide a first class service to their clients using the latest scanning technology!

With the situation on COVID-19 evolving constantly, there is no doubt that we are living through a period that is challenging, both personally and professionally.

However, even in uncertain times there can be constants and in KOREC’s case we would like to reassure all our customers that our commitment to you will remain our highest priority, as it always has been.

On a day to day level, we are operating as normal and liaising with our partners and suppliers to maintain our equipment stock levels.

The health & safety of KOREC staff also remains a priority and we are taking all precautions and advice as issued by the UK & Irish Governments.

We’re here, we’re listening, and we’re adapting.

Working on a crowded, compact city-centre construction site is highly demanding – and so you need equipment that you can depend upon to simply get the job done.

That’s why John Sisk & Son chose S5 total stations with ActiveTrack technology for the Capital Dock project in Dublin’s thriving waterside area.

“The reliability, convenience and peace of mind that this brings to our setting-out is key to our productivity on site”

Senior Engineer, Dylan Beirne

Read the story here to learn more about how John Sisk utilised Trimble total stations on their project

View our full range of auto-lock total stations here, or give us a call to find out more;

UK: 0345 603 1214

Ireland: +353 (0) 1 456 4702

Our thanks to Dylan Beirne, Mariusz Razik from John Sisk & Son for their assistance on this story.