New KOREC case study: Elevating customer satisfaction

Centred around the Trimble X9 3D Laser Scanner, a strong workflow, which is constantly growing and evolving, has enabled South West Surveys to build a highly satisfied customer base.

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With ten years in the business and 100% 5-star reviews on Google, Nick White, Director of Bristol based South West Surveys, believes that the original ethos he used to set up South West Surveys has served the company well.

Established in 2015, Nick used his experience with other survey companies to put together best practices from each of them aiming to deliver high-quality work and exceptional customer service to his clients. His team is small but effective and benefits from his commitment to investing in the best technology to aide on site surveys and post processing.

An evolving workflow

Following an earlier investment in another manufacturer’s laser scanners that were no longer performing reliably, Nick felt that SW Surveys, and in particular the measured building side of the business, could benefit from two new systems.

With Trimble GNSS technology and Trimble RealWorks point cloud processing and analysis

software already on the fleet, Nick contacted KOREC to learn more about the Trimble X9 3D Laser Scanner. Basing his purchasing decision on the data quality, speed and quietness of the units, today it is two further features that have really delivered across projects that he rates highly, the onsite registration and the laser pointer.

Previously, on measured building projects, each job required a team of two surveyors which would also cover any topo work that was additionally required. Today, a job of this nature would be undertaken with one surveyor capturing data with the Trimble X9 and R780 GNSS. Collected data is handled with CAD LISP custom routines and dynamic blocks as part of an evolving workflow. These routines allow SW Survey’s CAD users to automate repetitive tasks and greatly enhance productivity by reducing manual inputs and error-prone processes.

Typical X9 Project – The Boatyard, Bristol

Before work resumed on the stalled 17-storey Boat Yard tower block in Bristol, South West Surveys was commissioned to capture point cloud and UAV data to produce an up-to-date set of plans. The site, historically a boat yard, presents both spatial and logistical challenges due to its location between a busy road and the River Avon. Once completed, the project will deliver a 152 unit residential development, with 100% of the units designated as affordable housing.

On arrival at the site, the SW Surveys team established control using a Trimble R780 GNSS and then captured the plan detail, shooting control as they went using the X9’s built-in laser pointer for easily geo-referencing scans to the known project coordinate system in the field without the need for a total station.

Working from the basement of the building upwards, the central blocks were completed and lastly a small block at the end was scanned. Overall, 1280 scans were undertaken of 211GB in size during a period of 5 days.

The on-site registration functionality of the X9 was used to check that nothing had been missed with the Trimble Perspective software on the Trimble T10x tablet allowing for layers to be easily turned on and off.

The UAV was used to capture hard to reach areas such as along the steep banks of the River Avon. All scan data was processed on site and then refined in Trimble RealWorks (Point cloud processing and analysis software), georeferenced and exported ready to draw.

Nick concludes, “If I had to name the stand-out features of the X9 it would be the on-site registration and the laser pointer, neither of which featured heavily in my original buying decision. I hadn’t had on-site registration with my previous scanners and was unprepared for just how useful it is and now I wouldn’t want to be without it. The X9 has fitted perfectly into our survey fleet and this means that we can continue to grow and evolve our workflow to provide our clients with the very best in service and quality.”

Next steps

If you’re interested in finding out more about th X9 Core or Premium or booking a demo, contact us now by email or call us on 0345 603 1214.