“Our clients expect the very best from us and that means we’ve got to provide the very best end product and in turn, that relies on great equipment capable of generating great data. The new Trimble X12 fits the bill perfectly”

Neil Pollock, Director, Three Sixty Group

A few weeks ago, our KOREC Laser Scanning Sector Specialist, Melvin Penwill, got his hands on one of the first Trimble X12’s in the country. He was only too happy to put it through some rigorous testing and then share his opinions, including his 6 highest rated features, in a useful LinkedIn Post.

At some point, he was persuaded to let the customers have a go too!

About Three Sixty Group

Operating nationally, Three Sixty Group works across a diverse range of sectors from Utilities and Rail to heritage and listed buildings. The company has a fleet of 3D Laser Scanners that includes three Trimble X7’s as well as instruments from other manufacturers.

We caught up with Director, Neil Pollock, who’s been using the X12 for a floor flatness survey in a vast, engine manufacturing plant in Derby.  With specified tolerances of just +/- 2-3mm for aspects of this job, it was the perfect testing ground for the X12 which was used both indoors for the high accuracy floor survey, and externally for an overall building survey where scans were undertaken with a range of up to 100m.

Here’s what Neil rated:

• Size – although he was aware of the dimensions (150 mm (W) x 258 mm (D) x 328 mm (H)) of the X12, when it came out of the box, he found it even smaller and lighter than he expected.
• Learning curve – The Three Sixty Group surveyors are already familiar with the Trimble Perspective software and workflow from their use of the X7’s. They were therefore able to transition to the X12 seamlessly.  
• Cleanliness of the data – Even at a 100m range, Neil found the quality of the data to be top notch and way beyond any other scanner that the company has worked with previously. This ensured total confidence in the overall quality of the survey. Three Sixty Group is seeing a growing requirement for heritage work and felt that the X12 would excel in the level of detail required for this work as well as being suitable for the short or mid-range work required on more standard jobs.
• Low noise – In spite of the shiny factory floor, noise was minimal.
• Image quality – Excellent quality and super-fast to take at just 2 minutes.  With Trimble Perspective, it’s now also far easier to retake images.
• ‘Window’ feature – rather than take a full 360 scan with the Trimble X7, or carry out a quick preview with the Trimble TX8, Neil rates the ability to ‘window off’ a section for a high-resolution scan as a great time saver.

Neil concludes: “The data from the X12 is just so clean, and that makes it very, very easy to work with across every job. In short, the better the data, the higher the quality of the product that we can provide all our customers with. This is especially important for our heritage work which is growing all the time. Our clients expect the very best from us and that means we’ve got to provide the very best product and in turn, that relies on great equipment capable of generating great data. The new Trimble X12 fits the bill perfectly.”

Thank you to Neil Pollock for chatting to us about his X12 experiences

For further information, please call your KOREC Sales Consultant or contact Melvin.penwill@korecgroup.com

KOREC’s ‘Scanning and Point Clouds’ Sector Specialist, Melvin Penwill, field tests the new Trimble X12.

At the end of July, Trimble announced the new X12 3D Laser Scanner, its first release since the groundbreaking X7 of which you’ve no doubt heard plenty of talk over the last couple of years! A new instrument is always an exciting moment and as KOREC’s ‘Scanning and Point Clouds’ product specialist, I was delighted to get my hands on one of the units that landed at our Huntingdon Offices for our consultant training day.

The Trimble press release describes the X12 as ‘…..integrating intuitive Trimble software for precise data capture and in-field registration with state-of-the-art 3D laser scanning and imaging hardware technology from Zoller+Fröhlich (Z+F), combining the expertise of two industry leaders into a single solution.” A nice description, that highlights that this really is a ‘best of both worlds’ combination of Z+F technology and a tried and tested Trimble workflow, but let’s take a look at how that works in practice.

Out of the box

So, first impressions, it’s small! For a scanner of this range (0.3 m–365 m) and precision (≤ 1 mm + 10 ppm/m), it’s way more compact than its closest rivals  measuring just 150 mm (W) x 258 mm (D) x 328 mm (H)) and weighs in at 7.7kg and that includes the batteries. It also has a handle, a significant detail that’s been much appreciated on the X7. The box looks great too, but doesn’t accommodate the Trimble T10x Tablet, but then again, that makes sense since the tablet is often going to be separate from the instrument for charging etc.

However, this is an all-in-one package and includes everything you need to start scanning immediately including the Trimble Perspective software.

Here’s what I rate – my six top highlights:

• All the KOREC consultants found the Trimble Perspective workflow incredibly easy to use. Those that were familiar with the X7 were up and running immediately, those that were unfamiliar found Perspective intuitive and with just a couple of questions here and there required little further assistance. This is vital for survey companies that need an instrument that’s suitable for use by everyone on the team for an early ROI with little down time for training.

• Window scanning – this is a great feature! Do a quick 360° scan (23 or 46 seconds) to position yourself and then use the window option to select areas for more detail. Expect 0.6mm at 10m….unbelievable!
• Great imagery – you can add excellent imagery to your scan in just 2 minutes, again it’s super quick and the quality is excellent. The Perspective software also means that it’s really easy to retake images. A lot of thought has gone into making this a really simple procedure.
• Clean, sharp data and noise, or more accurately, lack of noise! One KOREC customer scanned a black car. Normally with a reflective surface of this sort, you can expect noise. In this case, the customer thought that that the data had been filtered in  Trimble RealWorks because it looked so unbelievably clean. Not so, this was all the work of the X12. It’s worth noting that noise is at 0.2mm at 10m for the X12 compared to maybe 2-3mm with the X7.
• Scanning in the dark – don’t be put off anymore, even for inspection work. The X12 has four LED lights which are so strong that from the results, you wouldn’t even know you were in a dark room.
• Fast – this scanner is also speedy, one of the fleetest on the market and with Trimble Perspective, users can check their data, take measurements, and add annotations before leaving their site which makes for faster turnaround time in the office.

The proof of the pudding…

I spotted this on the drive back from Huntingdon and couldn’t resist! The obelisk was in a really tricky environment with trees all around but I wanted detail, not trees. I did a 360° scan for registration and then a window scan with images. The end result was clean and crisp.

I chose this bridge because I’ve visited it regularly with the X7 so I knew it would be a really useful comparison to undertake the same scan with the X12. The result with the X12 is a totally different level. This is an instrument with an understandably higher price tag than the X7, but this scan reminded me exactly why. I scanned at an 80-90m range and again, the results were impeccable with the detail on the brickwork crisp and clear.

Conclusion

In all honesty, when I first heard about the X12, I was asking myself how it would fit into the fleet of one of our typical KOREC survey customers and as ever, the answer comes not from a press release or a data sheet but those who are out in the field or running a survey business, all of whom have productivity, profit and great deliverables in mind. The customers I’ve shown the X12 to have been wowed by its performance as a single instrument suitable for any job. So, I’m signing off with a quote from a recent demonstration that sums it up perfectly:

“It’s totally fit for purpose, every purpose, in fact it’s a bloody great scanner!”

If you’d like to know more about the X12, please contact me at Melvin.penwill@korecgroup.com and please do sign up for our X12 webinar at https://korec.group/x12-webinar-1 on Tuesday 11^th October.  

Graham Sharp specialises in talking to potential KOREC customers ready to invest in Trimble X7 technology for the first time. For many of these businesses, this is a decision based on many considerations from ROI, to financing to running costs.

He’s therefore put together some great packages designed to tackle head-on the FAQ’s that have to be asked before a successful investment.

What’s in the package?

• A full system ready to go with all hardware from one provider
• Software capable of full onboard registration and export to proprietary formats
• Warranty for the duration of the finance (extendable after)
• Firmware & software updates for the duration of the finance (extendable after)
• Technical support – forever
• Calibration costs and associated down time – ZERO !

How much is the package?

Prices include a complete Trimble X7 system, that offers full onboard registration and export to proprietary pointcloud formats and is also fully covered with a Silver KCP (KOREC Care Package) for all warranty, updates and support for the length of your finance deal from the following rates:

3 Years @ £265 per week
4 Years @ £218 per week
5 Years @ £191 per week

For a no cost / no obligation demonstration of the Trimble X7 and details on this package, please contact:

info@korecgroup.com

Call UK Sales: 0345 603 1214

Call Ireland Sales: 01 456 4702

For anything else, view our contact page.

It’s a topic of great concern to many in our industry – how do we attract the next generation of geospatial professionals?  

It’s also a question that we’ve addressed in a column for GeoConnexion magazine based on the experiences of KOREC Director, Mark Poveda, who recently returned to his Dublin College with two colleagues to talk to final year students studying Geospatial/Surveying. However, college students are already engaged with our industry having actively chosen a relevant course and maybe we should be talking to students earlier.

A visit with value

For KOREC Operations Technical Support, Liam Hartley, the 450^th Anniversary of his old school, Queen Elizabeth’s Grammar School, Horncastle (QEGS), set him thinking as to what sort of career information he’d have valued as a sixth former living in a rural part of the country just starting to consider future job prospects, apprenticeships, or degree courses.

As a QEGS alumni, he’d seen invites to assist students in CV preparation or interview techniques but felt that this could be the perfect opportunity to offer some time to share his thoughts on geospatial careers with an age group just starting to think about their own futures.

At the invitation of the school’s careers lead, Sarah Holmes, Liam was able to spend a couple of days at the school chatting about the geospatial industry to teachers and students alike.

Great technology and engaging examples

Equipped with a Trimble X7 3D Laser Scanner and plenty of examples of what our industry has to offer, Liam reports that he spent a very rewarding 50 minute Development Class with the mixed group of students. Drawing on relevant examples such as 3D data (used in the gaming and film world) he outlined how F1 tracks are surveyed with Mobile Mapping, how sports events measure distance with total stations, how music festivals are set out with GPS mapping systems and how spatial data is everywhere and in everything we do, from using Google Maps to creating smart cities.

Liam feels that at least three quarters of the class seemed very engaged with four or five particularly responsive to the geospatial world. He reports, “I had a really rewarding two days at QEGS sharing my enthusiasm for an industry that has so much to offer as a career. Interestingly, very few of the students were familiar with the term ‘geospatial’ and of course, this highlights the problem we have in promoting a career where our key audience has very little understanding of what we do. If we’re to overcome this, then it’s vital that we are actively promoting our industry to this age group. Here at KOREC, we want to be a supplier that does just that and we’re perfectly positioned to do so from a unique perspective because we see everything that the industry has to offer technology wise. I very much want us to step forward and lead from the front.”

What next?

Liam used his two days at QEGS to plan for a future event for next year that he hopes can be rolled out to similar age groups in different schools. Watch this space!

To learn about KOREC’s Next Generation initiative (aiming to encourage a new generation to the geospatial industry) please contact marketing@korecgroup.com

Got a question? Want to find out more about the X7? Why not submit an inquiry with our friendly team?

Here at KOREC we love an analogy and this cycling one works a treat!

This year the Tour de France gave us a Wout van Aert as the winner of the prestigious stage 20 time trial in Paris. But he didn’t win the race. That honour was earned by the Slovenian Tadej Pogacar and it was he who finished the race wearing the yellow jersey.

Similarly, if your scanning operations depend on a speedy turnaround for your client, then you can be sure that the Trimble X7 has the features to get you over the finishing line first because the race doesn’t end without a fully registered point cloud that’s ready for the creation of 3D models, drawings etc.

Here are seven reasons why the X7 is unrivalled when it comes to delivering a timely, quality job:

2. It’s not all about the time the scanner is turning and collecting data. The X7’s auto-levelling feature ensures that you are ready to go as soon as you set the instrument down. The X7 has the IMU and dual axis compensator on all models, meaning data is always level to survey grade accuracy and does not require the same level of post-processing as those that don’t meet that same accuracy specification.

3. The X7 doesn’t stop when you do! Infield registration is happening while you scan, full scan refinement, georeferencing, colourisation and export, in the same software on the same device, means that whilst you’re driving around between sites, the X7 is still working, registering the data so that it’s ready to send or transfer at the next stop.

4. Or if you’re really pressed for time, you can use the wireless capabilities of the Trimble T10 Tablet and send the registered point cloud from the field.

5. The full onboard registration in the field also provides data surety – you can be sure that you’ve got everything whilst still on site so need for return visits for missing data.The unmeasured points view from each Station View assures you nothing has been missed whilst you’re still on site. This allows you to fill in any important areas before leaving, a great time saver if it’s something that may mean a return visit or incomplete data set if you had to wait to do this back in an office.

6. It’s got a handle 😉

7. Finally, the Trimble X7 has been engineered to capture 500,000 points per second ensuring a high quality point cloud cutting down on any issues that can come from capturing more data than you need, namely extremely large data sets that are unwieldy to handle, navigate, transfer and store to archive.

Got a question? Want to find out more about the X7? Why not submit an inquiry with our friendly team?

info@korecgroup.com

Call UK Sales: 0345 603 1214

Call Ireland Sales: 01 456 4702

For anything else, view our contact page.

Did you know that the Trimble X7 3D Laser Scanner has an integrated calibration feature that offers full auto-calibration of range and angular systems in 25 seconds with no user interaction or targets?

This Trimble technology is a smart feature that monitors environmental temperature, ambient light, vibration, instrument temperature and vertical speed to take the guesswork out of your data.

With all the X7’s unique benefits, it’s possible that this one can get overlooked but in fact, when we talk to KOREC customers, they cite the low running costs and maintenance of their X7 as one of the major factors behind their purchasing decision.

Here are five reasons why auto-calibration really delivers:

• The X7 is an instrument used in many industries and not just by surveyors – auto-calibration guarantees high-quality data every time you turn on your X7 by removing concerns about whether the instrument is producing accurate scans, especially after transporting it to a project.
• Auto-calibration can save you in excess of £3k-4k a year. This was the figure calculated by Yorkshire based Centara in a recent case sudy taking into account the need to pay for the work, the transportation the instrument and its replacement with a hire instrument during the process. Instead, Centara were able to use saved cash to invest in additional equipment that they were not expecting to purchase until the next financial year.
• Auto-calibration means the X7 stays active on your fleet. With other manufacturers this process can see the instrument sent abroad for periods of up to 2-3months.
• The X7 is the first 3D laser scanner that offers smart auto-calibration and an industry-leading two-year warranty to back it up.
• Certification is provided each time the X7 auto-calibrates, Our KOREC Technical Tips video below shows exactly how it’s done.

Find Out More

• Read how the X7 and its aut0-calibration function assisted Yorkshire based Centara Ltd – Customer Story
• Find out more about the Trimble X7
• Download the Trimble whitepaper on auto-calibration
• Find out about the new mobile app for running your X7, Trimble Perspective mobile

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

Barry Burrows didn’t need to demo the X7 to see the benefits – we spoke to the UK & Ireland’s first Trimble X7 High Speed Laser Scanner owner on his very modern buyer journey

Ever since he was a kid, Barry Burrows wanted to get his hands on the latest technological gadget – from computer consoles to tech toys, he’s always had a strong personal interest in new technology.

In the Consumer world that we live in, people have strong associations to brands and are looking for brands that they can identify with. Barry Burrows is one of these consumers, and as the owner of a survey company operating in a very competitive environment, he likes to associate himself with a name he can trust. From his choice of vehicle (Audi) to the equipment he uses to drive his business (Trimble), Barry explains the importance of choosing brands that are “Trusted today and built for tomorrow”.

When founding his own survey company,  Barry recognised the importance of choosing the correct equipment so that when he went on-site he could overcome any issues with confidence,  investing in Trimble kit such as the S6 (total station), R6 (GPS)  and the revolutionary SX10 (total station/laser scanner hybrid) just months after their release dates.

So, it should come as no surprise that the founder & owner of BB Surveys has become the first customer in the UK & Ireland to own an X7 – the latest laser scanning solution which Trimble launched to much fanfare at Intergeo (Europe’s largest trade fair for geoinformation) in October 2019.

What is perhaps surprising is that Barry hadn’t so much as touched an X7 before making his purchase;

“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”

Having already utilised laser scanning in his business for several years, Barry knew the benefits that the technology offers – for him, that means using the Trimble X7 to quickly and accurately collect external building data. But with his previous non-Trimble scanner, Barry found that many hours were eaten up processing unwanted data;

“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 fact, Barry estimated that around 80% of his collected data was unwanted. With their average survey job requiring around 160 scans, that’s a huge amount of unrequired data. BB Surveys undertake around 60-70 jobs per month – a huge workflow for a small, 5-person team. So, for Barry and his team, time really is of the essence.

Barry noticed that after introducing the SX10 into their workflows, scanning jobs take 50% less time that they used to with the non-Trimble kit. It’s this huge boost in time-saving that convinced him of the merits of the new X7 scanner. That, and the pure simplicity and ease of use of the kit;

“Another feature that sold it to me was the auto-registration. Being able to complete hundreds of separate scans and not have to worry about tying them all together afterwards is a huge plus for us”

In its first few days of use, Barry has already been putting the new kit through its paces. His son carries out the bulk of the scanning for the company, and Barry has been impressed with how quickly the workflow has been picked up, with minimal training;

“He scanned a pub over the weekend, taking around 70 scans of the building. With no additional registration or processing needed, it took around 30 minutes to download and check the data”

What’s also crucial to Barry and his team is having hardware they can trust. With time being such a critical factor to his business, downtime due to instrument malfunction is wasted money. Barry has used Trimble for almost 30 years, and indeed, is still using the same Trimble software package today that he purchased in 1991!

The relationship with KOREC is no less important. Having been a customer for the last 12 years, Barry cites the people within the business, backed-up by technical & support expertise, as having sustained and grown this relationship over more than a decade.

It’s this combination of proven Trimble technology, backed-up by KOREC’s technical & support expertise, that make for a winning combination.

If you’d like more information about the X7 just let us know by clicking here

Our thanks to Barry Burrows of BB Surveys for this article.

Barry Burrows on Linkedin

BB Surveys website