Garry MacPhail, Geospatial Executive Manager for Aptella, reflects on technology evolution in the last two decades and its effect on the survey profession today and beyond. Having begun his career as a qualified engineering surveyor in the 1980s, Garry went on to start his own business selling and supporting survey equipment in Perth. His company Stadia Instruments – co-founded with business partner Bernard Cecchele – merged with four other state-based companies to form Aptella in 2008. In his tenure in the industry, Garry has witnessed significant shifts in surveying practice, amplified by the quantum leap in computing speed and processing power. Early 2000s – a step change in surveying “In the early 2000s, GPS was becoming increasingly mainstream
• The technology now streamlining the surveying profession has become financially viable for all survey practices – irrespective of size. • Australia’s nascent Space Agency will contribute to the success and speed with which local industries can leverage the potential from space related infrastructure. Aptella’ CEO, Martin Nix, has been an active contributor to Australia’s surveying profession and its adoption of technology since the mid-‘80s. Here he comments to the latest in satellite navigation systems and the potential impact of the Australian Space Agency. Surveyors first to use positioning frameworks I’ve been involved with GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite Systems – the generic term rather than the US system specific term- GPS) from the mid-80s. Surveyors were the first
Aptella New Zealand now sells Topcon lasers nationwide. Intelligent positioning solutions provider Aptella New Zealand announces a distribution agreement with Topcon Positioning Group. The new partnership will see Aptella New Zealand distribute Topcon lasers throughout the country. Topcon Positioning Group designs, manufactures and distributes precision measurement and workflow solutions for the global construction, geospatial, mining and agriculture markets. Topcon lasers and levels are relied upon across the building trades to provide accurate, reliable measurements for general construction, concreting, earthmoving, building, plumbing and many other applications. “Aptella has been Topcon’s exclusive Australian distributor for many years, so we really have the expertise to maximise the results for our customers,” said Alex Felgate, Managing Director for Aptella New Zealand. “Topcon lasers are
Zoller + Fröhlich (Z+F) 3D laser scanning solutions to be sold and supported by Aptella across Australia, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea. Intelligent positioning systems provider Aptella announces the company’s appointment as master distributor for Z+F, a German-based electrical engineering firm that manufactures a wide range of precision industrial instruments including 3D laser scanning systems. Under the agreement, Aptella will be the primary contact for all sales, support and service enquiries of Z+F laser scanning products in Australia, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea (PNG). “We are delighted to announce this extension of our partnership with Z+F, which will offer customers local and reliable sales, service and support capabilities from our branches throughout the region,” said Martin
Cameron Waters, Business Manager – Geospatial Systems at Aptella New businesses and those wanting to operate smarter, need the latest technologies to optimise efficiencies and workflows. Let me talk you through how you can increase your return on investment (RoI) and kit out your business with the latest equipment and software that surveying has to offer while reducing the risk involved in a large capital layout. In an ideal world, your fleet will include the highest spec robotic total stations, GPS, field controllers and software, as well as survey and engineering software. But the total cost of ownership (TCO) of the asset lifecycle needs to be factored in when setting rates and responding to tenders. Knowing what your business cost per hour to run can support
TBT EARTHWORKS LTD is a family owned and operated contracting company that had plans to increase the efficiency and productivity on site as they moved into more large scale, fine tolerance work. Trent O’Neill, one half of the father and son due that run TBT EARTHWORKS, saw a sponsored post on Facebook for the iDig Touch 2D excavator system from Aptella and thought it looked like it would fit their needs. “I got in touch and Troy from the Aptella Christchurch branch came out the following day for a demonstration. We put our name down for the system that day,” said O’Neill. “We are starting to get into a lot more large scale, fine tolerance work, being a
From left to right: Noburu Katsu (Chairman & CEO, Mitsui & Co (Australia)), Ian Petherbridge (Chairman, Aptella), Martin Nix (CEO, Aptella), Nobuaki Kitamori (Representative Director, Senior Executive Managing Officer, Mitsui & Co), Hiroshi Kubo (General Manager, Construction and Industrial Machinery Division, Mitsui & Co). The Mitsui representatives learnt about Tokara Link telematics and remote support technology, developed by Aptella to streamline the design file transfer and technical support capabilities on site by eliminating the need to visit machines in person. Global company becomes a corporate shareholder in intelligent positioning technology provider Aptella to amplify innovation across its core markets. Mitsui & Co. (Mitsui) is a Japanese organisation with operations in 66 countries worldwide. Specialising in identifying and realising innovation
Adam Burke, Aptella’ Geospatial Manager NSW It’s now a matter of rethinking the structure of survey practices or being left stranded, short staffed and priced out of the market. Stating the obvious – there’s a shortage of qualified surveyors A 2018 BIS Shrapnel study quantified what we’ve all been experiencing in recent years, and what is about to worsen dramatically. Nationally, globally in fact, there’s a dire shortage of qualified surveyors. In NSW alone, there is a current shortfall of 530. This is tipped to reach 680 by 2024. The impact is being felt across a number of industries – construction, mining and general spatial sectors – and there’s a delay and cost knock on effect to our
