Queensland engineering firm RPMS Engineering specialises in project management, civil engineering and construction supervision services throughout Queensland and New South Wales. Recently, the company has adopted the latest in GNSS survey technology in order to extend its capabilities to regional councils by offering asset management and other surveying services.

RPMS Senior Project Manager Ken Laughton explained that the equipment the company had been using previously had become dated and that the time to upgrade was overdue.  He said that it was imperative that during their transition to their new Topcon HiPer V GNSS base and rover kit, that the company didn’t suffer much down time with their existing project work.  “It was important that we chose a supplier that we could rely upon to get us up to speed as quickly as possible and provide any technical support that was needed.”

In addition to offering engineering surveys, construction site set-outs and topographic survey data with their new GNSS equipment, RPMS also intends to offer asset management services to regional councils.

“Regional councils can obtain funding from the State Government for the maintenance of critical infrastructure, however it is dependant on the provision of an updated asset register that a lot of Councils struggle to complete due to a lack of in-house resources,” he said. “Some Councils have survey equipment that we can utilise to complete their data collection, but many don’t, so by purchasing the latest technology and getting trained in how to use it effectively, we can offer the councils a full end-to-end asset management solution.”

When it came to choosing the right system, Mr Laughton says that they did their research and contacted the major survey suppliers for advice. “We chose Aptella and the Topcon equipment because of the backup support and training services they are able to provide.”

The system RPMS decided on was the Topcon HiPer V GNSS receiver, complete with Panasonic FZ-G1 toughpad and MAGNET Field on-board software.

When RPMS first took delivery of the system, a group of employees were given comprehensive classroom and in-field training by Aptella. “The training that was provided to our staff was excellent and having the opportunity to put into practice what we had learned in the classroom with some hands on experience in the field was invaluable. The equipment is very easy to setup and the software is intuitive, so it didn’t take long for us to get the hang of it.”

Mr Laughton went on to explain that they had recently completed their first project with the new equipment, collecting stormwater infrastructure data for the Central Highlands Regional Council.  He said it wasn’t until they were in the remoteness of rural Queensland, that Aptella’ support proved invaluable. “Whenever we had questions we were able to contact a technician from Aptella who was able to guide us through the system processes. The ability for Aptella to log into our system remotely also proved very useful. The knowledge and support that was provided by Aptella has been exceptional during our transition over to the new equipment.”

For more information about RPMS Engineering, visit www.rpmsengineering.com.au