Trimble’s concept of the connected construction site drew good attention on the show floor of this week’s Trimble Dimensions event. The ability to share position across a site or operation, along with a collaborative Internet-based networking environment, is set to be replicated across different vertical markets that Trimble serves. It was impressive to see the strong response to this most fully realized version of the vision.
Connected Site includes an interactive communications environment, with decision support guidelines or business rules that can be integrated into the solution set to virtually model “what-if” scenarios on a project in real-time increasing customer awareness and profitability. The acquisition of XYZ Solutions this past year adds a 3D visualization component.
The combination of hardware, systems and services that make up the Connected Site is a good model for the integration of Trimble’s diverse positioning technologies and software holdings. While most of the more than 50 acquisitions that Trimble has made over the past ten years operate as separate and profitable companies, the true value going forward is integrating these tools and domain expertise into tailored solutions.
