Topconâs MC-Mobile now allows small machines, like compact excavators and compact track loaders, to use LPS and GNSS technology. In an interview with Equipment Worldâs Bryan Furnace, Mark JonesâTopconâs business development managerâshared that their MC-Mobile system is a dedicated solution that allows compact machines to take advantage of 3D machine control technology without incurring a massive price tag.
In the past, Jones says, to fit GPS technology into compact equipment, âYou had to Frankenstein it. You had to make it work. Nobodyâs really had a dedicated system for the small machines. ⌠And the machine might cost as much as the technology, therefore doubling the price. ⌠So we have taken a machine control system, brought it down to our MC-Mobile level, and tailored it to those machines and those applications.â
Best of all, Topcon designed this technology to be backwards-compatible, so pros who own an older Topcon base station do not need to buy a new one to take advantage of MC-Mobile. The technology is also âfuture-proof,â according to Jones, because existing gear can be augmented in the future with modular updates.
Jones says MC-Mobile is a great option for contractors no matter their experience level.
âWeâve got a solution for the rookie, and weâve got a solution for the pro,â Jones says. âWeâve got a solution for the guy who says, âI want to entice people to come work for my company, because Iâve got the technology tools that are going to make their jobs easier.ââ
To learn more, listen here to Jonesâ full interview with Furnace.
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Transcript
Bryan Furnace: What's going on, everybody? We are coming at you from CONEXPO 2023, and we are in the Topcon booth because we've got some really exciting stuff. I'm here with Mark. Mark, introduce yourself for us.
Mark Jones: I will. My name's Mark Jones. I'm a business development manager at Topcon. I'm working with our new compact solutions at Topcon, so exciting times.
Bryan Furnace: So you guys are doing a lot in the GPS space and this technology [00:00:30] is evolving rapidly. And on our last video we talked about a lot of the improvements to the 2D side of the business, but you've got some new 3D stuff. Can you tell us about that?
Mark Jones: Yeah. You know what? I'd just like to take a step back.
Bryan Furnace: Absolutely.
Mark Jones: I mean, we have a new segment to our company called compact solutions. So within compact solutions, we have 2D-MC as you featured, and then we have MC-Mobile. We have MC-Mobile available for excavator and MC-Mobile that we released here at the show. We're in Las Vegas for CONEXPO, the big wow. We released MC- [00:01:00] Mobile on a compact track loader, so very exciting times for us. We have a bunch of subcategories within that product field. So when you talk about GPS, I'd actually kind of bring it back and say it's actually 3D. We have some-
Bryan Furnace: See, you're having to educate the dirt guy again, because we still think of GPS, but you guys are now getting into levels of GPS.
Mark Jones: Yeah, well, it's not even levels of GPS, it's levels of 3D.
Bryan Furnace: Sure.
Mark Jones: We've been in the vertical construction BIM world for a long time, and that's the nice thing about Topcon is we'll have a great idea and say, "We could bring that over [00:01:30] here a little bit."
Bryan Furnace: Sure.
Mark Jones: That's kind of what we've done. So we have what we call LPS, local positioning system, and what was referred to as GPS or GNSS. And we've made those both available within the MC-Mobile segment. So we've set up on compact excavators and compact track loaders to offer both, as we say, both flavors of 3D being LPS and GNSS.
Bryan Furnace: So break down LPS for me. What exactly is LPS and how is that different from GPS?
Mark Jones: [00:02:00] So LPS, or breaking out the acronym is local positioning system. And what we use is almost like a total station. We're using our layout navigator, and other aspects in Topcon we use a total station. But what it is is it's a tracking system where a beam would be set out and captured by a prism. So right here behind us we're on a grade rod that has a prism.
Bryan Furnace: Sure.
Mark Jones: We use that technology on the grade rod or on the machine. What's nice about it is I can use it inside. One of the limitations of GNSS as [00:02:30] we know is-
Bryan Furnace: Buildings and trees.
Mark Jones: ... open sky. So look at us, we're here in today, we could be grading this if we wanted to make some modifications in here and using a machine control system because now available is an LPS solution.
Bryan Furnace: Awesome.
Mark Jones: When we look at GPS, GNSS, then we have to go outside. So LPS great system, it's the limited range because it's line of sight. It's a one-to-one ratio. Where if I look at GNSS, I'm going to have a longer range and I'm going to have more than one machine, more than one [00:03:00] rover talking to that signal correction.
Bryan Furnace: So what really separates is, what's so special about the compact equipment? Because we've been able to put GPS on compact equipment. Now, it's taken a little finagling on the contractor's side because I'm trying to fit some massive GPS in my little compact machine.
Mark Jones: Yes.
Bryan Furnace: What's different about your solution?
Mark Jones: Yep. So what really the big difference is, as you said, you've had to Frankenstein, you have to make it work. But nobody's really had a dedicated system for the small machines. And when we talk about the small machines, they have a price point. [00:03:30] When we start talking about typical technology, we could be coming to the same price, the machine as the technology therefore doubling the price. There's not a lot of people that are going to say, "Yeah, that's for me." So what we've done is taken the time to take what are the core functionalities, what are the things that need to be in a compact machine that maybe wouldn't be used on a bigger machine? How do we make this price competitive that it makes sense for somebody to bring on this and take it there? So we have taken [00:04:00] a machine control system, brought it down to a MC-Mobile level and tailored it to those machines, those applications.
So on a compact track loader, we like to use grading attachments. So we're using a motor grader blade or a box blade, a pat blade, even the flat bottom bucket. But those are going to be the grading attachments that get used in a CTL.
Bryan Furnace: Interesting. So my final question for you is, as a contractor, I may not want the whole kit. I may not want GPS and local positioning. I may want just local positioning.
Mark Jones: Yes.
Bryan Furnace: Am I capable of buying part of the package as opposed to the whole thing?
Mark Jones: Yeah, well absolutely. So I mean, one of the big things that Topcon is making it forward, backward, compatible, making it future proof. So what we mean by that is you're going to buy something today. I don't know what's going to be happening in two years maybe, but there's going to be some technology that's going to be on there. We like to engineer the products with the ability to add that or stay the path you are. If it's something great, you want to add it, let's plug it in. Let's keep the system as it was and add that enhancement and [00:05:00] bring it forward. So it's as a contractor, as a buyer, as an investment in technology, it's safe to come here because what we're going to do is make sure that what do we have keeps on going with what you have.
Bryan Furnace: Now, here's where I'm going to try to get you. If I own an older Topcon base station, do I have to buy a new one?
Mark Jones: You do not.
Bryan Furnace: So this is backwards compatible.
Mark Jones: This backwards compatible.
Bryan Furnace: That's beautiful.
Mark Jones: Yeah. What I really like about this, we talk about LPS. I think that's a great entry level system. The contractors that has never had anything in the 3D [00:05:30] space, buy that because it's a one-to-one ratio. It's got the 3D navigator, that's going to work well. We've also got our contractors that have been using Topcon machine control for a long, long time, but they haven't really had an opportunity to equip the CTLs they have in their fleet. So now because of our MCX platform, we use MC-Mobile to go on there, we put a GNSS package on there. So we really have two segments of this MC-Mobile. We got the entry level user, and then we have the established user [00:06:00] that now has a machine that's tailored to fit with the other machines in their fleet that typically haven't been set up. We are doing on the CTL, it is automatic control. So what we do is we tie into the hydraulics machine, try into the CAN bus, automate that attachment. So now that operator's buzzing around the job site and that attachment is getting that 3D [inaudible 00:06:21]-
Bryan Furnace: You have full machine control.
Mark Jones: Full machine control elevation.
Bryan Furnace: Wow.
Mark Jones: Yeah, it's very exciting times for us.
Bryan Furnace: And what you just told me to recap for everyone, you have a solution for the rookie, [00:06:30] but you've got a solution for the pro.
Mark Jones: I got a solution for the rookie. I question for the pro. I got the solution for the guy who says, "I want to entice people to come work for my company. Because I got the technology tools that's going to make their jobs easier." As much as people are trying to talking about labor shortages, they're saying, "Oh, I can't get people." Well, the people that want to beget are also picking where they want to work. So, "He's got the shiny new object, maybe I should go with him."
Bryan Furnace: If you're in the market for a compact GPS solution, but you want scalability, you want something that's going to grow, absolutely check [00:07:00] out Topcon. These guys have a great system. A lot of features packed into it. We'll see you guys next time.