A standout year for machine control and Lynch Plant Hire

2021 has certainly been an exceptional year for talking about technology. But there's one thing that really strikes me about this year: the proverbial 'herd of elephants' with machine-controlled machines coming over the hill. 

As a good friend of mine, Mark Lawton explained at a recent interview at the Highways UK event. 

Why is that significant? 

As an industry, we've been talking about machine control for some time now. And it's already been mandated by clients like National Highways. But one story this year that I've been very pleased to have told is that of Lynch Plant Hire. As we all know, it's a very large player in the marketplace, and what Lynch has done is take a look at machine control holistically. 

In doing so, they have created a pathway for digital construction and the connected work site to be delivered in-house from start to finish. This is a big step for any plant hirer to take, as it involves significant investment in the equipment and the people needed to operate and support it. At the same time, the business is working with both Leica Geosystems and Trimble 3D machine control solutions. 

The decision to launch the division this year comes after some serious hard work by the team, as they recognise the need to control the process. Previously, many businesses have relied on a dealer style relationship to support machine control, help with problems and technical issues, and install the equipment itself. 

For me, the move is a bit like the machine control itself. If you're not in control and don't understand how the system works, then it's pointless turning it on. Earlier this year, I did a podcast with the key members of the Lynch team, and again this was an industry first podcast for me. 

Not only did I record the podcast on site with Head of Machine Control, Paul Keenan, training specialist Chris Kent and National Training Manager, Gez Bonner, at the Lynch Plant Hire, machine control training facility. I also then went offline and talked to James King through the powers of zoom.

 Listen to the podcast here: 

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3k789Tt

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3EjGNls

That in itself really resonated with me because fundamentally, what I try to do with my content is connect both people and the part they play in stories. So being able to talk to the team on site was great, but talking to James (‘The Lynch Pin’ – listen to the Leica Geosystems supported podcast) over zoom really enabled me to get the full story. 

When we started talking about some of the issues surrounding the delivery of machine control and the 3D connected worksite of the future, many things had to come into play. The first is what I used to call the trench between the general construction industry and the earthworks sector. This trench has always been a problem. It's been a divide between the main construction organisations, clients, tier one contractors, engineers, etc. 

And that divide has always been filled haphazardly by people trying to create models from other information and other systems. But as we know, this creates more work, as you need to design a model for a machine to connect the machine to the digital landscape it has to dig. It's here where the first step that Lynch has taken is so significant, because fundamentally, what we're seeing is Lynch taking away the pain of that trench and filling it in with their team. 

What does that mean in practical terms?

Lynch has invested in the resources of individuals in their team that can support businesses to make sure they have the right model for the machine. So, unless the machine or in the words of Mark Lawton again, 'the robot' has the right simplistic information that it needs, it won't be able to be guided by an operator using machine control. 

This is the whole reason for having 3D Machine Control and a higher level of digital knowledge, to provide all important technical support to clients and operators alike. My physical visit to the Lynch training facility brought this home, as I could see and learn what training the team is delivering. 

For me, this is the most important part of any machine control or technology journey, upskilling the operators. Lynch has made a bold statement to clients wanting machine control, as before an operator can get to site, they will have one-on-one training at the facility. 

This is with Leica Geosystems and Trimble solutions and includes familiarisation and practical 'dig time'. Why is this important? Well it's like asking someone who has been using an iPhone all their life to switch to an android phone suddenly, as each different system offers different little nuances. Where do I hit the touchscreen to get this information? How do I download the model onto the tablet? Or how do I upload my as-built data? 

And it's not just the actual awareness of how a machine control system works and how to install the various components, check that the wires are intact, etc. It's a new way of working for an operator, so psychologically, this creates challenges. But fundamentally, a machine control system is merely a guide for an operator. You've got to know how to operate a machine effectively and safely to take full advantage of the machine control system itself. 

This is why it’s important for Lynch to have its own dedicated training centre for operators to upskill and learn. And as I talked to the team, it became apparent to me that this is not just a training journey in the use of machine control. It's a journey that needs to continue. 

Because guess what? 

Just like anything, whether it's your iPhone, your Android phone or your computer, machine control gets updated software, and all these things change over time as technology grows and capabilities increase. So, it's no good sending an operator into a training facility and just training them once and expecting them to cope with any changes. You have to recognise that when the new software comes out, when the new tablet arrives, when the new system is integrated into a particular machine, all of these moments require some level of support. This is where the Lynch continuous ‘refresher’ approach comes into play. 

Operators are the key to success.

Having spent the last 16 years talking to operators and, more recently, those using 3D machine control, I can safely say that none of them I have spoken to about using the solution has regretted the experience. And what's interesting for me is that older, more experienced operators have welcomed it. Operators often get onto the site before anybody else to warm up the machine and get ready for work. And the benefit of machine control, of course, is that you can have the whole site model in your machine. 

So, when you finish one section, you move on to the next, meaning the operator is in way more control of the actual process itself. And that makes operators quite rightly feel even more important and a more vital part of the project itself, whilst also being more productive. This is because when they turn on the machine, they can now go to the right section in the model and get to work. You don't have to wait for engineers. You don't have to wait for anybody else. And in these times of the pandemic, when we look at how the construction industry has worked tremendously hard, we've used technology like 3d machine control to remove the people plant interface and keep our operators safe. 

But how does the technology benefit an operator?

This is one thing that I always like to talk about with operators. Yes, they are more in control, but the other benefit is looking after the welfare of the operator themselves. It's not easy to work long shifts, particularly in winter, when you're getting to work in the dark and you're coming home in the night. Basically, it can be very tiring. And fatigue is the most important thing to tackle in our industry. As when somebody is tired, they are more likely to make mistakes. 

The vast number of operators I talk to say they actually don't feel so tired at the end of a shift when using machine control, because they're able to concentrate more on doing the job. And they're also able to recognise that when they finish the work, they know that the machine will back them up to say they've done so. 

How has the machine become the operators' friend?

You might ask yourself, how does this work? One of the things that Lynch is doing is training their operators to be surveyors. In practical terms, what that means is that once you've dug a trench as an operator, you can now put the bucket into the bottom of the trench and take a reading through the tablet. This information is recorded in the same way as a surveyor using a GPS rover. 

The tablet will then automatically upload the data into the cloud, helping to continuously change the 'as built' model. This model does 'exactly what it says on the tin' to coin a phrase. It shows everyone with access to the model the work that has been completed on site. In Lynch's case, operators will take these readings and 'paint' the site green to show what has been achieved and, therefore, plan to move on to the next part of the project. 

The operator becomes the surveyor, capturing data that is actually in the field and taken when work has been completed. This removes the need to put a surveyor in a trench, eliminates the risk and eliminates any idle time waiting for this job to be carried out. 

For me, that is significant, as one of the key things no earthworks business wants to do is go back to a site and complete reworks because something went wrong. In this case, you have to bring a machine and operator back to the site to do the work again. This means we've got to end up burning more fuel, which creates even more emissions. And fundamentally, that isn't good for the environment and our journey on the ‘road to net zero’.  

Nothing is ever bulletproof. 

But of course, like any technology, things do go wrong. And that's another thing that is impressed me with the team at Lynch. For example, when an operator has a problem in the cab like the tablet is not doing what it should do, they can't do the job. 

This is where the Lynch technical support team comes into play to dial into the cab of an individual machine remotely. They don't even have to be on the site, and they can even talk to the operator directly. Now Lynch has told me as they've rolled this solution out this year, over 90% of all technical problems have been solved in this way. 

The operators also flagged the other 10% immediately so that the support team could get onsite with them quicker than before. Of course, this means that people can get back to work faster. And obviously, that helps to deliver the project itself on time and within budget. For example, Lynch worked on a section of the A14 that used machine control and was delivered early and under budget, a phenomenal achievement. 

So, for me, seeing how Lynch is already managing its 'herd of elephants', which is a rapidly growing 'connected fleet', I think others will see that investing in infrastructure to support machine control will certainly be hugely beneficial in the future. 

For my final thoughts - 2021 has been an incredibly exciting journey for me on site. Especially as I have seen the emergence of the technologies, I have been talking about for some time now. Machine control is a great example as I have watched it become more mainstream and integrated this year. 

I believe there are huge benefits in this approach and integrating a 'digital first' strategy within an earthwork's organisation. And in 2022, I expect to see the connected and digitalised worksite becoming even more sophisticated, where machines only get on site after we've done a 'digital rehearsal', for example. With all the data we're collecting and skills we're developing, the one thing that will benefit is the environment. 

It's been an amazing 2021 on and off site for me, and I will certainly enjoy finding out more from lots of different players in the market in 2022. But I do want to say a personal thank you to the team at Lynch Plant Hire for entrusting me in launching the machine control division with them earlier this year. 

So until the next time, folks, it's a goodbye to 2021 from me.