The Leica systems are used in every one of Pipeline Technics’ excavators above 5t, for activities ranging from trenching, final trim earthworks and avoidance zones for working in tight areas, to high risk activities around existing services. Images: Pipeline Technics
For pipeline specialist Pipeline Technics, C.R. Kennedy is the place to reach out to when it needs spatial guidance systems for machine control.
Accuracy and precision are important characteristics of any civil and construction project, and to achieve this, it’s essential that only top-quality equipment is used.
One company which does not stint on such excellence standards is WA-based contractor Pipeline Technics, which services both the civil and mining industries.
Operations Manager Daniel Walker said the scope of works carried out was large, encompassing all aspects of underground pipework.
“These include but are not limited to MSCL, HDPE, PVC, CSP, RCP, and GRP types,” he said.
“And our works are not limited to underground services and drainage, as we regularly carry out large earthworks projects and road construction, working with clients such as Main Roads WA and most of the local government authorities.”
Pipeline Technics also offers a large fleet of plant for both dry and wet hire throughout WA.
“We have always had a reputation for providing high quality final trim plant operators for wet hire in both the civil and mining industries. Our operators have proven their ability in some of the toughest conditions throughout WA.
“A large portion of our specialised underground service installation work comes through the Water Corporation of WA, where we hold panel memberships for various types of work and materials.
“We are currently working on separate portions of one of the largest Water Corporation projects in WA, which consists of the construction of a new desalination plant in the suburb of Alkimos and an associated 27 km of 1400 diameter MSCL (mild steel cement lined) buried pipeline to service Perth’s growing population.
“We also work with the Water Corporation delivering pipelines to regional towns throughout WA and to some of its most remote indigenous communities.
“A large part of our underground service work comes through our mining clients which require large volumes of construction and potable water to be delivered to both camps and mine sites. A lot of this work is conducted in very remote regional parts of Western Australia.”
Pipeline Technics was founded in 2010 by Gay Collins.
“Gay started this business with a lot of knowledge and expertise which he gained working in the industry in WA for many years,” said Daniel, who’s been with the business since inception.
“During this time he managed DJ MacCormick, which at the time was the largest micro tunnelling contractor in WA.
“This gave him extensive knowledge working with specialised underground services.”
For the projects to be completed to perfection, Pipeline Technics relies on using only the best equipment it can buy.
“We run a fleet of more than 100 excavators, ranging from 1.7 tonnes to 85 tonnes,” Daniel said.
“We also run a large fleet of wheel loaders, Posi-Tracks, road registered trucks and tracked HPDE welding machines.”
Underground pipes being installed by Pipeline Technics.
The machine control and spatial experts
Yet no matter how efficient the types of equipment are, it’s really only as good as the guidance systems they use.
“We mainly use Leica machine control systems for our excavators and Posi-tracks, and there’s really only one place to get them from: C.R. Kennedy,” Daniel said.
“We run the Leica systems in every one of our excavators above 5t, and we use the systems in a wide range of activities ranging from trenching, final trim earthworks and avoidance zones for working in tight areas, to high risk activities around existing services.
“C.R. Kennedy also supplies us with all of our survey and service locating equipment like GPS rover systems, Leica total stations, pipe lasers and ground penetrating radar systems for locating underground services.”
Daniel said that Pipeline Technics initially got in touch with C.R. Kennedy because of the interest in the business’ machine control expertise.
“We’ve been working with C.R. Kennedy for about seven years now. We started to deal with them when we were not getting adequate support from our-then dealer who was supplying a different brand of machine control system,” he said.
“We were told that C.R. Kennedy offered excellent support and thankfully they exceeded our expectations in this regard.
“In fact, not long after we started to work with them, we realised they had a lot more to offer our business.
“We found that C.R. Kennedy became a one- stop shop for everything survey/spatial related, with its off-site support second to none.
“We started our dealings with C.R. Kennedy in the Balcatta branch, where we were introduced to the team at the time which consisted of John Trec, Dean Saville and Jeff Hugo, who mainly looked after machine control.
“Our main dealings have been with John and he has been definitely one of the main reasons the two businesses have worked so well together.
“I always found it refreshing to see the same person who sold us the products assisting with his team with the installs if need be, and then to be the same person to pick up the phone if we ever needed any support.”
Daniel said C.R. Kennedy had helped Pipeline Technics to work towards being more self-sufficient in its capabilities around survey/ spatial support.
“This has helped us with reducing costs of outsourcing this work while ultimately improving the quality and productivity of what we do,” he said.
And Daniel appreciated that C.R. Kennedy was mindful of the fact that Western Australia was unique compared to other states in regards to the amount of remote/off site support that is required.
“From the beginning C.R. Kennedy were excellent in every way; they had technicians ready to drive/fly to any of our remote work fronts should we ever have any issues that could not be solved remotely,” he said.
“We have always firmly believed that it is not the product that a dealer sells that makes them great but rather their attitude towards customer service and their customers. The team at C.R. Kennedy truly embodies this.
“Our relationship with C.R. Kennedy has been a true success story and I am glad to say we anticipate many more years of business together, and hopefully both of our businesses can grow long into the future together.”
Pipeline Technics uses the Leica Geosystems iXE3 MC1 Excavator Solution in almost 80 excavators across its fleet.
The MC1 Solution revolutionises excavating tasks by guiding operators with reference models and 3D mapping for aiding GNSS positioning.
The real time cut/fill indications on the MCP80 control panel results in rapid and efficient excavation that aligns perfectly with the designs.
C.R.Kennedy also provides Pipeline Technics with the Leica Geosystems iCON range of Rovers, Total Stations and grading solutions, as well as a suite of underground detection solutions.
John said that the C.R. Kennedy team had been thrilled to partner with Pipeline Technics over the past seven years.
“The entire team, including Gay Collins, Daniel Walker, and Paddy O’Donnell, provide us with assurance that every aspect of our relationship will be handled with the utmost professionalism, expertise and commitment,” he said.
“C.R. Kennedy is the one-stop shop geospatial provider.
“We look forward to continued success and a strong, lasting partnership with Pipeline Technics for many years to come and thank them for their continued support and professionalism.”
Read the full article at Earthmoving Equipment Magazine
