Heavy Construction Contractors Save Time and Costs with Business Center – HCE Earthworks Optimization and Productivity Tools

Business Center – HCE Version 2.50 Heavy and Highway Office Software Optimizes Earthworks and Automates Data Management 

Sunnyvale, Calif., Oct. 17, 2011 – Trimble (NASDAQ:TRMB) announced today version 2.50 of its heavy and highway construction office software for data management, data preparation and materials quantities takeoff—Business Center – HCE powered by Trimble. Version 2.50 features new road takeoff, data preparation and earthworks planning functionality including a new Corridor Mass Haul module. In addition, estimators can realize increased efficiencies with Business Center – HCE automation tools when importing Adobe® PDF vector files or CAD cross-section files.

Optimize Earthmoving Operations to Save Time and Reduce Costs
The new Corridor Mass Haul module combines the corridor design with a haul route network, barriers to haulage, borrow pit and waste site locations. The project is then intelligently analyzed to determine the optimum and most cost-effective earthmoving process. Business Center – HCE graphically illustrates the results via traditional mass haul diagrams and mass haul earthworks reports showing computed haulage routes, lengths and all associated costs. This approach gives contractors the complete picture of earthworks operations, provides the ability to plan “what if” scenarios and delivers a drilldown to specific volume and cost information before breaking ground on the project.

The Business Center – HCE Corridor Mass Haul module enables better planning, bidding and execution for contractors, and can save both time and reduce costs in all phases of the construction lifecycle.

Greater Accuracy and Productivity Gains
Business Center – HCE version 2.50 includes new productivity tools that increase the accuracy and speed of construction takeoff with automated vector data extraction and the ability to import an even wider variety of source data types.

With version 2.50 users can accurately place and automate line work extraction from Adobe PDF vector files containing both plan and cross-section data, eliminating hours of time-consuming and monotonous manual information digitization. Multiple Adobe PDF plan pages can be rapidly placed and stitched together to hide unnecessary data, allow pages to merge at match line locations for better accuracy. The data is instantly more usable with automated Adobe PDF file extraction that recognizes dashed line patterns and converts the source data into continuous lines.

For highway and railroad users, CAD cross-sections can now be imported and converted into accurate 3D models in just a few minutes. In addition, Business Center – HCE now supports GEOPAK XS-List Report (XSR) files for contractors working on Department of Transportation (DOT) highway projects.

The automation of these previously manual processes can provide increased productivity gains, more accurate data, and time and cost savings for site and road contractors at every stage of the construction process.

Business Center – HCE version 2.50 is available now through Trimble’s Heavy and Highway Construction distribution and SITECH® dealer networks.

About Trimble’s Heavy and Highway Division
Trimble’s Heavy and Highway Division is a leading innovator of productivity solutions for the heavy and highway contractor. Trimble’s solutions leverage a variety of technologies, including Global Positioning System (GPS), construction lasers, total stations, wireless data communications, the Internet, and application software. As part of the Trimble Connected Site™ strategy, these solutions provide a high-level of process and workflow integration from the design phase through to the finished project—delivering significant improvements in productivity throughout the construction lifecycle.

About Trimble
Trimble applies technology to make field and mobile workers in businesses and government significantly more productive. Solutions are focused on applications requiring position or location—including surveying, construction, agriculture, fleet and asset management, public safety and mapping. In addition to utilizing positioning technologies, such as GPS, lasers and optics, Trimble solutions may include software content specific to the needs of the user. Wireless technologies are utilized to deliver the solution to the user and to ensure a tight coupling of the field and the back office. Founded in 1978, Trimble is headquartered in Sunnyvale, Calif. For more information, visit: www.trimble.com.