Sustainable Land Development Today - March 2009 - (Page 20)

on two critical areas for viability: shortterm actions to hold down expenses wherever practical and a long-term commitment to growth by pushing the development and introduction of technologies. Those actions are what set progressive companies apart from those that are stagnating or moving backward. There are construction companies today who are making it a common practice to go into “mothball” mode. Mothballing is a term that progressive companies use only as a last resort. In today’s economy, it is “a condition of long storage (for machinery) for possible future use.” Companies who first turn to mothballing equipment rather than examining the possibility of increasing the productivity of every machine and every employee are asking for trouble in the near term, and setting up a scenario for failure in the future. using advanced GNSS technology recently crossed the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco. Today, a vehicle crossing a bridge sans driver; tomorrow, clearing a massive job site using driverless graders and dozers equipped with sub-millimeter-precision GNSS satellite information and sensors to direct its path and warn of obstructions. Stop and consider the incredible pace at which changes in the construction world is moving. A year ago, what construction company would have envisioned a dozer that would move dirt at up to 18 miles an hour? Or a dozer that can run twice as fast as a dozer equipped with machine-control technology and with the smoothness and accuracy of a grader? Or remote asset-management technology that can gather and assess real-time data on heavy iron practically any place in the world? Engineers, scientists and dreamers will continue to push forward to create a global construction environment that continually relies less on the absolute pushing and digging power of big iron and more on advancements in technology that save time and money. That’s what drives construction innovation, and those two tenets are not likely to be declared obsolete anytime soon. If a company’s management team recognizes the need to do whatever is necessary to create a lean, efficient operation in today’s economic conditions, the first thing to check out is what technologies are available to increase productivity in their operations . . . and do whatever is necessary to obtain that technology. In this economy, the future viability of many companies will depend on expanding on or adopting that forwardthinking philosophy. SLDT About the author: Dr. C. Jason Smith is cofounder of Discipline and Write, a New York City-based technical writing cooperative. He can be reached at c_jason_smith@yahoo.com. Additional information can be found at www.topconpositioning.com Opportunities Are There Despite the present economic conditions, there are still new projects up for bid. The federal government is poised to undertake the most extensive publicworks project in the nation’s history; billions will be spent on construction projects; competition for those jobs will be fierce. What’s next for the contractor? Autonomous vehicles? There are tests being done right now on driverless agriculture equipment. An autonomous car 20 March 2009 Sustainable Land Development Today http://www.topconpositioning.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Sustainable Land Development Today - March 2009

Sustainable Land Development Today - March 2009 Contents Our Voice: Energy Savings Accounts Mining the Sewers for On-site Reuse Modern Flood Disasters The Financial Challenge of Leed® Technology: Opportunities Exist to Buy in Now SLDI In Focus: A Look Inside Calendar of Events Energy: Solar Power on Rails Industry News Products & Services The Bottom Line: Green Lending – Class G Advertiser Index Editorial Board SLDT Resources Last Word: Not All Gloom & Doom

Sustainable Land Development Today - March 2009

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