Machine Control Reshapes Site Prep for Vermont Contractor

Highlights:

• New England owner/operator embraces technology to improve excavator efficiency in an evolving industry.
• The Volvo Dig Assist machine control system with In-Field Design saves time and money for a quick ROI.
• He calls the service a "game changer" that also improves site safety and reduces skill gaps.

That path led to the launch of his own concrete business in 1995, and Harold’s Concrete Construction grew to serve the northern parts of Vermont and New Hampshire. In time, Harold added excavating and septic work to his team’s skillset, covering the full process of residential construction site prep.

“In 2019, I bought my first Volvo excavator from Wood’s CRW,” says Harold. “A friend of mine said he gets 12,000 to 13,000 hours out of them, so that’s what made me buy the Volvo.”

Today, the company keeps about 10 employees, and the fleet includes an EC140, EC200 and EC220, all mid-size crawler excavators. But the secret weapon he arms those excavators with? A machine control system from Volvo CE called Dig Assist.

“I was at CONEXPO in 2023 and happened to walk by a gentleman who works for Volvo,” Harold recalls, referring to Matthew McLean, Product Manager — Assist Systems at Volvo CE.

“I asked him about the technology he was showing, and he told me a little bit about it. I went to see Matthew every day of the show from then on, and he showed me something more about Dig Assist each time. He gave me his card, and we followed up.”

Matthew said it was apparent right away that Harold knew his stuff and was seeking ways to work smarter and faster.

“As an owner/operator, he understood how hard it can be to find labor and was looking to see what technology could help him get jobs done faster, without breaking the bank,” says Matthew.

The team at Harold’s local Volvo CE dealership, Wood’s CRW, went above and beyond to get Dig Assist installed on his excavators — and he was off and digging.

The Dig Assist feature that sold him on the system is In-Field Design, which uses navigation technology and simple on-screen instructions to transform a paper drawing into a digital model that guides the operator.

“This system has been a game changer,” says Harold. “It takes me less than five minutes to establish a few points in my layout, and we’re moving dirt. I know where every corner and every wall is without throwing in stakes, taping measurements, cross squaring, everything like that. It’s accurate to within the size of your thumbnail.”

The quick, precise setup and real-time, on-screen tracking eliminate the need for an additional person outside the excavator, which means a safer worksite and lower costs. Plus, the digital layout can be saved, shared and reused, conserving even more time on similar projects in the future.

A Worthwhile Investment

Harold says the time it took him to learn how to use Dig Assist — about a week — has been well worth it compared to the years it could take to properly train a laborer.

“It's nothing to be intimidated by,” he says. “And it’s easy to backtrack if you make a mistake.”

He estimates that the cost of adding Dig Assist to an excavator was made up in about four months thanks to reduced labor. One particular job comes to mind when Harold does the math.

“If you lay out a foundation like one I did last year that had 16 corners in it, to lay that out manually would have probably taken three hours or more to get it square,” he says. “Instead, it took me 12 to 13 minutes to put that layout into the machine.”

And if an operator is less experienced in site layout, Harold says he can input the data to get them started and trust that the machine will keep that operator on course for the rest of the day.

Matthew says the testing done at the start of Harold’s Dig Assist journey lined up with what he normally sees across the machine control industry.

“Indicating systems can save up to 35% on time by helping you dig to the right grade the first time,” he says. “And the automation features tend to get operators into the 45-50% time savings range.”

A Solid Foundation Is the Key

Harold values what Dig Assist has done for his business, noting that the excavators themselves and partnering with Wood’s CRW were smart decisions to build upon.

“That EC220 excavator has about a thousand hours on it. I’ve never had one issue where it goes down,” he says. “I do know that Wood’s has an outstanding reputation for service. They will send a field tech over — or whatever it takes to get you back up and running — because they understand how important that is. I’ve had great service from them.”

As for that initial relationship with Matthew?

“We still talk pretty frequently,” says Harold. “I’ve also corresponded with other Dig Assist people, and they answer in a relatively short period of time. We’re talking hours, not days or weeks. It’s been a very positive relationship.”

Two years into his use of Volvo Dig Assist, Harold continues to sing its praises — and coming from someone with more than 30 years of experience, it might pay off for other contractors to listen.

“If you invest in this technology, you’re investing in production, you’re investing in accuracy, and you’re investing in no callbacks. And that’s what this game is all about,” he says. “Time is money, and Volvo has the system to help you make money. It’s an amazing system.”