MDiG at Scotplant 2024
We are pleased to announce that we will be exhibiting at this years Scotplant – find us at Avenue 6, Plot 1. (Friday 26th – Saturday 27 April 2024 at the Royal Highland Centre, Edinburgh).
Scotplant – Scotland’s largest construction equipment exhibition showcases the widest range of construction solutions and innovations in Scotland. Attended by thousands of construction trade professionals and over 200 exhibitors from major global brands to local firms, ScotPlant is the essential construction equipment exhibition for the trade.
We will have exclusive giveaways and a warm welcome from our expert and experienced staff – let’s chat about the available digital construction options that suit your needs. As UK distributors for Leica, Topcon, Trimble, Smart Construction and XWatch Safety Solutions we have all the options covered to add value to your projects and worksites. We look forward to meeting you!
Register here for your free tickets
Trimble Earthworks available to rent from MDiG
We are pleased to announce that Trimble Earthworks is now available through MDiG
for rental. Partnering with Sitech, this offering allows MDiG to offer an industry leading
product for customers to utilise and increase the efficiency of their projects.
“We are extremely excited about this latest partnership with Sitech which gives us the
opportunity to provide the Trimble suite of products to our customers. As a renowned
and leading survey equipment manufacturer, the products from Trimble increase our
options for customers, allowing us to offer the full range of the latest digital construction
equipment on the market. We look forward to working with Sitech and continuing to
offer innovative solutions as customers needs develop.” Ash Mills, Head of Sales and
Operations, MDiG.
“We are excited to work with MDiG as they expand their portfolio with Trimble
Earthworks. This is a fantastic opportunity to grow the industry leading Trimble Brand in
the UK with a trusted and established provider of Construction Technology Solutions.”
Grant Pearce, SITECH Head of Business.
Please find the Trimble Products here.
MDiG at the Royal Cornwall Show 2023
We are pleased to announce that we will be exhibiting at this years Royal Cornwall Show – Stand 414. Held from 8-10 June in Wadebridge (PL27 7JE), the Show is an ideal time and place for those in the South West (or those visiting) to come and say hello. We will have some exclusive giveaways, a competition with an extra special prize and our expert and experienced staff ready to welcome you and have a chat about digital construction options that suit your needs. As UK distributors for Leica, Topcon, Smart Construction and XWatch Safety systems we have all the options covered to add value to your projects and worksites.
We look forward to seeing you there.
Women Rock Construction
As part of their Women Rock Construction campaign Rockthorn Ltd spoke with Katie Clarke (Account Manager – South) on her 10+ years experience as a female working in the industry. Read and watch below!
What is your Job Role?
MDiG Account Manager – South UK
How long have you been in the industry
10+ years
What advice would you give to a young woman entering the industry?
Always be confident, be willing to listen and take things with a pinch of salt and always have a laugh, it’s a fantastic industry to be a part of, don’t ever be afraid to add value to drive change. I always aim for individuality, just be yourself!
What’s the best part of your job?
Interacting with customers who are at various stages of embracing digital technology to enhance their sites.
Tell us about your typical day.
Arranging hires, cold calling, following up quotations submitted, speaking with new clients daily and arranging face to face meetings, occasionally taking cab kits off excavators or dozers to help the team!
What makes you proud of working in the construction industry?
Just being in the industry for so many years, I have had MANY highs, along with some extreme lows. What makes me proud is I have now finally found my forte working for an incredible team and up and coming business who appreciate everything that I do and route for me to succeed.
What is your favourite tool or machine
Liebherr Dozers. Dozer girl at heart!
MDiG launches online training for Machine Control
MDiG are pleased to announce the launch of its new range of online training for Machine Operators,
aimed at understanding and maximising the benefits of machine control on the job site.
Specialising in machine control, surveying, and software the training is available through any
browser with an internet connection.
Completely online and accessible 24 hours a day, the training can be completed when convenient
and flexed around the working day. This can limit downtime as training can be done off site and
during quieter times. As well as removing travel time, online creates the opportunity to provide
immediate and appropriate training. You choose when to attend courses.
Many courses are supported by an online specialist, so if you have questions support is readily
available.
Suitable for beginners looking to get up to speed quickly or an experienced professional wanting to
brush up their knowledge, each course enables operators to take full advantage of the equipment’s
capabilities to help improve workflow in the field or back at the office.
The first course available is a free taster: Introduction to Machine Control – establishing the core
concepts and looking at standard digital construction technology.
This is followed by training for intelligent Machine Control machine operators – excavators and
dozers. These courses concentrate on the positive and unique traits of the intelligent Machine
Control systems and its effective and efficient operation. Learning is done through a variety of
styles – with Q & A, videos and interactive exercises.
New courses coming soon include Topcon 3D MC for dozers and excavators and Leica MC1 for
Dozer and Excavators. A Training App using the same login details will also be available soon
enabling all courses to be completed via a Smart Phone, offering even more flexibility and ease of
completion.
On passing the course a digital certificate is immediately available and a summary of the learning
provided to retain key information. The courses can also be repeated multiple times if you need a
refresher.
Course booking is quick and easy – sign up, add payment details and choose your course. Business
owners can register and book courses for multiple staff members at the same time. Results and
certificates can be managed easily with full support given from the MDiG team.
Launched in 2020, and with its staff having over 50 combined years experience in the construction
technology industry, MDiG is fast becoming established as one of the industry’s ‘leading providers.’
Along with online, classroom and site-based training, MDiG covers all aspects of digital construction
offering rental and sales of the latest GNSS and Machine Control equipment, solutions with jobsite
setup, 3D data & terrain mapping and an assist service via dedicated support desks. MDiG has key
partnerships with Leica Geosystems, Topcon Positioning and XWatch Safety Solutions as well as
being the UK’s distributor of Smart Construction products.
Sign Up Now for introductory FREE training
Awesome Earthmovers Magazine Interview
Dan Smith, our Technology Products Manager speaks with the latest edition of Awesome Earthmovers magazine. Read the article below and find the full magazine here: Awesome Earthmovers Issue 11
(For the full podcast interview see here.)
Moving into the Digital Age
Specialising in helping contractors transition from traditional engineering methods and giving them the tools and knowledge to drive their business forward into the digital age, Machine Control & GNSS rental supplier, retailer and site services provider MDiG, since its launch in 2020, has been building an extensive customer base across the UK from its Redditch based headquarters.
It is doing so against a backdrop of a digital revolution in the construction industry which, says Highways England, could dramatically increase productivity and save billions of pounds, while radically reducing disruption to the public and slashing the number of fatal building site accidents.
The organisation is spearheading a 15-year plan to accelerate the use of technology in infrastructure and says the CAP (Connected and Autonomous Plant) roadmap, developed through collaboration with more than 100 industry stakeholders, could see annual savings of £53 billion across new construction work, in addition to improving productivity by up to £400 billion by 2040.
Getting to that point, however, will be a challenge for many in the industry, which is where MDiG aims to make a difference. MDiG’s Technology Products Manager Dan Smith says adopting new technology on the jobsite can be a daunting task for some, and costly, too.
“There’s no doubt, technology can be a big investment and we understand that, which is why we offer rental options to make digital construction available to everyone,” he says. “As dealers for Leica and Topcon machine control systems, Smart Construction and Xwatch site safety and protection solutions, we believe our construction technology will help contractors achieve goals they simply cannot reach manually. With the correct technology in place, it’s possible to project business into a new era of construction.”
As one of the founding members of MDiG, Dan comes from a civil engineering background and has worked as a site engineer, with more than 15 years experience with machine control. From small beginnings, MDiG now boasts an 18-strong team that includes two Account Managers driving business forward, installers and trainers who have a combined knowledge of 50 years in machine control. With business continuing to grow and expand, the company has increased its rental fleet of Topcon and Leica products accordingly to meet that demand from the industry.
“While some are already well on the road to connected and autonomous plant, others have yet to dip their toes, as it were, into the world of GPS and machine control, put off by what could be a massive outlay for them; renting is by far the easiest route to ease themselves into that environment, especially if they operate machines that are plug and play ready, as most already are today.”
“When you weight up the rental costs against the on-site benefits, it makes sense to employ machine control and site safety solutions”
Of course, before any machine control project starts the appropriate GNSS base equipment must be sourced and then precisely set-up. Mistakes are easy to make, hard to detect, and can compromise efficiencies throughout the entire project.
“Choosing the right equipment for a digital job site is essential,” says Dan. “Our team of specialists advises customers on which kit to choose – from Base Stations and GPS Rovers to Machine Control Kits and Total Stations – and provide installation and ongoing support from start to finish. When you weight up the rental costs against the on-site benefits, it is not difficult to see that it makes sense to employ machine control and site safety solutions.”
As we mentioned, though, adopting digital technology can be challenging and difficult for some. “We understand and appreciate that, which is why we have developed a suite of training courses on all of the products we rent and install,” comments Dan. “We show them how machine control works, how they can get the best out of job sites and how it can increase efficiency and productivity. These bespoke courses are ideal for those who are new to digital construction and machine control and for those simply looking to brush up on their knowledge.”
There are course on Leica and Topcon machine control systems for site engineers, taking them through everything they need to know when it comes to job site setup, data synchronisation, troubleshooting and the daily use of machine control. The training involves classroom-based training and site exercises to maximise learning.
Other courses for dozer and excavator operators will take them through the hardware components and the benefits of machine control, followed by an indepth look at the main run screen components and all the tools on board to help in day-to-day tasks and to get the most from the system. From logging survey points to creating bespoke surfaces for the jobsite, these courses will make sure operators are fully up to speed.
Employing cutting edge aerial equipment, its CAA Pilots can save time and money on any project
Another growing side of the MDiG business is in the use of drones which are increasingly popular on jobsites. Currently, they have four fully trained drone operators on the team offering a range of services. Aerial insights improve progress tracking and help catch problems early before they become costly or add weeks to a project’s timeline.
Employing cutting edge aerial equipment, coupled with up to date processing software, its CAA Pilots can save time and money on any project. With multiple deliverables, they can deliver quick volumetric reports to aid in any part of the construction process, with the ability of patching into any original workflow, utilising industry standard file formats. Packages range from quick stockpile volume calculations to expansive cut/fill reports.
Clearly, the construction industry is ever-evolving. Looking forward, no site, big or small, will be complete without the latest digital technology. “We want to help our customers to get ahead of the curve and believe our products are essential for future success. Our products will enable all to embrace the change.“
To see which products would suit your project, jobsite and budget please contact one of our Account Managers:
South – Katie Clarke, 07831 499209, katie.clarke@mdig.co.uk
North – Simon Ralph, 07918 287318, simon.ralph@mdig.co.uk