Case Study: Schlatter’s Inc. achieves faster, more accurate drainage designs (saves 30–60 minutes per job) with Trimble Farm Works Surface

Drainage System Designer Finds Numerous Benefits in Automatic Pipe Sizing

Trimble customer Joey Schlatter, a drainage system designer in Indiana, faced an industry-standard challenge: manual pipe sizing is antiquated, time-consuming and often inaccurate. Using cardboard slide rules or rough estimates, designers frequently under- or oversize systems, adding hours to a typical job and risking extra material costs and poor drainage performance.

Trimble’s Farm Works Surface automatic pipe sizing automates diameter selection and cost/material estimates using terrain, slope, acreage and drainage coefficients, with adjustable parameters for design flexibility. Schlatter reports the feature cuts pipe-sizing time from 30–60 minutes down to minutes, improves precision by accurately tracking slope and contributing acres, reduces errors and material waste, and helps deliver more cost-effective, higher-performing drainage systems.

Schlatter’s Inc.

Joey Schlatter

Owner