Case Study: Hoban Equipment Ltd. achieves 50% productivity gains and sub-centimeter accuracy with Trimble GCS900 Grade Control Systems

Site Prep Contractor Adopts Trimble Grade Control

Hoban Equipment Ltd., a mid-sized site-prep contractor in British Columbia with roughly 200–250 employees and a fleet of more than 200 machines, faced a strategic choice about adopting GPS machine-control technology to meet tighter project tolerances and stay competitive. After two years of research and seeing a competitor’s advantage on high-precision jobs (including a CP Rail project requiring near ±1 cm tolerances), Hoban made a decisive move and purchased 13 Trimble GCS900 grade control systems to shift the company’s operational approach.

Trimble dealers configured the systems and built the 3D models, and the equipment was installed across graders, dozers, scrapers, packers and excavators. The result: subgrade accuracy improved to about ±0.5 cm, productivity gains up to 50% with skilled operators, less rework, fuel and labor savings that accelerate ROI, and stronger bidding competitiveness on challenging clay and highway projects (e.g., the Highway 97 Cariboo Connector). Operator acceptance was high, and Hoban plans to expand Trimble across the fleet and add connected-site capabilities.

Hoban Equipment Ltd.

Will Hoban

Owner