Case Study: S. Erwin Excavating achieves faster, safer, and more flexible excavations with Trimble GCSFlex Grade Control System

Small Contractor Adopts Technology

S. Erwin Excavating, a Bellevue, Idaho–based contractor with about 26 employees, needed a low‑cost way to boost productivity, accuracy and safety across many small, varied jobs. The company often runs multiple sites a day with three excavators of different sizes and wanted a solution that reduced dependence on grade checkers and workers in trenches while remaining affordable and easy to move between machines.

They adopted the Trimble GCSFlex Grade Control System—portable sensors, bucket and laser inputs and a CB450 display that provide real‑time guidance—and were trained and operational in under an hour. The system is swapped between excavators as needed and is used for main cuts, footings, trenches and building pads, eliminating grade checkers, speeding work, improving accuracy and safety, and delivering measurable time and cost savings that make the company more competitive.

S. Erwin Excavating

Darren Exon

President