A broad range of industries are prepared to embrace autonomy and incorporate autonomous capabilities as necessary paths to innovation. But how does an OEM arrive at the right implementation? And will the investment in creating this autonomous solution result in cost efficiency and a net positive impact?

Autonomy, as a term, is loosely thrown around as the future of industry and workflow, and as a solution to boost the bottom line. Businesses face a myriad of challenges in making the best decisions around how to integrate autonomous capabilities, and they must rely on a trusted partner to create a full and viable solution that integrates into their business process. Customized solutions abound to meet the specific needs of individual customers. Business processes and protocols vary widely, and a customer’s vision of autonomy may focus on specific needs or unique application requirements as well as the variable environments in which they work. Autonomous implementation is not a plug and play, one-size-fits-all solution.

It is with these considerations in mind that we have built Trimble Autonomy. We understand a range of challenges facing a variety of industries: population growth, priority on food loss, improved safety requirements, sustainability needs, and ever-growing consumer demand. Trimble approaches autonomy in a highly consultative manner that generates unique solutions based on a customers’ specific needs and demands. In response to these challenges, we create customized autonomous implementations no matter where each partner is on their journey towards autonomy, and work closely to deliver solutions that meet and exceed their goals.

It’s what we mean when we say “autonomy on your terms.”

A consultative approach

So how does Trimble approach this need for customization? We see the varied landscape of customer needs, environmental variables, business goals, regulatory requirements, consumer readiness and the like, less as a challenge and more as a provocation to develop and grow our autonomous solutions and services. Through extensive simulations and testing, we refine our autonomous offerings to help attain those specific client goals. And, as customer needs become more sophisticated, we are then able to build upon the foundational autonomous implementation to create precise, customized applications. By combining our autonomous capabilities and building blocks with the customer’s own unique value, we are able to help the customer be more efficient, build the necessary tools for tomorrow and quickly adapt to a changing economic environment.

Recently, SPE GmbH, a German engineering firm focused on land and underwater dredging tasked Trimble Autonomy with creating a dredging system in which sensors would independently collect data from the area to be dredged, and then use the data to control the system autonomously. Trimble is able to deliver deep industry expertise as well as creative and effective solutions to meet client needs. Trimble engineers met with leaders at SPE GmbH to better understand their challenges, and develop an appropriate solution to meet their goals.

Trimble put forward a customized system of pairing the , Trimble® BX992 receiver and GA830 ruggedized antenna, along with TrimbleCenterPoint® RTX correction service, to create a customized system able to provide highly accurate visualization with sonars to depths for more than 80 meters, even in turbid water. SPE now has a reliable and easy-to-use solution that consistently delivers corrections with 2cm accuracy.

SPE launched its first autonomous end-to-end dredging solution for the dredging industry. SPE has significantly improved mining and dredging operations with the full automation of the dredge monitoring system, and the benefits are significant: increased productivity, reduced carbon footprint, lower skilled labor costs and optimized dredging. Read the case study here. 

A heritage of innovation 

In its 40+ years, Trimble continues to push innovation forward. What sets us apart is our drive for excellence and our role as a trusted partner. We adhere to a set of principles that propel us to the next level of autonomous solutions: 
* We have been in the autonomy business for decades. We’re a trusted and proven business partner.
* A roster of the best engineering talent. We are committed to hiring industry specialists, recognized for their expertise. 
* Our hands-on experience on the road, in the field or on the site. We are one of the first major positioning and perception providers that has vehicles/machines in-market—acres touched; miles driven.
* A proven leader in technology. Trimble leads the industry in positioning and perception innovation with a range of products that are consistently first of their kind in-market.
 
Watch how Trimble Autonomy is pushing innovation forward.