Because of the drought, the city in which I live on the Central Coast of California has started offering homeowners cash rebates for converting their lawns to dry landscapes. This prompted my neighbor two doors down to completely redesign his front yard with wood chips of various size and composition and rocks and stones and small stone walls.
My neighbor two doors down hired a contractor to install his new yard.
During the next few weeks the contractor brought in a Bobcat compact loader several days at a time. I never saw anyone working with it because I was at work during the day. And for a handful of weekends I would either drive by, or peek out my front window to see that Bobcat, just sitting next to a pile of rocks, not doing anything.
Eventually the job was finished, and the skid-steer never came back, and my neighbor two doors down had his dry landscape.
What gnawed at me throughout the process was the thought of seeing that compact loader doing absolutely nothing. I realized that after all the press briefings and product announcements from construction equipment manufacturers…it had been drilled into my consciousness that downtime is bad. Idle time is bad. Time spent repeating an action is bad.
Considerable investments have been made and are being made to develop machines, hardware and software, and BMPs all to save time. Telematics, lasers, and machine control help us move dirt more efficiently. And it’s not just about saving time; there’s also spending time more efficiently. New cab ergonomics in machines make sure that operators are as comfortable as they can be so that they can perform optimally during the entire time they’re at the controls. And since some downtime is unavoidable, manufacturers are now making the time that engines are idling more fuel-efficient.
The time spent training an operator on an actual machine has decreased because there are now lifelike training simulators. That means the real thing doesn’t have to endure the abuse of rookie operators, which saves valuable hours off the life of the machine.
Contractors are just now starting to delve into the world of apps. According to a survey done by Texas A&M, contractors—72% who already use smartphones and about half who use tablets—are not using the technology to its potential. There are apps for permitting, resource tracking, fleet tracking, inventory, and even safety. Imagine how much time will be saved when these, and newer technologies, are fully embraced.
We’re conquering time using our collective genius and creativity.
I had to let my neighbor know how distressing it was to see a fine piece of machinery wasting time in his front yard. The next chance I got I marched over to greet him in his new front yard and I was about to open my mouth and say something when he spoke first.
“It took a little longer and we spent a little more than we expected…but it was worth it.”
It was then I finally took the time to look at his landscaped front yard. It was beautiful. The front yard was truly sculpted by a talented artist. I complimented him and walked home. Then I had to take some time and think.
Consider this…
Last year, Japanese automaker Toyota actually cut back on the use of robots and replaced them with human beings. This is in a country that has more industrial robots than any other country on planet Earth. Toyota gave two reasons for this unconventional move. It wants its workers to fully comprehend the work they’re doing instead of just feeding parts into a machine. And the automaker was concerned that automation was just creating too many average workers and not enough craftsmen and masters. At the 100+ workspaces, the people who replaced the robots actually reduced waste in crankshaft production, while other areas improved productivity and cut costs. Toyota found out that getting rid of robots can make the processes more efficient.
When it comes to grading and excavation I understand the need for speed, efficiency, and accuracy. I even embrace all of the technology as I prepare for even newer innovation.
But a lot of the dirtmoving that was done before laser guidance and telematics and machine control was done by people who considered themselves to be artisans.
Maybe with all the time we save using our new and evolving technology, we can take a short amount of that time and think about the operators from those not-so-long-ago days—who used to move the dirt and shape the ground going by feel and using a keen eye both honed from years of experience—and appreciate the way they could sculpt like craftsmen and masters.
