CalContractor - 2023 Grading & Excavating

Issue 12 - 2023

GRADING & EXCAVATING ISSUE

MAGAZINE

LB3 Enterprises, Inc.

Moving 10.4-Million Cubic Yards of Dirt on Phase 3 and 4 of Rancho Mission Viejo’s Rienda Project

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CONTENTS 2023 Grading & Excavating

06 LB3 ENTERPRISES, INC.

Moving 10.4-Million Cubic Yards of Dirt on Phase 3 and 4 of Rancho Mission Viejo’s Rienda Project

14 KANA PIPELINE, INC.

Completes a segment of Vineyard, Eucalyptus and Baker Storm Drain Improvement Project for City of Ontario

22 XPANNER, INC.

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LB3 Enterprises, Inc.

Moving 10.4-Million Cubic Yards of Dirt on Phase 3 and 4 of Rancho Mission Viejo’s Rienda Project

By Brian Hoover, Senior Editor Photos contributed by: LB3 Enterprises, Inc. and CMS, LLC

Left to Right: Jack Morales, Senior Vice President, RMV, Mike Shaw, Senior Advisor, LB3 Enterprises, Inc., John Markel, Senior Advisor, RMV and Tim Cramer, Vice President, LB3 Enterprises, Inc.

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ancho Mission Viejo (RMV) is developing approximately 326 acres of land for the building of singlefamily and multi-family residences including apartments and some non-residential uses. LB3 Enterprises, Inc. was awarded the contract for this job, dubbed “RMV Rough Grading and Storm Drain Improvements Project.”

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Darcey Hardeman is the project manager for LB3, overseeing the work. “Our LB3 crews mobilized on the job site on September 11, and we are scheduled to complete our work in December 2024,” says Hardeman. “RMV is wonderful to partner with, as every project they undertake is put together with integrity and purpose. We want to thank and recognize

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Scott Leetzow, Senior Director of Construction for RMV, who is doing an outstanding job managing the project. We appreciate that RMV views our success as their success and always remain available to us for any challenges or guidance.”

LB3 is self-performing around 65% of the work on this contract, with the remaining 35% being completed by several industryleading subcontractors. “We began with clearing and grubbing, performed by our subcontractor, The J.V. Land Clearing Company, Inc. out of San Dimas,” says Hardeman. “This was no ordinary land clearing operation, as the area is covered in large oak trees and brush, along with existing

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Above: Overview photo of Phase 3 and 4 of the Rancho Mission Viejo Rienda Project in San Juan Capistrano.

Right: Josh George, Superintendent (left), Darcey Hardeman, Project Manager and Miguel Flores, Grading Foreman, LB3 Enterprises, Inc.

underground utilities that must always be at the front of mind.”

Joshua George is the superintendent in charge of this earthmoving project for LB3.

“We are performing both the remedial and mass excavation on this project. This is a cut and fill operation where we are doing the remedial excavations first along with some canyon drain excavations that open up some deep fills. The site is designed to balance without import or export of material,” says George. “Along

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with excavating the canyons and subdrains, we are also performing the buttress excavation and fills and creating the single-family resident pads and sheet grade pads. This work is being done to make way for more much needed housing and includes a parcel of land committed for the building of a K-8 school. We are also relocating temporary PVC reclaimed water and potable water

lines and replacing them with permanent steel pipe. Additionally, an MSE wall will be constructed, along with some V-Ditch and excavating and grading for utilities. We are also responsible for all permanent BMPs (Best Management Practices). We have excellent team crew members working on this project, including our grading foreman, Miguel Flores, who is a great asset

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Left: Cat 329 excavator rented from C5 Equipment Rentals excavates a hillside while LB3 Enterprise’s Cat 657 scraper returns to the cut on the haul road at the Rancho Mission Viejo jobsite.

Above Left: One of Coburn Equipment Rentals’ operated Cat D10 dozers ripping the cut.

and has been onsite since the beginning of this job.”

According to George, there are three separate canyons on this project, and LB3 has completed the remedial work on two so far.

“It was important that we get in there and perform the canyon removals right away in anticipation of the wet winter weather. We are working with large draw areas with projections of large amounts of water coming in from way offsite,” continues George. “We are doing some wet removals next to Gobernadora Creek, which is a protected stream. There is high groundwater in some areas and some of the remedials are

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Above Right: LB3 Enterprise’s Cat 834 compactor operated by Robert Scudero mixing and compacting the fill on-site.

below the groundwater level.

This requires a small amount of dewatering, but our crews have it under control.”

George points out that in addition to the remedial work, mass excavating, and rough grading, there is also storm drain backbone improvements being done on this project. “We are running 22 Cat 657 scrapers, six Cat D10 dozers, two Cat D8 dozers, four Cat D6 dozers, John Deere and Hitachi 470 (100,000 lb.) excavators, six water trucks, a water pull, multiple wheel compactors, and motor graders for the haul roads,” says George.

“The 657 scrapers are moving the

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majority of the dirt, and the dozers are doing the hard ripping in the sandstone, but we are using the excavators and Volvo articulated trucks for removal in the tight spots within the canyons. As we get closer to grade completion, we will be provided with final design specifications to support final delivery of blue top pads to RMV’s builder partners.”

Over the past few decades, LB3 has become one of the most sought-after mass grading contractors in California. Larry Brown (president) helped develop and expand Lake Havasu and its surrounding areas. The company { Continued on page 10 }

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{ Continued from page 16 }

Above: LB3 Enterprise operator Mike Bechtol on Hitachi 470 excavator loading a Volvo A45 articulated rock truck.

{ Continued from page 8 }

grew in both size and scope to become mass excavation experts. Then, in the 2000s, Larry Brown and LB3 vice president, Tim Cramer, set their sights on the southern California housing and mass excavation markets and have experienced tremendous growth since.

For more information on LB3 Enterprises, Inc., please visit www.lb3enterprises.com or call their Lakeside headquarters at (619) 579-6161. Cc About Rancho Mission Viejo Rancho Mission Viejo, LLC is a privately held, family-owned and -operated company responsible for the ranching, farming, planning, development, and fiscal management of the remaining 23,000 acres of Rancho Mission Viejo, situated in unincorporated South Orange County. Since 1882, members of the O’Neill/ Moiso/Avery family have owned and managed The Ranch which once exceeded 200,000 acres and now includes the family-developed cities and communities of Ladera Ranch, Las Flores, Mission Viejo and Rancho Santa Margarita as

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RMV Consultants: Qtative – Owner Representative Thomas Rubio, Principal GMU – Geologists (Soils) Aron Taylor, Principal, VP TurnPoint Geomatics – Survey/Drone Jerry Lopez, President ARM – Paleontologist & Archeologists Hugo Lozano (Paleo/ Archeologist) JES Engineering Contractors – Owner Representative - Qualified SWPPP Developer (QSP) Mitch Perkin, VP Hunsaker & Associates Civil Engineer

C A LCO N T R AC TO R .CO M

Right: LB3 Enterprise operator Ken Wetzel on Cat 140M Blade grading haul roads on the project.

Left: LB3 Enterprise water towers filling one of (subcontractor) Mastiff Equipment Inc.’s water trucks.

Subcontractors for LB3 Enterprises, Inc.: well as such iconic places as Caspers Wilderness Regional Park, the Starr Ranch Audubon Sanctuary, O’Neill Regional Park and Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton.

Development on The Ranch is a partnership between Rancho Mission Viejo, LLC (managing partner) and DMB Associates, an Arizona-based, diversified real estate company with commercial property/resort/recreational/primary home community holdings throughout Arizona, California, Hawaii and Utah.

At completion, Rancho Mission Viejo will encompass approximately 6,000 acres, or 25%, of the 23,000-acre Rancho Mission Viejo, a historic ranch in Orange County, which has been held in the O’Neill/Moiso/Avery family since 1882.

About 17,000 acres, or 75%, of The Ranch will be preserved for the large habitat conservation area known as The Nature Reserve at Rancho Mission Viejo, along with ranching and farming.

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By Brian Hoover, Senior Editor / Photos contributed by: Dominik Vaughan, Kana Pipeline, Inc.

S

torm drain systems play a crucial role in California’s infrastructure, helping manage and mitigate the impact of rainfall in a region that is prone to periodic heavy storms. The importance of storm drain systems in California can be understood through various perspectives, including flood prevention, water quality maintenance, and overall urban planning. The ultimate goal of 14

stormwater management is to maintain the health of streams, lakes and aquatic life as well as provide opportunities for human uses of water by mitigating the effects of urban development.

To achieve this goal stormwater management strives to maintain the natural hydrologic cycle, prevent an increased risk of flooding, prevent undesirable stream erosion, and protect water quality.

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The City of Ontario, located in San Bernardino County, is committed to effective storm drain management to mitigate the impacts of stormwater runoff on the environment and public infrastructure. The city also recognizes the importance of preserving water quality, preventing flooding, and safeguarding the overall well-being of the community. The City of Ontario Storm Drain Master Plan C A LCO N T R AC TO R .CO M

Completes a segment of Vineyard, Eucalyptus and Baker Storm Drain Improvement Project for City of Ontario

Above: Kana Pipeline’s John Deere 470 excavator and Cat 395 excavator pictured on the jobsite displaying the American Flag in honor of Labor Day.

identifies storm drain infrastructure in need of improvements replacement or new installations.

Kana Pipeline was recently contracted to install approximately 5,300 linear feet of precast reinforced storm drain box culvert on Vineyard Avenue and Eucalyptus Avenue, and more than one mile of conventional storm drain pipes on Vineyard, Eucalyptus and Baker Avenue.

Rizwan Rana is the project CALCON TRAC TOR.CO M

manager overseeing this project along with Mark Baul in estimating for Kana Pipeline. “We started this project in March 2023 and recently completed the first phase of construction, and will begin Phase 2 in March 2024. The project has been broken into two phases due to other infrastructure traffic management needs and its impact of the local community,” says Rana. “The first phase was for Vineyard and Baker Avenue, while

the second phase will focus on Eucalyptus Avenue. This is a major capital investment and upgrade of storm drain infrastructure for what will eventually be primary arterial streets with multiple lanes in both directions, to include large medians and wide sidewalks.”

According to Rana, the original contract for the City of Ontario Vineyard, Eucalyptus and Baker Storm Drain Improvement Project was for $8.9 million, but plan

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Above: Kana’s Cat 395 excavates while their John Deere 470 compacts and their Hitachi 5-yard Wheel loader moves dirt on the storm drain improvement project for the city of Ontario.

Right: Aerial view showcasing a portion of the precast installation operation.

changes and additions have brought that number up to $10.2 million. “We have installed precast reinforced culvert storm drain systems many times in the past, but never this much on one single project. Thompson Pipe Group is our supplier and the procurement of these precast boxes required careful scheduling as a four-month advance notice is necessary for manufacturing so many units,” says Rana.

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According to Kana Pipeline’s superintendent, Daniel Castro, there are several challenges associated with this project. “The city had a new 120+ PSI, 16-inch waterline installed and our box installation is only around six feet from that utility. Our crews were working right up against this new waterline and we had to be very

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careful backfilling to avoid issues with loose and shifting soil,” says Castro. “We do this type of work day in and day out, but we never get comfortable or complacent with existing utility lines. We will have as many as three to four crews working on any given day in order to meet our schedules { Continued on page 18 } C A LCO N T R AC TO R .CO M

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{ Continued from page 16 }

and expedite the project. Each crew has a different responsibility to include everything from box installations and backfill to patching crews and yet another crew to install the 26-foot-deep, 36” line running parallel to the box installation. We are on schedule and eager to return to complete Phase 2 in March of 2024.”

Rana explains that a large and complex job, like this storm drain improvement project for the City of Ontario, requires the right equipment and attachments.

“Special projects require specialized equipment and this one called for the use of a much larger excavator due to the deeper and wider excavations. We would 18

typically use a 75,000 to 112k pound excavator for regular storm drain installations that may only be 11-19 feet deep, but we knew going in that we would need a much larger unit,” explains Rana.

“We procured a new Cat 395, 207,400-pound excavator from Quinn Cat in Riverside. We needed the size, strength and digging depth of this large Cat excavator to dig to depths of 22 to 32 feet and as deep as 42 feet. We also needed the size and strength for lowering the 49,000 pound storm drain boxes into place.”

In addition to the new Cat 395 excavator, Kana Pipeline is also utilizing two John Deere 470 P-Tier, 112,916-pound excavators, a Cat 349, 105,200-pound excavator and

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1.

Cat 395 moves and loads dirt into the Doosan 35-ton articulated dump truck.

2.

Cat 395 excavating to a depth of 28 feet.

3.

Underground view of patching crew at work inside installed reinforced culvert boxes (RCBs).

4.

RCB on-site waiting for installation.

several Volvo Doosan 35-ton articulated rock trucks. “The equipment is key, especially when you are installing a full mile of 13-foot-wide by 8-foot-tall by 6-foot-long precast concrete boxes at an average depth of 22 to 32 feet. We have completed the installation of around a half-mile (2,500 feet/420 boxes) on the initial Vineyard Avenue section, and will return in March 2024 to complete the Eucalyptus box sections (another approximately 2,700 feet) and over 2,000 feet of 24” and 36” pipe sections at 14-feet in depth,” continues Rana. “Every precast concrete box creates around 5 cubic yards of dirt, so we rented Doosan articulated trucks from Western Rentals to keep the C A LCO N T R AC TO R .CO M

Left: John Deere 470 continuously moves dirt as CAT 395 lowers RCB into shielded trench.

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49,500 lb. RCB being lowered into the trench.

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49,500 lb. RCB joint being installed.

3.

24-ft deep RCB installation in shield condition.

4.

Aerial view of external patching being completed on RCB.

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spoils moving. It is like installing room after room, deep into the ground and we turned to Trench Shoring Company for the trench boxes, aluminum hydraulic shores, steel plates and manhole braces.

We also rented from Ecco Equipment for long reach excavators on the project.”

Rana says that this storm drain job is a capital project, so the City of Ontario has a lot of say since they will be maintaining the public roadway after it is finished. “The people at the City of Ontario have been great to work with, as has the developer/owner,” continues Rana. “I also want to recognize and thank everyone who has worked so long and hard on this project so far. Without our CALCON TRAC TOR.CO M

experienced professional operators and laborers, none of this would be possible.”

Storm drain systems are indispensable for California’s infrastructure and the well-being of its residents. These systems not only protect against the immediate threats of flooding and erosion but also contribute to the long-term sustainability and health of the region’s ecosystems.

As climate patterns continue to evolve, the effective management of stormwater will remain a key factor in the resilience and adaptability of California’s urban areas, and Kana Pipeline will be there to get the job done right.

Founded in 1984 by owner Daniel Locke, Kana Pipeline is

dedicated to being the leading underground wet utility contractor in California. With nearly 40 years of experience, Kana Pipeline serves both private and public entities in commercial, industrial, residential, and institutional developments. Specializing in sewer, water, fireline, storm drain, and other structural water systems, Kana Pipeline is committed to delivering high-quality services.

For more information on Kana Pipeline, please visit their website at www.kanapipeline.com or call their Riverside headquarters at (714) 986-1400. You can also find them on Instagram, LinkedIn, and Facebook as @kanapipeline. Cc

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Below: Digging made easier with Xpanner’s Tech Ready Excavator.

By Brian Hoover, Senior Editor / Photos contributed by: Xpanner, Inc. and CMS, LLC

Xpanner, Inc. – Bringing Automation, Machine Control, and Technology Services to the Front End of the Construction and Solar Energy Industries

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utomation in heavy equipment has revolutionized the construction industry, bringing forth a new era of efficiency, safety, and precision.

Automated construction equipment can perform tasks with a higher degree of accuracy and speed.

This efficiency leads to faster project completion times and increased overall productivity.

Automation systems in heavy 22

equipment are designed to execute tasks with precision. This is particularly beneficial for tasks that require accuracy, such as grading and excavation. As the industry continues to evolve, finding a balance between automation and human expertise will be crucial for maximizing the benefits of this transformative technology.

Xpanner, Inc. is a frontrunner and pioneer of automation and robotics that benefit the general

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contractor on earthworks, the front end of all construction projects.

Jae Choi is the Chief Operating Officer at Xpanner (pronounced “spanner”) and oversees the company’s growth. “As many in the construction industry already know, there has been a ton of innovation on the back-office side of construction, such as project management, electronic payments, ticketing and document tracking and sharing. That type C A LCO N T R AC TO R .CO M

Left: Xpanner’s Automation Solutions, powered by Mango, a proprietary retrofit controller.

of innovation has been moving at a pretty good clip for the past decade or so. But, when you look where some of the most difficult work is, where the shovel meets the dirt, there has not been a lot of innovation,” says Choi. “There has not been much integrated thinking on how to make earthwork easier, more accurate, and more profitable.”

The name Xpanner comes from the word “spanner,” which means “wrench” in many countries outside of North America. Xpanner started out in South Korea four years ago and closed $5 million in revenue in 2022. The company raised close to $10 million in funding this past May after initiating operations in the United States at the beginning of 2023. This aggressive and growing startup is currently operating in California out of an office, yard and warehouse in Santa Fe Springs. “California is our initial launch point in the U.S., but we are planning to expand into Texas and parts of the Midwest, with the Southeast being our upcoming growth region,” says Choi.

Choi points out that, according to the Associated Builders and Contractors, 600,000 construction jobs went unfilled in the United CALCON TRAC TOR.CO M

States in 2022. “Part of our motivation here at Xpanner is to create technology that will help to mitigate the effects of the current shrinking workforce that many industries including construction are facing. Construction companies want to hire. They need to hire, but cannot find the right people to fill the available positions. Part of what we can do is to help fill some of that void with the automated solutions that we are bringing to the table,” says Choi. “We have an incredible group of industry veterans in the top ranks here at Xpanner with more than 150 years of collective experience. We come from companies like Volvo, Bobcat and Doosan, with a shared vision of offering value added technology to better integrate construction attachments and machinery.”

The Automation Side of Xpanner Choi says that Xpanner’s solutions consist of retrofit kits, starting with a compact hardware controller that gets retrofitted onto an excavator, dozer, compactor, or other machine. “This small piece of hardware will allow an operator to control the hydraulics and electronics of heavy construction machinery. This works in tandem

with a smaller piece of hardware that communicates through GPS technology and has the ability to introduce preprogrammed software,” continues Choi.

“Xpanner provides task specific automation programs that get downloaded into the hardware.

This allows for task specific and full automation of an excavator, dozer or other machinery, making digging, dozing and other tasks easier, more accurate and able to be completed successfully even by less experienced operators.”

It should be noted that according to Choi, Xpanner technology is not meant to replace operators or laborers on a jobsite.

“The purpose of Xpanner is not to replace, but to assist operators with more accurate and easier operations. The veteran, more experienced operators are retiring and our technology can put a less experienced operator in the cab to confidently work through our task specific automation solutions. The operator puts the machine in place and then activates the machine guidance unit that will notify them where to place the bucket.

They push a few buttons and the automation begins digging, for example, a trench that is ten-feet

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23

Right: Demo Day in Corona, CA with Team Xpanner, Hero Excavator, and Willhite S.I.C.S.

deep, 100-feet long, with the walls at an angle of say, 45-degrees.

The excavator digs autonomously while the operator monitors the task. The operator’s main job in this situation is to watch for safety issues and properly direct the machine to the task site. This is where we are at in the midterm but the future will hold even further automation features,” says Choi. “We have already held several demonstrations and POCs. Contractors love the concept.

They like the full automation ideas as well, but also recognize the safety and labor issues with full automation. So, for now these assist solutions make a lot more sense to contractors in today’s marketplace.”

Building the Foundation for Xpanner’s Automation with ConTech Sales & Expert Services In the US, Xpanner is an official distributor for Steelwrist, a leading manufacturer of tiltrotators that can rotate 360 degrees and tilt 45 degrees in each direction with top of class precision and controllability.

Eddy Kim is the Vice President of Xpanner North American and is heading up operations currently out of the Santa Fe Springs location. “While we are selling and servicing Steelwrist tilt-rotators, we also offer value-added services to help the contractor get up and operating as soon as possible. The tiltrotator units are popular and moving into the U.S. market rapidly.

They need to be installed and commissioned properly.

However, many tiltrotator

manufacturers are not setup with a nationwide network yet, and the learning, training and usage curve can be daunting,” says Kim. “So, if I am a contractor on the west coast and I purchase a tiltrotator, it may take weeks for the equipment to arrive and have it installed.

And, of course, if I need training or servicing at some point, timing on that could go long. To augment the OEM’s capacity, we setup our facility in Santa Fe Springs where we have a warehouse and expert service technicians to expedite the delivery of the Steelwrist units, and then install, tune and maintain these versatile attachments for our customers. We also offer software packages that assist in connecting and integrating the tiltrotator and the machine guidance unit so that it performs more smoothly through the main joysticks on the excavator.”

Automation, Sales and Service All Go Together for Maximum Productivity and Performance While Xpanner is pursuing and servicing smaller to medium sized contractors on the tiltrotator and service end of the business, they are also going after larger general engineering contractors on the automation end. “Through

contacts developed at BuiltWorlds conferences, multi-billion-dollar construction firms from the US, Europe, and Asia are contacting us, very excited about our automation solutions. With these GCs, we are working to scale our solutions to bigger and bigger projects. As we begin to expand into the US market, we will offer everything from machine and attachment sales, site monitoring and management solutions, as well as all of the automation solutions that we can put on top,” continues Choi. “On one end of the spectrum, we work to build an installed base with the independent contractors and owner operators.

With larger operations, we offer equipment integration, site monitoring & management solutions, and automation solutions for site supervisors or site foreman.

With our site monitoring and management solutions, we can help our contractors monitor the operational status and production of each machine on-site, all from a computer screen in the office. This includes real-time production data, where they dig and how much they excavate and even a report on the accuracy and efficiency of what they have completed. When { Continued on page 26 }

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Below: Tiltrotator and machine guidance integrated for better performance.

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we put a tiltrotator and a machine guidance unit on an excavator, the operator will know exactly where to dig and end. We can then pull the data from these machines and put that data on a dashboard to show status and progress.” Choi adds, “One of our biggest value propositions is that our automation technology is completely brand agnostic. Our solutions can work with most brands of machines, attachments, and tech. For example, our clients can bring us most any maker of equipment. As much as we can, we want to help our customers better leverage what they already own. 2024 is going to be very busy as we continue to offer customer demonstrations throughout California and other states. We also have plans to rent our tech-ready Volvo excavator, set up with a Steelwrist tiltrotator, so that they can experience our technology before making a purchase.”

Volvo Construction Equipment & Services (VCES) has partnered with Xpanner to help assist them with things like finding demonstration sites and providing industry information that is helpful in getting the company up and running. “We recently purchased a Volvo 26

ECR235EL excavator from VCES and installed one of our Steelwrist tiltrotator units with a machine guidance on top and a Xpanner monitoring system to use as one of our demonstration units. We held a two-day demonstration event in Corona on September 20th and 21st. Aaron Anderson, territory manager for Volvo Construction Equipment & Services, helped Xpanner secure the demonstration site and was present at the event to assist wherever needed. “The Xpanner demonstration was held for select companies, and individuals, but was also used as an opportunity to shoot video and still photography for promotion, social media and video presentations,” says Anderson. “Xpanner has some great technology hitting the market soon that will make a big difference for equipment operators and productivity on the jobsite.”

Solar Farm Construction First to Use Xpanner Automation Technology Xpanner continues to work in other industries as well, including solar farm construction. “We have been performing proof of concepts for solar farms and this will be the area where our automation will show up first. We completed a

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proof of concept with a solar farm contractor in Texas and are doing another larger one in Missouri in January. Speed and accuracy of piling are the few things that a solar farm contractor can control and improve because the cost of land and panels all have market-set prices. Xpanner’s technology and automation solutions will soon be assisting solar farm construction firms to get their piling work completed faster and with less labor costs, getting them to generate power and profits sooner” says Choi. “Our integration and site monitoring technologies are available now, and we are on schedule to release our automation for pile drivers during the first quarter 2024” continues Choi. “We are being geographically prudent with our expansion right now as we continue to locate and bring our certified installation and training partners onboard. But, we are here in the US and excited to work with our customers to deliver results faster, at lower costs, even with the industry’s mind-blowing labor shortage.”

For more information on Xpanner, Inc., please visit www.en.xpanner.com or call their facility in Santa Fe Springs at (424) 313-4126. Cc C A LCO N T R AC TO R .CO M

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