Geocomp Lab Systems: Case Studies

Hanson Professional Services Provides Faster Turn-Around Times with Greater Testing Accuracy

Profile:
Hanson Professional Services Inc. is a full-service engineering firm providing geotechnical, structural and architectural design to clients around the globe. More than half of the firm’s annual revenue is generated from transportation-related projects including highway and bridge design, traffic planning and airport development. Hanson also designs buildings and facilities including offices and industrial complexes, schools and universities, communications and electronic facilities, and radio broadcast stations. The company’s clients include both state DOTs and large private firms, and it has worked on large-scale projects including Boston’s central artery.

Challenge:
Hanson purchased its first Load-Trac consolidation machines from Geocomp in the early ‘90s, updating the equipment about five years ago. So when the Hanson management team decided in 2002 that its old Brainard-Kilman testing equipment had seen its day and that it was time to invest in a modern triaxial machine, the group was predisposed to go with a Geocomp unit.

Geocomp had a proven track record, and Hanson was impressed with both the quality of its equipment and its personnel. “They’ve been very pleasant to work with and really excellent people,” said Richard Neu, Lab Supervisor at Hanson.

Solution:
Hanson purchased a new, fully automated triaxial machine from Geocomp in 2002. The equipment successfully measures the shear strength of soils to support the design of embankments and dams.

Benefits:
Hanson’s new Geocomp equipment frees Neu’s time up for additional testing.And that means a faster turn-around on client work.

“I can put samples in and just walk away,” Neu said. “It has cut my time in about half, mainly because I don’t have to sit there and baby sit the test … It’s all laid out so that you start the test and the machine takes care of you. It’s excellent. In fact, I have a test going right now,” he said. “Before, there was so much you still did by hand.”

Neu and his staff received training on the new Geocomp triaxial machine over the telephone.“In general, what it does is so overwhelming that it overrides any inconvenience of the learning curve,” he said.

Support for the software and machines has been excellent. “There is always someone who can get me through a problem or take time to refresh my memory. It is very seldom that I have to wait until the next day. And that is deeply appreciated,” Neusaid.

The Hanson lab has also noticed an improvement is testing accuracy. “[The Geocomp system] reduces hand calculations so that you don’t have the possibility of mistakes,” Neu said. “It’s been a major improvement in our laboratory.”

“It’s excellent. In fact, I have a test going right now.” Richard Neu Lab Supervisor Hanson Professional Services Inc