A day in the life of a digital mechanic

The digital mechanic relates to the registration of the exact location of cables and pipes by the professionals themselves, during construction. Since October 1, 2022, DSP has preferred to measure house connections with a GPS measurement system instead of digital sketching to make the work process easier for mechanics.

Digitale monteur aan het werk

Possibilities of today as an opportunity for tomorrow
Estimating on-sight, sketching by hand and working non-digitally at home connections has fortunately been a thing of the past for a few years now. The social and economic impact caused by excavation damage can be prevented by measuring cables and pipelines with centimeter precision. The network operators and contractors affiliated with the DSP are aware of this fact and help prevent excavation damage in the future by measuring house connections with accurate RD coordinates.

How does a digital mechanic actually work? We recently interviewed Nick Hage of Aannemersbedrijf van Vulpen. We walked with him during the survey of house connections and we asked him for his opinion and experiences.

“Measuring with the Stonex GPS measuring equipment from Geodirect makes work child’s play”, Nick indicated. Nick shows how measuring works. He keeps the GPS pole in the right place and ensures that the exact position is recorded in the system at the push of a button. Add a few more mandatory elements digitally, so that all data has been entered and no mechanics has to be sent back later. The house connection is measured in no time and Nick knows for sure that the data entered is reliable. Should excavation be necessary in the future, the risk of damage is minimal!

“Measurements are fast, precise and the equipment and software make it easy. You can’t even forget things, because the system will let you know that something is missing.” Nick indicates that he himself has no experience with how measurement used to work in the past, but the way it works now, with these tools, is very pleasant and reliable, says Nick.

How to become a digital mechanic
“We are trained internally, after extensive theoretical and practical training from Geodirect. I mastered measuring house connections in about 15 minutes, it’s that simple!” Nick can proudly call himself a Digital Mechanic. Not just a nice title, but an asset to the contractor Van Vulpen, which in turn contributes by recording reliable data and faster deliveries of realized house connections.

Are you also interested in training your mechanics ‘digitally’, to work more cost-efficiently and to comply with the guidelines of the DSP? The training courses that we offer at Geodirect are always tailor-made and therefore tailored to the users needs. In consultation we tailor the training to your wishes. Read more about the necessity and the profit you can achieve by digitally training your mechanics via https://www.geodirect.nl/en/the-digital-mechanic/.
Or contact us to discuss the possibilites for your organisation.