The Biz

Mergers and acquisitions are continuing in our industry. Recent announcements included the acquisition of NovAtel by Hexagon. As you know, Hexagon already owns Leica Geosystems. NovAtel has been making boards for Leica for quite some time, and is an OEM partner with Sokkia in Point. Topcon recently annouced that it will acquire Sokkia. So, it remains to be seen how it will all shake out.

Business-wise, it appears that surveying activity in many parts of the country is still strong. But woe to the companies who have concentrated their efforts primarily in the land development sector because that appears to be down across the country. It goes without saying that diversification is the key to a successful practice. Something else to consider: remember how hard it is to train and get up to speed on new software and hardware when you're busy? If you are seeing a downturn in your workload, and have been considering upgrading to newer technology, now is the time to do so, when you're not so busy.