The Big Boys or (one stop shops?)
“Now with lasers!”
If I were asked to describe one new theme at SPAR this year, my initial report would sound something like “large corporate and government agency adoption and adaptation.” This was illustrated by SPAR’s 2016 keynote speakers JP Suarez from Walmart and Paul Davies of Boeing. Adding to that, both Ford and General Motors had some of their top men presenting. I was astonished by the ambition and magnitude of what is taking place in the transportation industry.
For instance, Ron Singh presented on the plan to scan all of Oregon’s roadways, while Richard Arrowsmith talked about managing all of England’s highways! It seems like just a few years ago most large entities were only dabbling in what scanning could offer. Now, they have not only holistically embraced scanning, they are here with detailed master plans on a massive scale! However, with all the big boys in town flexing their muscles, the small guys are still finding ways to shine.