Trimble Inc
Encyclopedia
Trimble Navigation, Ltd. , based in Sunnyvale, California
, is a provider of advanced positioning equipment, most notably GPS receivers, laser rangefinders and inertial navigation system
s. The company is best known in the fields of surveying
, construction
, agriculture
, scientific instrumentation, and mobile and fleet management. The company has employees in 18 countries and has a network of dealers and distribution partners. The company has over 850 patents.
. Prior to founding Trimble Navigation, Mr. Trimble was manager of Integrated Circuit Research and Development at Hewlett-Packard
’s Santa Clara Division.
In September, 1993, the first GPS receiver ever flown on the space shuttle
was a Trimble TANS Quadrex.
In 2000, Trimble merged with Spectra Precision. This was a significant event for Trimble — it allowed the company to have GPS and Laser positioning technologies in its core research and development teams for product development.
In 2002, Trimble and Caterpillar Inc.
formed Caterpillar Trimble Control Technologies LLC (CTCT). The joint venture, 50 percent owned by Trimble and 50 percent owned by Caterpillar, are developing advanced electronic guidance and control products for earthmoving machines in the construction, mining and waste industries. CTCT is based in Dayton, Ohio
and started operations on April 1, 2002.
A year later, in March 2003 another 50:50 joint venture was formed with Nikon in Japan, forming Nikon-Trimble Co., Ltd. which assumed the operations of Nikon Geotecs Co., Ltd. in Japan. This new company is focused on the development of surveying instruments including mechanical total stations and related products.
In the last years Trimble has expanded by acquiring several technology companies. Among others, Tripod Data Systems, Advanced Public Safety, Inc., Apache Technologies, Accutest Engineering Solutions Ltd, Applanix, Géo-3D, INPHO, Meridian Systems, NTech Industries, Pacific Crest, Quantm
, QuickPen International, SECO Mfg. Co., Inc., Visual Statement and XYZ Solutions, Inc.
On August 12, 2010 Trimble acquired the assets of privately-held Accubid Systems based in Concord, Ontario, Canada. Accubid is a leading provider of estimating, project management and service management software and services for electrical and mechanical contractors.
In July 2010, Trimble acquired Punch Telematix NV, which was rebranded as Trimble Transport & Logistics on October 1.
Punch Telematix NV, based in Belgium, provides transport management solutions (such as Track & Trace
and Fleet management
) for companies of all sizes in the transport and logistics sector.
On October 25, 2010, Trimble acquired the Cambridge, Massachusetts based developer of radio frequency identification (RFID) technology ThingMagic, Inc. Financial terms were not disclosed.
On May 9, 2011, Trimble acquired Espoo
, Finland
based Tekla Corporation
. Tekla is a leading provider of Building Information Modeling ("BIM
") software.
Sunnyvale, California
Sunnyvale is a city in Santa Clara County, California, United States. It is one of the major cities that make up the Silicon Valley located in the San Francisco Bay Area...
, is a provider of advanced positioning equipment, most notably GPS receivers, laser rangefinders and inertial navigation system
Inertial navigation system
An inertial navigation system is a navigation aid that uses a computer, motion sensors and rotation sensors to continuously calculate via dead reckoning the position, orientation, and velocity of a moving object without the need for external references...
s. The company is best known in the fields of surveying
Surveying
See Also: Public Land Survey SystemSurveying or land surveying is the technique, profession, and science of accurately determining the terrestrial or three-dimensional position of points and the distances and angles between them...
, construction
Construction
In the fields of architecture and civil engineering, construction is a process that consists of the building or assembling of infrastructure. Far from being a single activity, large scale construction is a feat of human multitasking...
, agriculture
Agriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
, scientific instrumentation, and mobile and fleet management. The company has employees in 18 countries and has a network of dealers and distribution partners. The company has over 850 patents.
Timeline
Trimble Navigation was founded in 1978 by Charles Trimble and two partners, initially operating from Los Altos, CaliforniaLos Altos, California
Los Altos is a city at the southern end of the San Francisco Peninsula, in the San Francisco Bay Area. The city is in Santa Clara County, California, United States. The population was 28,976 according to the 2010 census....
. Prior to founding Trimble Navigation, Mr. Trimble was manager of Integrated Circuit Research and Development at Hewlett-Packard
Hewlett-Packard
Hewlett-Packard Company or HP is an American multinational information technology corporation headquartered in Palo Alto, California, USA that provides products, technologies, softwares, solutions and services to consumers, small- and medium-sized businesses and large enterprises, including...
’s Santa Clara Division.
In September, 1993, the first GPS receiver ever flown on the space shuttle
STS-51
STS-51 was a Space Shuttle Discovery mission that launched the Advanced Communications Technology Satellite ACTS in September 1993. The flight also featured the deployment and retrieval of the SPAS-ORFEUS satellite and its IMAX camera, which captured spectacular footage of Discovery in space...
was a Trimble TANS Quadrex.
In 2000, Trimble merged with Spectra Precision. This was a significant event for Trimble — it allowed the company to have GPS and Laser positioning technologies in its core research and development teams for product development.
In 2002, Trimble and Caterpillar Inc.
Caterpillar Inc.
Caterpillar Inc. , also known as "CAT", designs, manufactures, markets and sells machinery and engines and sells financial products and insurance to customers via a worldwide dealer network. Caterpillar is the world's largest manufacturer of construction and mining equipment, diesel and natural gas...
formed Caterpillar Trimble Control Technologies LLC (CTCT). The joint venture, 50 percent owned by Trimble and 50 percent owned by Caterpillar, are developing advanced electronic guidance and control products for earthmoving machines in the construction, mining and waste industries. CTCT is based in Dayton, Ohio
Dayton, Ohio
Dayton is the 6th largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County, the fifth most populous county in the state. The population was 141,527 at the 2010 census. The Dayton Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 841,502 in the 2010 census...
and started operations on April 1, 2002.
A year later, in March 2003 another 50:50 joint venture was formed with Nikon in Japan, forming Nikon-Trimble Co., Ltd. which assumed the operations of Nikon Geotecs Co., Ltd. in Japan. This new company is focused on the development of surveying instruments including mechanical total stations and related products.
In the last years Trimble has expanded by acquiring several technology companies. Among others, Tripod Data Systems, Advanced Public Safety, Inc., Apache Technologies, Accutest Engineering Solutions Ltd, Applanix, Géo-3D, INPHO, Meridian Systems, NTech Industries, Pacific Crest, Quantm
Quantm
Quantm is a software package that is used to optimise the routes of roads and railways. This was hitherto a tedious and laborious task as huge amounts of data are involved and the number of options is large as well...
, QuickPen International, SECO Mfg. Co., Inc., Visual Statement and XYZ Solutions, Inc.
On August 12, 2010 Trimble acquired the assets of privately-held Accubid Systems based in Concord, Ontario, Canada. Accubid is a leading provider of estimating, project management and service management software and services for electrical and mechanical contractors.
In July 2010, Trimble acquired Punch Telematix NV, which was rebranded as Trimble Transport & Logistics on October 1.
Punch Telematix NV, based in Belgium, provides transport management solutions (such as Track & Trace
Track & Trace
In distribution and logistics of many types of products, track and trace or tracking and tracing, concerns a process of determining the current and past locations of a unique item or property....
and Fleet management
Fleet management
Fleet management is the management of a company's vehicle fleet.Fleet management includes commercial motor vehicles such as cars, vans and trucks. Fleet management can include a range of functions, such as vehicle financing, vehicle maintenance, vehicle telematics , driver management, speed...
) for companies of all sizes in the transport and logistics sector.
On October 25, 2010, Trimble acquired the Cambridge, Massachusetts based developer of radio frequency identification (RFID) technology ThingMagic, Inc. Financial terms were not disclosed.
On May 9, 2011, Trimble acquired Espoo
Espoo
Espoo is the second largest city and municipality in Finland. The population of the city of Espoo is . It is part of the Helsinki Metropolitan Area along with the cities of Helsinki, Vantaa, and Kauniainen. Espoo shares its eastern border with Helsinki and Vantaa, while enclosing Kauniainen....
, Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
based Tekla Corporation
Tekla
Tekla Corporation is a software engineering corporation specializing in model-based software products for building and construction and infrastructure management. The company was founded in 1966. The headquarter is in Espoo, Finland, but there are offices all over the world...
. Tekla is a leading provider of Building Information Modeling ("BIM
Building Information Modeling
Building information modeling is the process of generating and managing building data during its life cycle.BIM involves representing a design as objects – vague and undefined, generic or product-specific, solid shapes or void-space oriented , that carry their geometry, relations and attributes...
") software.
External links
- Trimble Mobile Resource Management
- trimbleoutdoors.com, Trimble Outdoors
- outdoorrugged.com, Online community created to encourage conversations between professionals about developing and using rugged computers in harsh outdoor environments.
- trimble.co.uk, Trimble UK GPS home page
- aps.us, Advanced Public Safety (APS) Public Safety Software.
- accubid.com, Accubid home page