Plantec to showcase live 3D machine control and utility detection at UK Plant Expo 2027
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Plantec Survey Solutions will bring 3D machine control and underground utility detection together in a live working demonstration at UK Plant Expo 2027.
On its stand, Plantec will operate an excavator fitted with the CHCNAV MCNAV TX73 3D machine-control system and RodRadar LDR Excavate™, giving visitors the opportunity to see both technologies working in a realistic excavation environment.
The demonstration will include controlled excavation and underground targets, allowing operators, contractors and engineers to see first-hand how machine control and utility detection can support live excavation.
The CHCNAV MCNAV TX73 uses GNSS and IMU sensors to determine the position of the excavator bucket and provide real-time grade guidance against a 3D design. This allows operators to dig accurately to the required profile while reducing reliance on traditional setting-out methods.
Plantec Survey Solutions provides machine control, surveying equipment and digital engineering services to contractors across the UK.
RodRadar LDR Excavate™ incorporates Live Dig Radar® ground-penetrating radar technology within the excavator bucket, detecting buried utilities during excavation and providing real-time alerts to the operator.
Together, the demonstrations will show how different technologies can support the excavation process, from digging accurately to a 3D design to detecting underground utilities as work progresses.
Alongside the supply, installation and support of 3D machine control and GNSS surveying equipment, its services include 3D modelling and take-offs, site surveys, drone surveying, base-station setup, site calibration and ongoing technical support.
The company places practical engineering experience at the centre of its approach, with technology backed by installation, training and hands-on support from engineers who understand how the systems are used on site.
Plantec has also been appointed by Machinetech, RodRadar’s exclusive UK and Ireland distributor, as its official RodRadar dealer for the North of England.
Plantec will be joined at UK Plant Expo by its training partner CT Assessments & Training, underlining the importance of operator training alongside the introduction of new construction technology.
Ben McAdam, director of Plantec Survey Solutions, said:
“Rather than putting technology on a stand and just telling people what it can do, we want contractors and operators to see it actually working in the environment it was designed for.
“We’re engineers ourselves and our approach has always been based around practical site experience. Demonstrating CHCNAV machine control and RodRadar Live Dig Radar on the stand gives visitors the opportunity to see how each technology can improve different aspects of excavation, from accuracy and productivity through to safety and utility awareness.
“UK Plant Expo gives us the space to put the equipment to work and have proper conversations with contractors, engineers and operators about how these systems could be applied on their own sites.”
Brian Coogan, show organiser of UK Plant Expo 2027, said:
“Demonstrations like Plantec’s are exactly what we want visitors to see on the ground. Plant operators, groundworkers, site engineers and Tier 1 contractors can watch machine control and utility detection being demonstrated live on an excavator, rather than just seeing the technology on a screen.
“It’s particularly relevant for teams working on major infrastructure and utility projects, where accuracy, productivity and reducing the risk of utility strikes really matter.”
Plantec’s participation further strengthens the growing construction-technology offering at UK Plant Expo 2027, with exhibitors covering machine control, safety systems, surveying, telematics, collision avoidance and digital fleet management.
UK Plant Expo 2027 takes place at the Heart of England Events Centre in Warwickshire on Friday 11 and Saturday 12 June 2027.
Friday will be a dedicated business-to-business day for the construction and plant sectors, while Saturday will remain open to the trade while also welcoming families.
The event will combine working machinery, live demonstrations and new equipment with the UK Plant Operator of the Year competition, which carries a £20,000 prize fund across 15 operating challenges.
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