PART 6: INTERNAL REQUIREMENTS
To serve this industry well, we must:
- Maintain strong RTK alignment month-over-month
- Prevent vertical shift errors
- Use ground control properly
- Deliver consistent file naming
- Maintain repeatable workflows
- Train pilots on plant layout recognition
- Understand material flow to interpret data
This is how we differentiate.
Key Sales Concepts
1. Volume vs. Mass (The Core Education Piece)
Customers measure:
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Truck scales (in/out weights)
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Belt scales (production output)
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Loader bucket scales
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Sometimes multiple checkpoints per load
These all measure mass.
We measure:
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Volume
To convert volume to mass, they must apply a density factor, which is:
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Material-specific
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Moisture-dependent
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Compaction-dependent
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Variable throughout the pile
Example principle:
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1 cubic yard = 27 cubic feet
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If material is 95 lbs/cu ft → 2,565 lbs per cubic yard
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÷ 2,000 = 1.2825 tons per cubic yard (density factor)
Density is never constant:
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Wet sand ≠ dry sand
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Top of pile ≠ bottom of pile
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Bottom-feed conveyors change density continuously
This is why discrepancies occur.
2. The Moisture Problem (Hidden Differentiator)
At sand plants:
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Belt scales measure wet material
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Water drains after stacking
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Drone measures post-drainage volume
So when customers say:
"Your numbers don’t match ours."
The real issue is often:
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They measured water.
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We measured material.
Sales Angle:
Volume rarely changes month-to-month.
Moisture constantly changes.
We can show consistent ±1% volumetric tracking over time. That’s reliability.
Strategic Sales Themes
Educate without attacking.
Emphasize consistency over time.
Frame internal programs as hidden cost centers.
Reinforce that we are specialists — not generalists.
Competitor Breakdown
1️⃣ Internal Drone Programs (Biggest Competitor)
Most common threat:
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“We do this ourselves.”
Typical setup:
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Propeller
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DroneDeploy
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Dedicated employee
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Software subscriptions ($10k–$50k+)
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Vehicles, labor burden, equipment
Sales Positioning:
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They’re not drone experts.
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Inconsistency is common.
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Total labor + software + overhead is significant.
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We deliver consistent, repeatable results.
Simple framing:
If you don’t want to change the toner in your copier, you probably don’t want to manage your own drone program.
2️⃣ Firmatek
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Long-standing industry player
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Historically truck-mounted LiDAR
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Now using drones
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Heavy in utilities now
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Strong presence with Vulcan, Martin Marietta, etc.
They:
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Offer stockpile volumes, cut/fill, ortho, methane, etc.
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Are experienced but not dominant everywhere
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Still hiring frequently (possible churn or growth)
Sales angle:
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We offer the same services.
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We can be more responsive and consistent.
3️⃣ Wingfield (Scale Companies)
Primary business:
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Truck scales
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Belt scale calibration
Secondary:
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Truck-mounted LiDAR
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Volumetric scanning
Often regional.
Sales angle:
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They are scale experts, not drone experts.
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Their volumetric methods rely on assumptions.
4️⃣ StockpileReports.com
Approach:
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Contract pilots (FlyGuys, etc.)
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App-based phone scanning
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Fixed camera systems
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DOT contracts
Issues:
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Phone scanning incomplete (can’t see backs of piles)
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Fixed infrastructure expensive and unreliable
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Reports may look polished but have blind spots
Customer feedback:
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Systems unreliable
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Trust issues
Sales angle:
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We capture full geometry.
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No infrastructure required.
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Higher data integrity.