Holly Hyde, Solutions Center Specialist, recently became one of the country’s first dealer certified instructors for John Deere’s SmartGrade product line, helping RDO Equipment Co. remain positioned at the very forefront of machine technology expertise.
SmartGrade is a 3D grade control system designed to help operators work accurately and efficiently. Today, the system is available as a fully integrated solution in Deere compact track loaders, excavators, and motor graders. It is the kind of precision technology integration that’s becoming common in the construction industry and one of many supported by the RDOIC Solutions Center.
According to Jake Michaels, Solutions Center Supervisor, RDO and Holly specifically, were shoe-ins to lead the way with SmartGrade training.
“SmartGrade systems use Topcon technology, so given our partnership and familiarity with Topcon and Holly’s focus on Topcon training leading up to this point, we knew it was going to be an easy fit for her.”
That expertise has paid dividends. Holly attended some of the first SmartGrade training Deere offered and went on to work closely with Deere’s training programming personnel to help develop the certification she would eventually receive.
“It’s been a really cool partnership,” Jake said. “John Deere put a lot of trust in us, and their training today is influenced by ours.”
Since obtaining her SmartGrade certification from Deere, Holly has hosted several Grade Management and Setup courses for RDO team members. The course is a fundamental overview of not only SmartGrade, but precision grading in general. It’s targeted primarily at Service Technicians today, to equip them to diagnose and repair an increasingly common element of today’s machines. But Jake said the appeal of the knowledge is potentially even greater.
“It’s great for anyone to take, sales and parts included. It really focuses on how customers are using technology on the jobsite. While it’s specific to the SmartGrade product, it covers the basic principles of grading using this technology. I’d say that’s applicable to just about everyone in construction, and if it isn’t now, it will be within the next five years.”
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