RWC Incorporated is a privately held vegetation management company that operates primarily within the railroad vegetation control industry. Under the same management and ownership since its inception in 1961, RWC has continuously provided the railroad industry with quality vegetation management services. The company uses AgTerra products with state-of-the-art equipment and delivery systems combined with high quality herbicide formulations to provide results that keep customers satisfied in an increasingly challenging application field.
In 2016, the company learned that in order to bid on a certain contract, they needed to have GPS- and GIS-capable mapping system. Without it, they would not even be considered for the contract. At the time, the company was not using GPS to map their applications. They had control units that were capable of GPS mapping, but they did not have an interface that allowed their operators to easily map while spraying. Any spatial information they were able to get had to be manually downloaded and additional work had to be done on the “back end” to produce usable maps. RWC reached out to AgTerra for a solution. With the implementation of MapItFast software and SprayLogger hardware, they were not only able to win the contract but exceed customer expectations over the next three years. Additionally, RWC was able use the growing technology to better manage their internal operations.
“[AgTerra] has provided us with a useful tool for project management and record-keeping, and we’ve been able to share these capabilities with our customers.” – Jeff Osburn, Owner of RWC
RWC has continued to explore the capabilities of the SprayLogger system and implemented it into their operations. The entire RWC fleet of rail-bound vehicles is equipped with the SprayLogger and MapItFast system. These products have helped RWC become more efficient in locating and documenting treatment areas, as well as tracking and illustrating work progress. Field personnel are able to stay on task because the information is available at their fingertips on a mobile device.
The company’s fleet of off-track equipment uses the MapItFast app to record many different types of information related to spray application. All of the data they capture using AgTerra’s products is compiled internally and allows them great flexibility in creating custom maps and databases. These serve as a great reference source when tracking current work progress and planning future site visits and applications.
“We are continuously finding new ways to incorporate the powerful capabilities of GIS/GPS into our operations, and AgTerra’s products have been an important part in helping us achieve that.” – Jeff Osburn, Owner of RWC
How has MapItFast and SprayLogger helped streamline everyday workflow for RWC?
- Project Assignment: RWC operators can now open their mobile device and load all off-track locations that need to be sprayed in a certain area.
- Job Accountability: When operators spray road crossings, they can drop a pin and snap a picture to document completed work.
- Easy Administration: Administrators can monitor ongoing spray jobs and make notes of sensitive areas or no spray zones for future applications.
- Instant Reporting: For on-rail applications, RWC can provide customers with a real-time map showing the current progress in a certain area or across the whole railroad.
- Export to GIS: RWC can export jobs in GIS formats, including shapefiles.
Since implementing MapItFast and SprayLogger for spray applications and mapping, the company has received nothing but positive feedback from customers. Multiple customers have even said that the information provided by AgTerra products has certainly influenced decision makers in awarding business to RWC by showing that the company is committed to providing the most comprehensive spray application service around.
“One of the greatest benefits of working with a company like AgTerra is the ability to have our issues and concerns heard and dealt with in a timely and personal manner.” – Jeff Osburn, Owner of RWC