Cody DesRoches spends his time helping construction teams bring positioning and machine-guidance technology into everyday work. That means looking beyond whether a system works on paper and asking whether operators can actually use it on real jobs without adding unnecessary cost or complexity.

As Vice President of Digital Terrain Solutions, a digital construction partner serving Canada and the United States, DesRoches works closely with contractors using GPS, machine control, and positioning technology. His perspective on FJD Trion comes from that practical experience: what makes a system easier to adopt, how it fits existing equipment, and whether it can deliver enough value to justify the change.

A lower barrier to machine guidance

Before working with FJD Trion, DesRoches saw traditional measurement technologies remaining central to construction workflows. Those methods were familiar and established, but he also saw a challenge with newer alternatives.

“Other manufacturers and similar technologies were very expensive, with a higher barrier to entry,” 

For construction companies interested in machine guidance, cost was only part of that barrier. The technology also needed to be usable enough to fit into day-to-day work rather than becoming another complicated layer for operators and crews.

That is where DesRoches saw a difference with FJD Trion. 

“FJD’s key value is usability,” 

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Why the relationship kept developing

Digital Terrain Solutions has worked with FJD Trion for four years. DesRoches says one reason the relationship continued was the way the FJD Trion team responded to feedback from people working with the technology.

“We started with FJD Trion because of their commitment to continuous improvement,” he said. “Compared to other brands, they really take our feedback seriously and implemented the changes that we recommended.”

That matters in construction because equipment has to fit into an existing working environment. Contractors already have machines, operators, established processes, and other technology on site. DesRoches said FJD Trion works well with major brands, making integration easier for the customers his team supports.

Rather than treating machine guidance as a standalone technology, Digital Terrain Solutions looks at how it fits the broader job. The useful question is whether the system can become part of the way a crew already works.

Where the EC100 fits the job

Among the FJD Trion products DesRoches works with, the FJD Trion EC100 Excavator Guidance System stands out.

Machine guidance gives an excavator operator on-screen information about how the machine and bucket relate to the project design while digging. Instead of relying only on separate checks, the operator can use that guidance while the work is happening.

For DesRoches, the value comes from the combination of usability, versatility, and a price that makes the technology more approachable for construction companies.

“The versatility of machine guidance at an affordable price with the user ability is everything to a construction company,” 

His strongest reported result is labor reduction. 

“It can reduce labor by 50%,” 

He also connected the system to return on investment, saying there are not many products where customers can get their ROI back within a year, and sometimes within a project. Those are results from the experience DesRoches described, but they explain why the EC100 has become an important part of the work Digital Terrain Solutions does with construction teams.

Building confidence in a different way of working

The bigger change in DesRoches’ story is not simply moving from one piece of equipment to another. It is making machine guidance feel more attainable for contractors who may previously have seen the technology as too expensive or difficult to adopt.

Over four years of working with FJD Trion, Digital Terrain Solutions has built much of its approach around that idea. DesRoches values technology that can fit with major equipment brands, remain approachable for users, and keep improving through feedback from the field.

“We built our entire business around FJD Trion products,” 

For contractors considering excavator guidance, that experience suggests a practical place to start: look at the work that still depends on repeated measurement, checks, or extra labor, then ask whether in-cab guidance could make that specific workflow easier to manage. The technology matters, but the real test is how well it fits the work already happening on site.

See how the EC100 fits your excavator workflow

For contractors considering machine guidance, the next step is to look at where repeated measurement, checks, or extra labor still shape the job, and whether in-cab guidance could make that work easier to manage.

Explore the FJD Trion EC100 Excavator Guidance System to see how it can fit into your construction workflow.