LIDAR, a long established surveying technology that has been in use for decades, has been discounted by some high tech enthusiasts (especially drone lovers) as a dated process. Some in the surveying sector discount the value of LIDAR, but company’s worldwide still see a lot of value in the process; that continuing demand has led one such company to expand its footprint in the market.
SAM LLC, which provides geospatial solutions in North America, recently bought the New Jersey operations of Haag 3D Solutions. The company, which was a division of Haag Engineering Company, provides 3D Laser Scanning and Building Information Modeling (BIM) for the architecture engineering and construction (AEC) industry.
SAM has more than weathered the changes in mapping technology that have been wrought by information technology advances, managing to thrive in a constantly changing, highly competitive sector. The company is celebrating its 25th anniversary in 2019, and the recent acquisition follows the long-term expansion of its market reach and services. The merger is the third such acquisition of another company by SAM in three years.
The recent acquisition will broaden the available services from SAM (which stands for survey and mapping), by now enabling the company to provide a full spectrum of geospatial solutions, including 3D documentation, BIM and Virtual Design and Construction.
SAM President/CEO Chris Solomon, RPLS, was upbeat about the acquisition.
“This is an outstanding new expansion for SAM. H3DS brings a very talented group of people to our team, as well as complementary capabilities and expertise that will provide robust, value-added solutions for our clients. We are excited about the business opportunities this relationship brings for both SAM and H3DS teams,” Solomon says.
SAM launched as a land surveying company in 1994 and has since expanded into a full array of geospatial services. Those services including Subsurface Utility Engineering (SUE), Utility Coordination (UC), aerial mapping, photogrammetry, professional land surveying, airborne/mobile/terrestrial LiDAR, Geographic Information Systems (GIS), BIM and hydrographic surveying. The company also offers construction phase services through its subsidiary, SAM-Construction Services, LLC.
Through the recent acquisition, the H3DS has joined the SAM team, including H3DS Vice-President Christopher M. Zmijewski.
“We are truly excited about being a part of an integrated geospatial solutions company with the wide breadth of services, talent and resources SAM offers. Together we bring a potent combination of talents to our clients,” Zmijewski says.
