by Harry Hunter | Tue 18 Aug 2026
Jones Bros employ massive technology upgrade on site
Jones Bros Civil Engineering UK has expanded its survey and machine control capabilities across its fleet, helping to improve efficiency on complex civil engineering projects including the major Havant Thicket Reservoir scheme in Hampshire.
The investment, delivered by SITECH UK & Ireland, comes as demand for 3D machine control continues to grow across the UK civil engineering sector, driven in part by the ongoing skills shortage and tighter requirements around real-time equipment monitoring.
The technology package includes five GPS rovers, two total stations, a Trimble Earthworks machine control upgrade, Trimble Business Centre software, Trimble Works Manager licences and the Propeller drone photogrammetry platform.
By expanding its survey and machine control capabilities, Jones Bros can better utilise its fleet across multiple projects while reducing manual processes and improving accuracy.
One of the key applications is the Havant Thicket Reservoir project, which will be the first new reservoir built in the UK since the 1990s. Expected to open to the public in the 2030s, the scheme involves large-scale earthworks and complex requirements around design management, material tracking and precision.
The combination of Trimble and Propeller technology allows Jones Bros to transfer survey data directly to excavators and dozers, reducing the need for manual setting-out while improving accuracy and streamlining workflows. The systems also provide greater visibility across the site and help reduce the time required for foundation layouts.
Nathan Penn, Technical Sales Consultant at SITECH UK & Ireland, said: “By integrating technology into site processes operators are more able to address the challenges faced in modern civil engineering projects in a measurable way. This is increasingly vital on sustainability-led projects such as the Havant Thicket Reservoir scheme, where reducing material waste and increasing fuel efficiency is essential to meeting environmental targets.
“SITECH worked closely with Jones Bros to ensure that the full suite of technology provided was suitable for a range of projects and able to meet the complex requirements of large-scale civil engineering schemes that the company is increasingly working on.”
SITECH also provided operator training for the Trimble and Propeller systems, alongside 24-hour troubleshooting and field service support to minimise potential downtime.
Charles Morgan, Engineering Manager at Jones Bros Civil Engineering UK, said: “Investing in a complete ecosystem of machine control and survey technology is key to optimising operations on large-scale civil engineering projects. Working with SITECH to integrate the right technology for our needs, we are now able to survey 1,679,996m2 in 30 minutes, which would have previously taken a team of engineers typically four hours and not at the same detail.
“Expanding our technical capability means we are able to free up our engineers to do essential work, while the machine control and survey systems provide precision data and replace some manual tasks. Thanks to SITECH any questions our team have can be solved immediately with round-the-clock support and training to ensure we get the most out of our investment and that projects get delivered on time, and with precision.”
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