Co-Ordinated Surveys Go For Growth After Acquisition by Laser Measurement Entrepreneur

Co-Ordinated Surveys Go For Growth After Acquisition by Laser Measurement Entrepreneur



A MAJOR business development initiative is underway at a high-tech national laser surveying business to develop its range of services and specialist software, after its acquisition by a laser measurement industry entrepreneur.

National surveying company, Co-Ordinated Surveys, Llandudno, which is among only a handful in its sector to develop its own specialist software for different industry sectors, has been acquired by North Yorkshire-based investment and business development consultancy, Caenby Ltd, for a substantial but undisclosed sum.

Caenby Ltd has been launched by eye-safe laser measurement technology pioneer, Steve Ball, who built up Measurement Devices Ltd (MDL), based in  Aberdeen, York, Melbourne, Ottawa and Houston, into a global technology developer and supplier, before selling the company to Renishaw Plc, Gloucestershire, two years ago.

Co-Ordinated Surveys, which operates throughout the UK and overseas, is already benefitting from investment which capitalises on its key strengths which combine specialist surveying skills with the latest technology for topographical, construction and hydrographic surveys for architects, civil engineers, local authorities and water companies as well as specialist services  for quarrying and mining operators to enable them to design efficient blast strategies.

Steve Ball says: “Co-Ordinated Surveys is a highly-skilled and experienced operation and its software-writing abilities, which we used with our quarrying and mining laser measurement products at MDL, are the industry gold standard. This expertise is crucial and their programs are designed to comply with specific industry sector regulations which is rarely the case with modern off-the-shelf software which is also hard to adapt.

“Caenby is a business development company which invests in technology companies and develops growth strategies with existing management. We have acquired a range of high-definition laser scanning products from Sabre Land & Sea, Aberdeen, which will enable us to move Co-Ordinated Surveys to the forefront of building information modeling (BIM) surveying  as  all public buildings will soon  be required to be surveyed in 3D-digital format.

“We have also invested in the latest mobile mapping systems which apply the same laser technology on  mobile platforms  to measure road surfaces, building facades, streets and monuments  at  traffic speeds after being mounted on a vehicle, ATV or, for marine applications, a boat.

“This is an extremely fast, efficient and accurate way to measure large corridors or areas and it is more cost-effective so the relevant authorities will be able to survey more often in line with requirements. Our view is that this technology, coupled with Co-Ordinated Surveys existing expertise as surveyors and bespoke software writers, presents a compelling  opportunity and   is the first initiative in our new business development strategy.”

Co-Ordinated Surveys, founded in 1978 by directors Richard Arrowsmith, Neil Marsden and Bryan Edwards, currently has nine staff. The company’s previous developments have included  techniques for volumetric surveys, blast profiling  to improve efficiency in mines and quarries and hydrographic surveys using a remote-controlled vessel all of which were featured on the BBC science programme Tomorrow’s World.

Director, Bryan Edwards says: “We are excited by Caenby Ltd’s acquisition of our business and our forthcoming partnership. We have every confidence that Steve Ball’s flair in laser surveying technology, his eye for market opportunities and our strong surveying and software development skills, will help turn us from a specialist niche company into a far larger one.”


February 2014