Navigating New Horizons: How Trimble is Reshaping Industries

As VP of Tech Innovation at Trimble, Aviad Almagor spearheads the company's innovation culture, fostering a collaborative environment for creative development. With a background in architecture and over 25 years in the software industry, Aviad brings a unique blend of innovative design thinking and technological expertise to his role. 

“I began my career as an architect, spending several years in the field. Technology development and adoption were always integral to my work,” says Aviad. “Eventually, I chose to pursue my passion and crossed the line into the software industry.” 

Aviad has been with Trimble for over 14 years, serving in various roles that have deepened his appreciation for the company's mission-driven and innovative culture. He is fascinated by how Trimble's technologies impact nearly every aspect of our daily lives, from the spaces we inhabit to the food we consume and the ways we move goods around the globe.

From architecture to technology

Aviad's career began in architecture, where he developed skills that would later prove invaluable in the tech industry. “The skillset of architects—creative thinking, stakeholder interaction, problem-solving, and project management— are essential  in software design and development,” he explains.

After practising architecture for several years, Aviad transitioned to the software industry, driven by a desire to leverage technology to solve complex problems. Prior to joining Trimble, he worked with several software companies and startups, including Revit, Graphisoft, and Vico Software, of which he was a founding member.

Transforming industries through technology

Aviad's passion for innovation aligns well with Trimble, a company that has an innovation mindset deeply rooted within its culture. 'Innovation is woven into our fabric, it’s part of our company’s DNA,' he says.

Founded in 1978, Trimble had been in operation for just six years when it introduced the first commercially available GPS product in 1984. This technology revolutionised the field of land surveying by providing precise positioning using satellites, disrupting the traditional manual and time-consuming surveying methods.
It was shrewd moves like this that enabled the company to utilise technology to transform industries such as construction, agriculture, geospatial and transportation, providing unprecedented levels of precision and data-driven insights.
“Our mission at Trimble is to transform the way the world works, and we are doing this by connecting the physical world to the digital world,” says Aviad.

With industries deeply rooted in the physical world, Trimble adopts a dual software and hardware approach. This strategy bridges the digital with the physical and provides the unique situational intelligence required to optimise processes, support decision-makers, and automate workflows.

For example, in a recent European project, Trimble's GIS-referenced building information modelling (BIM) model served as the single source of truth for quantities, cost estimation, work scheduling and resource planning. 

During the groundwork phases, the same 3D model was utilised by the on-site survey team and Trimble’s 3D Grade Control system on the excavator. Trimble software solutions were used to prepare the design data for machine operation and connected field systems to the office for detailed real-time progress monitoring, machine locations, and design updates. 

Back to the field, on-site machine operators could view the most recent 3D model overlaid onto the surface, displaying cut/fill information and required slope data. To conclude the project, a Trimble mobile mapping system captured the as-built situation, creating an accurate digital twin of the project for future operations and maintenance.

Partnerships and Joint Ventures

With innovation being the driver of what advanced the company to its pioneering position, Trimble did not rest on its laurels. 

The company opened the door to strategic partnerships and joint ventures with other industry leaders, including Caterpillar, Hilti, Nikon, and recently AGCO. This approach has been crucial for integrating workflows, streamlining processes, enhancing efficiency, and ultimately increasing value for customers.

"Our fourteen-year joint venture with Hilti is founded on our shared values and deep understanding of customer needs," explains Aviad. "It harnesses innovation to develop value-added solutions that enhance customer productivity."

In a recent project, Trimble and Hilti integrated Hilti ON!Track technology with Trimble Viewpoint—a construction ERP solution—creating a unified tool tracking and automatic job allocation workflows. This integration provides contractors with a single source of truth for tracking and managing their tools and equipment.

Strategic Partnership with Microsoft

"After many years of tight collaboration, Trimble entered into a formal alliance with Microsoft. With a strategic partnership that initially focus on leveraging the unique strengths of both companies to drive digital transformation in construction and harness the value of digital data throughout the project lifecycle.

'The partnership is deeply rooted in a common commitment to innovation, integrity, diversity, sustainability, and collaboration,' Aviad said. 'This alignment has been instrumental in driving our joint initiatives forward, ensuring that both Trimble and Microsoft continue to lead in transforming industries through digital technology.'

As the technology landscape evolves, the partnership has adapted to incorporate emerging technologies such as generative AI. This evolution leverages Microsoft Azure’s scalable, secure and advanced AI capabilities, complemented by Trimble's industry-specific solutions, end-to-end workflows, and deep domain knowledge. Together, the collaboration is poised to deliver AI-driven solutions that connect people, technology, tasks, data and processes.

Trimble AI 

Trimble's AI-driven solutions already provide significant value across construction, transportation and agriculture. For instance, segmentation and classification of large point cloud data sets allow facility owners to assess infrastructure health and predict maintenance needs. 

Likewise, AI-driven invoice processing automates this time-consuming, repetitive and error-prone task. AI “on the edge” enhances truck driver safety by monitoring fatigue, and Trimble SketchUp’s generative AI rendering tools boost creativity and improve communication during the architectural design process. These examples illustrate the broad scope and impact of Trimble's innovative technologies.

AI technology also has a significant impact on internal operations. Trimble software engineers across all sectors are using AI tools, such as Microsoft GitHub Copilot, to code with significant productivity gains. Beyond productivity, engineers have reported increased job satisfaction, highlighting the qualitative benefits of integrating AI into workflows.

“AI has significantly enhanced our operations, particularly in engineering, where we've observed impressive productivity gains," said Aviad. "This technology is shifting our role from creators to editors. This represents a significant change in mindset, and it's just the beginning.”

The company's internal AI initiative extends beyond engineering. All Trimble employees have access to homegrown AI agents designed to assist with a variety of daily tasks, from composing emails to reviewing documents and summarising meetings. Substantial productivity improvements have been observed across the board, indicating the immense potential of AI to transform the work environment.

A glimpse into the future Generative AI

Generative AI (GenAI) technology is advancing at a pace we've never seen before. Emerging capabilities such as multi-modal AI and multi-agent workflows are already expanding the range of use cases, handling increased complexity and automation. Trimble is continuously exploring how these advancements can impact industry workflows.

"GenAI will enable mass customisation of software solutions. Apps will be dynamically tailored to meet the specific needs of organisations and users," says Aviad. "This evolution will significantly alter user experience (UX) and necessitate new business models."

Aviad also acknowledges the challenges and concerns associated with AI adoption, such as cybersecurity, data privacy, output quality and the risk of errors known as “hallucinations.” These issues must be addressed to facilitate the scaling of AI technologies.

Building trust and improving human-machine interactions are critical aspects of adopting this technology. Explainable AI should address the 'black box' nature of traditional AI models by providing clear explanations of decision-making processes. "Transparency and traceability are essential for addressing issues like AI biases and hallucinations, and for building trust among users by ensuring they understand and can anticipate AI behaviour," Aviad explains.

A culture of innovation

Trimble fosters an innovative culture through committed leadership that actively supports risk-taking and experimentation. The company's unique innovation funnel framework provides ample opportunities for innovation, ranging from industry vision ideas to concrete prototypes of new solutions, as well as opportunities for incremental innovation and the commercialisation of new ideas.

A prominent example of this is the Trimble Dreamer Hack, which serves as an entry point to the innovation funnel. This no-code innovation hackathon, focused on industry vision, is open to all employees. It encourages a 'think big' mindset, inviting participants to reimagine the future of the industries Trimble serves. Ideas from this annual event, first held five years ago, have matured into commercial offerings that Trimble now includes in its portfolio.

“It's a true opportunity for everyone to reimagine current processes and envision the future of the industry,” Aviad explains. “Selected ideas undergo backward planning to ensure we are adequately preparing for what lies ahead.”
It’s this culture that keeps Trimble at the forefront of innovation: “Witnessing the dedication and commitment of our team members as they tackle some of our customers' most demanding problems and challenges energises me every day."

Trimble’s competitive edge 

Defined by three core pillars—a commitment to a vibrant culture of innovation, a human-centric approach, and a comprehensive suite of end-to-end industry workflows complemented by hardware and software solutions—Trimble stands out in its field. 

These pillars facilitate the seamless integration of digital and physical realms and drive the transformation of technologies into user-centric solutions. By fostering an environment where innovation is a priority, Trimble ensures that its technological solutions are advanced and intuitively aligned with user needs. This strategic blend of cutting-edge technology with a focus on human interaction keeps Trimble at the forefront of industry transformation.

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