AGG1 2025 Insights: Interview with Dan Caine

AGG1 2025 Insights: Interview with Dan Caine of Wingfield Scale

This interview originally appeared in Pit & Quarry Magazine.

Wingfield Scale’s Experience at Aggregates Academy & Expo (AGG1) 2025

Booth Presentation and Reception

Jack (from Pit & Quarry): We’re joined now by Dan Caine, Managing Director of The Measure Group at Wingfield Scale. Dan, thanks so much for joining us.

Dan Caine: Thank you, Jack.

Pit & Quarry: We’re on the last day of AG1 in St. Louis, just a few hours left. What are your thoughts on the show so far?

Dan Caine: I’m here with our General Manager, and we’ve discussed our impressions regularly. Our booth, back in the 7,000 series area, has been well-received. We’ve invested heavily over the last five years to create a clearer presentation of what we do, which can be challenging given our diverse services. Initially a scale company, we evolved into inventory management using scales, and now offer surveying services primarily for stockpile measurements.

Connecting with End Users

Dan Caine: The show has allowed us to connect directly with people who use our equipment daily and who often suggest involving decision-makers higher up.

Innovations and Technology Trends

Advancements in LIDAR

Pit & Quarry: Have you noticed any standout equipment or technological developments here?

Dan Caine: Primarily, technologies related to our business. We keep an eye on competitors and trends. Our team works extensively with LIDAR and photogrammetry. These technologies aren’t new, but their applications constantly evolve, requiring us to adapt every few months.

Reflections on Wingfield Scale’s Growth in 2024

Pit & Quarry: Looking back, how was 2024 for Wingfield Scale?

Dan Caine: Wingfield Scale has grown consistently over its 88 years. The current generation, primarily engineers and accountants, aims to merge traditional expertise with advanced technology. However, services such as drone surveying have become commoditized, compelling us to remain agile, refine our services, and innovate continually.

Strategic Partnerships and Real-time Inventory Tracking in 2025

Transitioning to Real-time Digitization

Pit & Quarry: And, how has 2025 started for Wingfield Scale?

Dan Caine: What we have found is the ability to find a partner with specific expertise. As a survey company, we initially focused on precise inventory surveys and highly accurate, survey-grade change detection. Recently, we’ve shifted towards capturing real-time inventory data—measuring trucks with LIDAR even before they reach the primary crusher, then tracking the conveyor outputs afterward. This real-time digitization allows faster optimization and decision-making.

Collaborations with LASE and 4D Delta

Enhancing Accuracy with LASE

Dan Caine: We’ve partnered with LASE from Germany, experts in software solutions for laser measurements. In our journey to identify the best solutions, we chose LASE because they’re primarily software developers. We’ve found that while hardware might be similar across providers, the real differentiator is what you do with the data and how you process it.

Pit & Quarry: Tell us more about your work with LASE and how it enhances your offerings.

Dan Caine: As a scale company, we understand the mechanical aspects of weigh bridges and all types of scales very well. Literally, we’re among just a few companies certified to calibrate rail scales—the largest you can measure short of a ship. Precision is core to Wingfield Scale. We’ve seen, as just kind of a cute little example—we take your business card, zero it on one of our bench scales, and then we have you sign it…and we weigh the ink in your signature.

Pit & Quarry: Wow.

Dan Caine: And Jack, I don’t know what your last name is or if you’ve got an “i” in it…

Pit & Quarry: It’s a long one. It does have an “i.”

Dan Caine: Excellent. Then we could have you dot the “i,” and we could measure that as well. Having a category for precision in your mind really changes the game. That’s what we’ve always pursued—we’ve always said accuracy counts. LASE software helps us deliver highly accurate, real-time volumetric measurements, significantly outperforming traditional scales.

Predictive Maintenance with 4D Delta

Dan Caine: Additionally, we’ve partnered with 4D Delta from Australia for advanced asset inspections, notably in cement plants. Traditionally, inspections involved confined space entries—literally drilling brick to measure thickness inside a vessel or kiln. Now, using LIDAR and 4D Delta’s tools, we can map and monitor refractory thickness and structural integrity within a square foot, significantly enhancing safety, wear management, and budgeting practices.

Current Outlook on the Aggregate Industry in 2025

Increasing Budgets for Innovation

Pit & Quarry: Given recent global and domestic changes, how do you view the current health of the aggregate industry?

Dan Caine: The industry remains robust. While external factors like weather and politics inevitably impact operations, our customers remain proactive. We’ve observed increased budgets for innovation, automation, and digitization.

Enhanced Cross-departmental Collaboration

Dan Caine: Companies increasingly seek comprehensive solutions that unite different departments—maintenance, production, finance—towards common objectives. One director of engineering mentioned how traditionally, internal departments operated in isolation. He described a scenario where the maintenance department got pressure from finance, asking, ‘We put a man on the moon—why can’t we do this?’ Production, in turn, blamed maintenance, creating internal friction. Now, technologies like ours foster teamwork and cohesive problem-solving, helping companies actively seek out non-contact, precise, real-time measurement systems to significantly improve operational efficiency.

Pit & Quarry: That’s an encouraging outlook. Thanks so much, Dan, for sharing your insights. Best of luck for the rest of the year at Wingfield Scale.

Dan Caine: Thanks, Jack. It’s been a pleasure.