first started developing and distributing
geomechanics software, which
fulfilled a need for more reliable,
easy-to-use 2-D and 3-D analysis and
design tools in the mining and civil
engineering industries.
“Our first suite of programs evolved
from work by various graduate students
over the years and under the
leadership of Dr. Evert Hoek and Dr.
John Curran,” said Yacoub. “The development
of these initial programs was
supported in part by the Canadian
mining industry, along with the provincial
and federal governments.
These early versions were then widely
distributed as shareware in Canada
and internationally.”
Since 1994, further research and
development has transformed these
early programs into the commercial
versions available today. Currently, 16
high-quality software programs are
being sold. Each program includes a
detailed orientation manual or online
help file, technical support and is competitively
priced.
“Our strength comes from the
strong geomechanics background of
our staff and their excellent programming
skills,” said Yacoub. “We have
created a common interface for all
the programs, resulting in easy-to-use
software for the practicing engineer
in the field as well as the demanding
technical analysts employed by major
consulting companies. Rocscience
offers expert technical support and can
respond quickly to customer concerns.
We greatly value the suggestions and
comments from our customers – this
valuable input helps us update and
improve our programs.”
Success secret
When asked what the secret to
Rocscience’s success is, Yacoub is quick
to say it is their customers first and
foremost.
“We’re proud to make software that
our customers love to use because
it’s intuitive and user-friendly,”
he said. “Our powerful programs
analyze at a faster rate than our competitors’
and allow users to perform
complicated geotechnical analyses
quickly – reducing costs and saving
time. Recommendations from happy
customers have really been the key to
our success over 20-plus years.”
Yacoub also remains very close to
his customers. By attending conferences
worldwide, he can get a sense of
why they choose Rocscience software
over others.
“What stands out most to our clients
is that our solutions are as powerful
as any on the market – yet affordable
for any business size. We offer a wide
array of solutions that interact with
each other, which helps our customers
utilize their software tools more
effectively and efficiently. And we listen
closely to our customers’ needs and
suggestions, regularly incorporating
feedback from users into future software
updates and upgrades.
As for the future, Yacoub says
over the next two to five years, he
and his team will continue updating
and improve their existing software
solutions.
“You can also expect to see us
introduce more tools for the geotechnical
community to address the needs
they’ve identified in their daily work,”
he said. “As always, we’ll continue
to work closely with our customers
around the world to make sure that
we’re creating best-in-class solutions to
make their work easier and quicker.”
COMPANY PROFILE
Detailed analysis using RS2 (2-D Finite Element Analysis)
excavation next to wind tower supported by pile foundation
Pile analysis using RSPile software
52 Q3 2017 www.pilingcanada.ca
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