to a computer and then stitching them
together using specialized software to
create a giant site map and accurate
3-D computer model.
On one recent job, Enaeria was
enlisted when a new contractor was
brought in midway through the excavation
phase of a major construction
project and staff wanted to know how
much material had already been excavated
and how much still needed to go.
Enaeria surveyed the current elevation
of the site and compared that to the
original excavation design to precisely
determine how much material still
needed to be removed from the site.
Matzeg says drones are also a huge
boon for construction companies
when they need to verify the location
of piles. The technology is so precise
it can measure the location of an individual
pile to within four millimetres
and then compare it to the original
site plan.
While the number of firms performing
aerial surveys and monitoring in
the construction industry continues
to increase, Matzeg and Feld have a leg
up on many of them. The partners are
both professional engineers and met
while studying mechanical engineering
at the University of Waterloo. They
even developed a specialized system to
analyze the data they collect.
“We really take the time to understand
how the full system works and
exactly what the client wants, and set
up the survey appropriately so that we
can maximize the accuracy for what
the client wants,” said Matzeg. “We are
able to get the volumes of things that
maybe other people don’t have the
expertise in because we specialized in
the software side of things.”
Building infrastructure from the
“Ground up” for over 50 years
Heavy Construction
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• Bridges
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Another advantage Enaeria has
over the competition is that they have
been licensed by Transport Canada to
operate anywhere in the province of
Ontario. Typically, most UAV operators
must make an application for each
specific job site, a process that can take
weeks or months to complete.
“After acquiring approval for 10 sitespecific
applications, we were able to
apply for an Ontario-wide license,” said
Matzeg. “That was a huge breakthrough
for us. Once we got that all-of-Ontario
license, we could go to any client and
say, ‘Okay, any time you need us on
your site, we can be there.’”
It still makes Matzeg’s head spin
when he thinks about how far and how
fast he and his partner have come. Two
years ago, they were holding weekly
meetings on Skype to draft a business
plan. Today, the business has grown
to the point where they’ve had to hire
a business development manager, a
couple of contract pilots and a handful
of interns.
Interestingly, Matzeg’s interest
in drones happened by chance. He
was working for a steel company in
Hamilton where he had to learn about
UAV technology as part of a project
he was working on. When the project
ended, a light bulb suddenly went on in
his head.
“I was having so much fun working
on the drone project, I said to Zach,
‘Why don’t we start a business using
drones?’” he said, laughing. “That discussion
was what sparked the idea
for Enaeria.”
For now, Matzeg and Feld have no
plans to expand their business outside
of Ontario, although the partners
say that could be a possibility down
the road.
COMPANY PROFILE
58 Q3 2017 www.pilingcanada.ca
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