Jacob’s Factory Conveyor Installation with HP SitePrint
At the Jacob’s Factory, Metra Surveying was appointed to deliver precise construction layout services for the installation of a new conveyor belt system within a live production environment.
The challenge was to complete the layout quickly and accurately, without interrupting operations or dismantling existing packaging lines. Using the HP SitePrint robotic layout system, Metra successfully printed the full conveyor alignment directly from CAD in just three hours — a task that would normally take a setting-out engineer around five days using traditional stakeout/set out techniques such as stringlines and tape measures.
This project highlighted how HP SitePrint technology dramatically improves speed and accuracy in complex industrial settings, helping contractors achieve faster, cleaner, and safer installations.
Services
Control installation
HP SitePrint layout
Survey verification
Scope of Works
Establishing Control:
Existing factory columns and fixed features were surveyed using a Leica TS16 total station to establish a new internal control network. This ensured the layout tied perfectly into the factory’s CAD drawings and existing geometry, forming the basis for all subsequent stakeout and set out activities.
HP SitePrint Conveyor Layout:
Once control was verified, the HP SitePrint robot printed the full conveyor route directly onto the factory floor — including lines, offsets, text and reference points — all with millimetre precision. The automated print effectively replaced a traditional stakeout/set out exercise, providing clear, durable markings for the installation team to follow.
Operating Within a Live Production Area:
One of the main advantages of the SitePrint system is its ability to work safely beneath and around live equipment. The robot navigated under active packaging lines and tight spaces, maintaining full accuracy and allowing the factory to continue production throughout the operation. This would have been extremely difficult to achieve using manual stakeout/set out methods.
Workflow
The workflow started with the setup of the survey control network, aligning to key structural points within the factory. This provided a reliable coordinate system for all subsequent layout, stakeout, and set out work.
With control in place, the conveyor’s CAD layout was prepared in HP SitePrint software and uploaded to the robot. The SitePrint system, connected to the Leica TS16, tracked its position automatically and began printing the design directly onto the slab.
Despite working around existing machinery and tight spaces, the robot maintained consistent precision and completed the full conveyor layout print in just three hours — achieving the same accuracy and clarity that would take engineers several days using manual stakeout and set out techniques.
Results and Benefits
Exceptional Speed:
The entire layout was completed in three hours, compared with approximately five days using traditional manual stakeout/set out methods. This substantial time saving avoided downtime and reduced labour costs.
Millimetre Accuracy:
The combination of HP SitePrint and Leica TS16 ensured a precise match to the CAD model. Each point and alignment was printed exactly to specification, improving installation accuracy and eliminating rework.
Minimal Disruption:
The robotic layout system operated safely under active conveyor lines and around ongoing packaging operations, maintaining full productivity with zero interference.
Efficiency and Repeatability:
Once calibrated, the system can reproduce layouts instantly, offering repeatable, consistent accuracy across multiple areas or production lines — far beyond what manual stakeout or set out can achieve.
Reduced Human Error:
Traditional layout using tape measures or stringlines is time-consuming and prone to cumulative errors during manual stakeout. HP SitePrint delivers automated, consistent results — every line, every time.
Conclusion
The Jacob’s Factory conveyor installation demonstrates how HP SitePrint is redefining construction layout in industrial environments.
By completing a full conveyor set out print in just three hours, Metra Surveying showed how robotic layout technology can deliver several-fold improvements in speed, precision, and efficiency compared to manual stakeout and set out methods — all while maintaining operational safety within a live facility.
Metra Surveying continues to lead the adoption of HP SitePrint technology across the UK, helping contractors and manufacturers deliver projects faster, more accurately, and with minimal disruption to day-to-day operations.