Trimble Navigation's high-margin geospatial business and its precision navigation systems for farm use have slumped as the dollar has pressured commodities markets. But the company continues to grow in building information modeling (BIM) software and in mobile solutions for truckers and other fleets and work forces. Management is seeking to improve profitability, and heavy investment in new features make its precision location software more indispensable. As technology continues to advance rapidly, will Trimble be a beneficiary of improved hardware and cloud-based data systems, or will its customers retrench? Can it continue to make acquisitions, or must it focus inward to improve margins?
