Automation and robotics company Xpanner has unveiled its latest solar construction tool: Shake-Out, a global navigation satellite system (GNSS)-guided pile distribution application designed specifically for skid-loader operators. The system replaces traditional manual survey marking and pin hunting with real-time, on-screen guidance, enabling crews to position piles accurately without a dedicated marking team.

On solar construction sites, the shake-out phase — the process of distributing piles to their designated locations ahead of driving — sets the pace for the entire pile-driving operation. Utility-scale solar farms can require tens of thousands of piles across hundreds of acres, making efficient distribution a critical bottleneck for project timelines. GNSS technology, which uses satellite constellations such as the U.S. GPS and Europe's Galileo to determine precise geographic positions, has become increasingly common in construction for tasks requiring centimeter-level accuracy.

After a project site plan is uploaded to Xpanner Connect and a rugged tablet is mounted to the skid loader, operators navigate directly to GNSS-guided target points. A radar-style guidance lane provides visual and audio cues as each pile approaches its designated mark. Xpanner reports that the system has been field-validated for highly accurate placement, with configurable distance and angle tolerances that can be adjusted to meet project-specific requirements.

"The single largest variable in shake-out has always been operator skill," said Henri Lee, co-founder and CEO of Xpanner. "By turning position-finding, counting, and logging into simple on-screen guidance, Shake-Out improves field productivity while providing real-time progress visibility that enables back-office teams to monitor execution, make informed decisions and manage projects more effectively."

Shake-Out is designed as a brand-agnostic retrofit compatible with any skid loader. Installation involves quick mounting and simple calibration, allowing crews to deploy the system across mixed equipment fleets without specialized hardware. Key features include real-time machine navigation, color-coded pile visualization, one-tap pile counting, and bulk shift logging.

Every pile logged in the field syncs instantly to Xpanner Connect, providing project offices with live status updates on piles placed versus plan, progress broken down by block, row, and pile type, and a clean as-built record. This replaces traditional communication methods such as phone calls, spreadsheets, and end-of-day reports with a single live map.

Shake-Out enters a solar construction market that has seen growing investment in automation tools aimed at addressing persistent skilled-labor shortages and accelerating build schedules. The system joins a broader category of GNSS-guided construction technologies — including machine control systems for excavators and dozers from established manufacturers — that are being adopted across infrastructure and energy projects.

Shake-Out is available now for utility-scale solar contractors.

Earlier this year, Xpanner released the X1 Panel Lift, an excavator-based solar panel installation device.