Companies are banking on a booming Bauma
As part of its build up to this month’s Bauma event, CMME looks at some of the leading edge tech at the show. Look out for our daily updates on other launches in the next two weeks.
The shoe leather-eating behemoth that is Bauma returns this month, swallowing an entire industry and spitting out those ill-prepared to take on the monster event. Brave adventurers from the Middle East will be boarding planes, trains and hopefully unlike the last volcano-hit event, not automobiles, to get there.
Indeed for an event which is typically about headline-grabbing launches from the cutting edge of engine design, it manages to attract a strong attendance from the region despite a fraction of the machines being ready for the region.
In fact by the time the next event returns in 2016, you might be better off checking Resale Weekly’s used lists for equipment that can use Middle East fuel, rather than taking a trip to Munich.
Make no mistake an engine tiering cliff is a strong possibility. The region has been relied upon to be a release valve for older equipment for decades and this will have an inevitable effect on the prices of equipment in the used and rental sectors.
However engine manufacturers such as Cummins, a popular choice among Chinese manufacturing, are continuing to produce engines suitable for the region. This will ensure for the time being that we can expect drive systems that can cope with the high sulphur content for the foreseeable future.
Of course more manufacturers will look to follow the example of Case and JCB in providing heavy equipment that has been modified and de-tiered to for Middle East conditions. And as one representative of those OEMs joke with CMME last month there are added perks hidden in a Tier 2 chassis: “Without the SRC kit in there, you get a whole bunch of extra storage space for your buck.”
An exciting development for this year’s event is the presence of next generation solutions such as hybrid engines, notes Professor Günter Kunze, head of the Department of Construction Machines and Conveying Technology at the Technical University of Dresden.
“First it must be said that it has taken even the pioneer in hybrid design – Toyota – more than ten years to gain acceptance and market penetration in the automotive area,” says Professor Kunze. “In the case of mobile working machinery, the diversity, low production quantities and high lifetimes lead us to assume that developments will be slower still. Basically a hybrid drive means the availability of at least two sources of power. Many different combinations of these sources are thinkable.
“For example, it could be a combustion engine and an electrically operated machine in combination with a battery to store electricity. Or two independent batteries, for example in ground conveyors. Machines of both these types have already been designed and marketed. Also possible are solutions that recover energy in mechanical or hydraulic form and then store it. Just which solution is best for which machine, is dependent critically on the requirements profile. In hybrid technology in particular the construction machinery sector is working on many innovations, and these will be on show for the first time at the upcoming bauma trade show.”
Caterpillar will be unveiling its new Cat hybrid excavator 336E H to the trade audience for the first time in Munich. Instead of losing the kinetic energy when braking the upper structure, it is captured in accumulators and re-used during swing acceleration. According to this American manufacturer, it has mastered the technically very difficult challenge of re-using hydraulic energy. The reward for the efforts of the developers, says the company, is a reduction in fuel consumption of approximately 25%. Another way of saving on operating costs is offered by the Cat wheel loader 966K XE, also on show in the Bavarian capital in April 2013. This has been fitted with a new, stepless powertrain system designed to minimize fuel consumption.
The German manufacturer Liebherr will be presenting a hybrid solution for heavy duty applications at bauma – the HS 8300 HD Duty Cycle Crawler Crane. Weighing in at over 350t, the world first is fitted with a powerful and also environmentally friendly hybrid drive on a hydraulic basis. According to the manufacturer, the storage and subsequent reactivation of excess energy increases handling rates and also significantly reduces fuel consumption. In addition, the tried and trusted technology of hydraulic energy storage is low on maintenance as well as being highly reliable. This mighty machine has hydraulic free-fall winches offering approximately 50t of line pull.
Professor Kunze also says that we can expect to see the further evolution of the way power is utilised by construction machinery on site.
“Traditionally combustion engines have been installed that can deliver the performance required. In other words the manufacturers work out the peak demand and design and build the engine to match,” he explains. “However there are many ideas and solutions concerned with the ‘average requirements’ of the construction machine as a parameter in the design of the combustion engine. To cover peak loads, suitable storage is then used, which is mechanically, hydraulically or electrically operated. This is known as downsizing the installed engine performance.”
JCB is presenting its Ecomax engines for the first time at Bauma. These engines meet the rigorous emissions standards Stage IIB and Tier 4 Interim, without the need for diesel particle filters or emissions after-treatment. Instead JCB is using a new engine technology (patent-pending) which enables particularly clean and efficient combustion. As well as the environmental benefit from lower emissions, this new development gives customers improved torque across the whole range of speeds, which according to the manufacturer significantly reduces fuel consumption. JCB is fitting the Ecomax engines to excavators, loaders (backhoe/wheel/telescope/telescopic-wheel/compact), telescopic handlers and rough terrain forklifts.
JCB will also launch two new wheeled loaders at Bauma 2013 – the 427 and 437, offering customers increased efficiency, lower emissions and improved operator comfort. Replacing the 426 and 436, the machines have now gone into full production. They are powered by the Cummins QSB 6.7l engine and feature a progressive clutch cut-off feature plus optional five-speed transmission, and automatic differential locking axles.
Meanwhile German road specialist HAMM, part of the Wirtgen Group, is expanding its range of articulated tandem rollers. The new models – HD+ 70i and HD+ 80i feature two separately controlled ventilators cool the charge air, hydraulic oil and engine cooling fluid. In doing so the load-dependent control of the ventilator for engine cooling saves fuel and reduces noise emissions. Beyond the need for greater efficiency, manufacturers are concentrating greater operator comfort and improved ergonomics. The response of Atlas Copco, for example, has been to bring out what the company is describing as the lightest vibration-reduced pick hammer on the market, weighing in at just 9.5 kg. The hammer mechanism in this tool floats in the housing, thereby significantly reducing the vibrations transmitted to the operator´s hands and arms. The model also has an efficient noise-reduction system.
Kaiser AGs new Walking Mobile Excavator also focuses on the human interface. This type of machine is designed for use in inaccessible terrain, a situation in which the driver often spends more time in the cab than at other construction sites. So, Kaiser has tuned the design of the cabs to better suit the needs of the driver. As well as an ergonomic arrangement of the extensive functions, there are also new joysticks for simple operation of the many hydraulic adjustment facilities and the various attachments.
In today’s construction industry, it’s not just about making the working conditions as pleasant as possible for the machine operators and drivers. It´s also about protecting the environment around the building site from pressure of all kinds. Avoiding unnecessary noise is an important factor here. For example in pile-driving operations. Manufacturer ABI is presenting a new adjustable vibrator for its telescopic leaders. This vibrator is fitted with a combi clamp assembly for double-Z and U-profiles and tubular piles. Because of the precise clamping with two individual clamps, the piles are protected and the noise from the “flapping” of the profiles is reduced.
Vegetation, soil and ground water all benefit from a new semi-trenchless method for installing pipelines from Herrenknecht AG. A tunnel boring machine loosens the soil which is then directly conveyed above ground using a milling unit. At the same time, the pipeline is installed underground. Earthwork is reduced to a minimum and no groundwater lowering along the route is necessary. In comparison to conventional, open-trench methods, the trench is considerably narrower. When crossing agricultural land this means harvest losses and compensation payments are reduced. This pipe-installation drive system has been nominated for the bauma Innovations Award 2013 in the machine category.
As well as technological innovations on the construction machines themselves, i.e. the hardware, as it were, many manufacturers have also much to offer in terms of the extras. A key word here is fleet management. For example, the wheel loader manufacturer Kramer Allrad and the sales and service company Zeppelin are offering satellite-supported location systems that deliver real-time data on the construction machines. As well as location, the data can also include operating times, engine condition and service dates, all of which can be called up online. The data are then available to the customer on his computer or smartphone. The aim with telematics solutions is to maximise machine capacity, to optimise fleet management, particularly on large-scale building sites, to provide verifiable figures for calculations of efficiency and cost, and to protect against theft.
One stand that will be worth a visit will be Sennebogen’s. The German manufacurer celebrated its 60th anniversary in 2012, and this will be its last to celebrate. It’s got some good machines too, with the 673 R-HD 36m telescopic crawler crane worthy of a look by Middle East buyers.
Two new innovations from Italy’s MB, the undisputed world leader for the production and sale of equipment for the earth moving and demolition sectors. The year 2013 has begun with two very interesting innovations in the form of two small treasures that complete the wide range of MB products: the new model MB-S10 Screening Bucket and the brand new MB-C50 Crusher Bucket.
Small, compact, light, the two MB buckets are suitable for midi diggers from 4 to 8 tonnes and are ideal for use on small sites. The new MB-S10 Screening Bucket weighs 445 g and has a capacity of 0.6 m3, offering those advantages that only MB products are capable of providing: high quality, reduced management costs and a saving on time, it claims. Developed using the same materials and the same technology as the already well-known MB Screening Buckets, the MB-S10 is easy to transport, manoeuvrable and highly competitive and can also be used for gardening work.
The latest addition, the MB-C50 is the smallest in the Crusher Bucket range. Small, light (to make installation and use easier), the new MB-C50 cuts down on processing costs and times and eliminates needless transportation costs. One-of-a-kind and certified, like the entire MB range, it is the only holder of the double jaw movement patent, to ensure the highest productivity on all sites. The new Crusher Bucket weighs 750kg and has a loading capacity of 0.25m3.
Most visitors will be focused on the headline grabbing launches, and while some are still under wraps there have been enough announcements leading up to the event to warrant a touch of excitement.
Liebherr will present its new modular design 150 EC-B flat-top crane, designed to offer customers a wide range of machine configuration to give them the maximum efficiency an cost control on a variety of jobs.
The company will also show the 357HC-L luffing jib crane, the successor to the old tried and trusted 355 HC-L. The new crane’s jib reaches its out-of-operation position at over 70 degrees and Liebherr says it can rotate freely in the tightest spaces, a crucial factor in high crane-density working environments.
Doosan will exhibit its 490 and 530 excavators. Bobcat willl show its 500 platform skid steers (five of them) and a track loader model. Doosan Portaable Power will show two new generators and two new ccompressors. LiuGong is will showcase three new excavators including the 45 metric ton 945 E.
Caterpillar will have 70 new machines on its stand, including the new 988K large wheel loader which heads a complete redux of the H series. Grove has announced that it will launch a new 45 tonne Rough Terrain crane at Bauma in April next year.
The new crane, the RT550E, was shown to customers from France and Italy at Manitowoc group’s Niella Tanaro production facility in Italy, together with the first 400t GMK6400 All Terrain crane in Italy.
See you on the show floor!