Manufacturers have been launching new equipment for loading, including a number of models at steinexpo 2017.
Caterpillar has introduced its new Cat 988K XE, the first wheeled loader offered by the company with a high-efficiency electric drive system.
The loader, unveiled at steinexpo 2017 in Germany, joins the 988K and the recently-launched 986K wheeled loaders to provide customers with a cost-effective loader for each application.
Offering increased truck loading and load-and-carry efficiency, the new 988K XE is said to increase efficiency by 25% overall and by up to 49% in face-loading applications, compared to the 988K.
“This reduces costs and helps operations reduce greenhouse gas emissions and carbon footprint. At the same time, Caterpillar production studies report the new loader delivers up to 10% higher productivity in load-and-carry applications,” says Caterpillar.
The Cat 988K XE offers a range of bucket capacities from 4.7-13m³, and rated standard and high lift payload for the loader reaches 11.3tonnes when working with face material and 14.5tonnes with loose material.
Caterpillar says the standard 988K XE wheeled loader is performance matched to offer efficient three-pass loading of the 38.6tonne Cat 770G truck and four-pass loading of the 46.3tonne Cat 772. Its high-lift configuration delivers five-pass loading of the 55.3tonne Cat 773G and six-pass loading of the 64tonne Cat 775G.
The field-proven and tested C18 ACERT engine, mechanical dropbox, driveline and axles from the 988K remain in the electric drive machine for consistent, trouble-free operation.
“The durable SR [switched reluctance] drive motor, generator and inverter are built to last through the second engine life with minimum maintenance. Additionally, the efficient electric drive design increases engine life by up to 3,500 hours, extending time between powertrain rebuilds,” says Caterpillar.
Slight changes inside the cab of the new 988K XE provide operators with the familiar functions and feel of the 988K, and the standard Cat Product Link offers remote data monitoring through VisionLink, so key personnel can stay informed of critical machine operating data.
Fuel usage, payload summaries, scheduled service reminders, fault code alerts and various productivity reports are available to help improve machine management.
The onboard Vital Information Management System (VIMS) provides the operator with operating data such as real-time fuel consumption and fuel efficiency via an interactive touch screen display, while Cat Production Measurement (CPM) offers payload weighing to the cab.
Meanwhile, the Czech Republic’s foremost purchaser of Hitachi construction machinery has further enhanced its fleet with a new ZX490LCH-6 large excavator.
Ceské šterkopísky, one of the country’s leading suppliers of aggregates, is utilising the machine at a sand and gravel quarry near the town of Veltrusy, north of Prague.
The quarry in Veltrusy opened in 2010 and is one of 16 locations used by Ceské šterkopísky across the Czech Republic. Another two sites are expected to open in 2018. The ZX490LCH-6 is mainly used for general earthmoving activities, but also helps to support the extraction of around 1 million tonnes of materials/year.
Established in 2006, Ceské šterkopísky provides a complete range of quarrying solutions, covering the extraction, refinement and distribution of materials.
The ZX490LCH-6 delivered earlier in 2017, with another identical model also due to be handed over to Ceské šterkopísky later in the year, complements the company’s existing fleet of Hitachi construction machinery, which includes three units of the preceding ZX470LCH-5 model, and another two ZX350LC-3 medium excavators.
“We selected the Hitachi excavator due to its reliability and cost-effectiveness. It is ideal for the type of work we do here owing to its powerful performance. For me, the excellent fuel efficiency is probably the number one benefit to our business,” says Karel Blaha, Ceské šterkopísky’s branch manager.
Ceské šterkopísky says it receives first-class support from Hitachi’s authorised dealer in the Czech Republic, NET, and its sub-dealer Austro Baumaschinen.
Polish cement company, Cementownia Warta’s Volvo 75tonne EC750E crawler excavator is the first of its kind in Eastern Europe, powering productivity at its limestone operations used for the production of cement.
“The cement industry is stable, but we anticipate EU-funded infrastructures in the near future,” says Dariusz Gawlak, managing director of Warta and vice president of the Polish Cement Association. The uptick should come as soon as next year, with figures set to rise by over 2.5% by 2018, according to the latest reports from the Polish Cement Association.
“Machine availability is the key issue,” says Gawlak. Working throughout the entire year is necessary to support the high demand for cement and gypsum.
“It is great to be the first customer in Europe to receive the EC750E.”
Warta bought its first Volvo Construction Equipment machine in 2008, an L120F wheeled loader, which is still working in the quarries. Over the last nine years, the fleet has expanded to include 20 Volvo machines: four crawler excavators (EC700B, EC700C, EC290C and now the EC750E); five wheel loaders (L350F, L220F, L120F and L120G) and 11 of Volvo’s 40tonne articulated haulers (models A40E and A40G).
“With so many Volvo machines already in our fleet, the decision to purchase another was obvious,” says Gawlak.
“Our machines are required to work long hours while maintaining efficiency, so operator comfort and extended uptime are key requirements. It was for these reasons that the EC750E was the perfect fit for our needs.
“It is also compatible with our Volvo A40E haulers, and when fitted with articulated hauler side extensions on the hauler body, gives 15% more hauled material with the same fuel consumption.”
CASE Construction Equipment also used steinexpo to officially launch its new CX750D, the largest and most powerful machine in its excavator range.
An electronically-controlled hydraulic pump and larger control and solenoid valves boost breakout forces, increase lifting strength and improve responsiveness, says the company.
“The CASE Intelligent Hydraulic System and its four integrated control systems make the best use of the machine’s hydraulic power and momentum, resulting in added strength and fuel efficiency,” says CASE.
The machine can be operated in one of three operating modes, Automatic, heavy and speed priority, to provide the optimal and most efficient use of hydraulic and engine power.
The CX750D achieves Tier 4 Final compliance through a combination of selective catalytic reduction (SCR) and diesel oxidation catalyst (DOC) technologies, and there is no diesel particulate filter (DPF).
Two CX350D and a CX490D CASE excavators are working at the huge Sgurgola quarry, near Rome, Italy, which belongs to Gemini Spa, a society of the Cristini Group, a construction company that uses aggregates from the quarry in different construction applications.
The quarry is worked on different layers at a pace of 500m³/day, and the client asked Romana Diesel, Rome CASE dealer, for safe, robust and stable excavators to handle the heavy weights to be lifted and the steep slopes.
Doosan dealers and customers from over 20 countries around Europe attended the company‘s 2017 Quarry Days in the Czech Republic where they were able to try out the latest Doosan excavators, wheeled loaders and articulated dump trucks (ADTs) in real working conditions
An aggregate handling section for heavier applications included large Doosan crawler excavators such as the top-of-the-range DX490LC-5 and DX530LC-5 models, along with a wide array of the company’s wheeled loaders from the DL250-5 to the largest DL550-5 model.
An earthmoving area allowed visitors to try out a selection of Doosan crawler excavators from the 14tonne DX140LC-5 to the 30tonne DX300LC-5 models and the DX210W-5 wheeled excavator.
EXCAVATOR DEMAND TO RISE
Global excavator demand will exceed US$50 billion (€41.6 billion) in 2021, according to a new market report by the US-based consultancy Freedonia.
The report says that demand for excavators is expected to grow 9.9%/year through 2021, with growth in the segment being supported by advances in global building and non-building construction spending; increasing mining and forestry sector production, bolstered by rising commodity prices; expanding natural gas output, and minor gains in crude oil production. These and other trends are presented in ‘Global Construction Machinery, 6th Edition’, a new study from The Freedonia Group, a Cleveland, USA-based industry research company.
The development of more sophisticated excavators will contribute to segment gains, and as more fuel-efficient machines are developed, their cost will rise, says the report.
In response, construction, surface mining and energy companies will replace outdated excavators with better-performing machines that use less fuel; offer greater mobility; are easier to maintain, and are compatible with a larger number of attachments. More fuel-efficient and hybrid models will also be introduced to reduce operating costs.
Global demand for all types of construction machinery is projected to increase 9.6%/year through 2021 to $250 billion (€208 billion), a major improvement over the losses posted during the 2011-2016 period.
