Capital Equipment News December 2020

CONSTRUCTION NEWS

Volvo CE showcases groundbreaking innovations

Volvo Construction Equipment used bauma China 2020 to showcase its

groundbreaking innovations in connected, automated and electrified construction machinery at bauma China 2020. Some of these technologies are already available to customers today, while others are being implemented or part of the company’s innovation strategy. Among the exciting innovations already available to customers is Volvo ActiveCare, one of the highlights of the Volvo Services showcase at the exhibition. Volvo ActiveCare is a machine monitoring and proactive main- tenance service, using data from connected machines to take preventive action and avoid unplanned downtime. When customers subscribe to the service, data from the Volvo CareTrack telematics sys- tem on their machines is fed in real time to the Volvo Uptime Centre. Here, case handlers monitor the machines’ performance and, if an error code or alarm occurs that might lead to a breakdown, they call the closest dealer to the machine, suggesting an action for the dealer to relay to the customer. Customers can rest assured that potential issues will be noticed, and preventive action taken to ensure maximum uptime for their machines. Exemplifying its innovations for the near future, Volvo CE had on display two new elec- tric customer pilot excavators at bauma China

EX03 concept wheeled excavator.

– the 5,5-t EC55 Electric and the 22-t EC230 Electric – which will shortly go for testing by customers in China. The electric excavators are powered by lithium-ion batteries and can work a full day with a high-power lunch-hour charge. This is the first time Volvo CE has developed electric customer pilot machines for China. The excavators are not commer- cially available yet but during this research phase Volvo CE aims to mature them quickly so that they can be commercialised as soon as possible.

“China is the largest electromobility market globally and a leading producer of electro- mobility components, which provides the de- mand and means to manufacture a machine locally. In addition, China has an industrial strategy to decrease dependence on diesel and so the electromobility market is expected to move quicker. These factors make China the perfect place to test our new machines and gain valuable customer feedback,” says Mats Sköldberg, head of technology at Volvo CE China. b Cummins appoints new dealers in North and West Africa

Husqvarna Group acquires Blastrac

The Blastrac product portfolio includes solutions for shot blasting, scarifying, scraping, grinding and polishing, as well as for dust collection.

Husqvarna Group’s Construction Division has signed an agreement to acquire Blastrac, a leading provider of surface preparation technologies for the global construction and remediation industries. “The acquisition of Blastrac strength- ens and complements our organic growth ambitions, as we are further expanding into complementary surface preparation solutions. This will enable us to provide customers with a complete range of solutions for any given surface preparation task,” says Henric Andersson, president & CEO, Husqvarna Group. The Blastrac product portfolio includes solutions for shot blasting, scarifying, scraping, grinding and polishing, as well as for dust collection. Blastrac’s net sales during last 12 months amounted to approximate-

ly SEK600-million. The company has 380 employees globally with manufacturing and sales offices in North America, Europe and Asia, with sales in more than 80 countries. “The acquisition aims to further build and expand our offering in the market for surface preparation. Blastrac’s business fits well into our growth strategy and will en- able us to expand to our existing and new customers,” says Karin Falk, president, Construction Division. “In addition, the Blastrac team will bring extensive product and market expertise with these comple- mentary solutions.” The parties aim to close the acquisition by the end of 2020. The acquisition is subject to approval by relevant competition authorities. b

The newly appointed Cummins dealers meet all service standards and business ethics.

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