Construction World October 2018

FUEL, OIL & LUBRICANTS

UPPING ADVANTAGES WITH INNOVATION CENTER

Doosan Bobcat has announced a swath of investments in new technology, machinery and processes at the company’s Innovation Center in Dobris in the Czech Republic. The Innovation Center is the R&D hub of an integrated site at Dobris that also includes manufacturing, sourcing and training at the same location. D oosan Bobcat believes the ability to design, test and manu-

The total cost was approximately CZK36-million 1,41 million euros) with 50% incentive grants provided by the Czech Goverment. CNC horizontal boring machine and CNC 5 axis milling machine Both machines have been installed to support faster prototype builds providing full control of the processes without the involvement of third parties. Other important aspects are fixtures production for the Dobris manufacturing plant and testing of machining processes that help in the introduction of new machining in the production plant. Dynamometer A dynamometer is a tool for measuring engine or powertrain system loadings in laboratory conditions. Based on the loading, machine performance (cooling, hydraulic parameters, fuel consumption and so on) are tested in a set ambient temperature. Testing on the dynamometer is mandatory for new engine implementation and for application approval on the supplier side. A new 300 kW dynamometer with six electric generators is now installed in the Innovation Center. The dynamometer load tested machine allows Doosan Bobcat to test and optimize cooling performance in the ‘hot’ climate-controlled chamber at temperatures up to 55 °C. Advanced functions of the dynamometer allow replica- tion and simulation of real duty cycles in a laboratory environment based on data from the field. Real life testing – polygon Not far from the Dobris Innovation Center and the main plant is the location for the Bobcat polygon for field testing. With more than 20 engineers, operators and technicians plus six hectares of space with artificial lighting, machine shops and diagnostic laboratories, the polygon is a really unique asset in the industry as a whole. Field testing on the Bobcat polygon has been identified as one of the company’s important success drivers in terms of quality and rapid innovations. Because of this, another expansion of this testing has been prepared. It is planned to almost double the size of the polygon in the future to 10 hectares, with a road circuit and new specialised sites where different types of machines will be built. Long-term commitment The Innovation Center and the Dobris Campus demonstrate the long-term commitment of Doosan Bobcat in EMEA and the bold decisions that the company has taken to invest in people and innovative industrial and business solutions. From engineering and design, sourcing, manufacturing, marketing, distribution, aftermarket and training, the Innovation Center and the Dobris Campus integrate every facet of Doosan Bobcat’s operations and product development on one site, with enormous benefits for customers, dealers and the company. 

facture Bobcat machines locally is one of the com- pany’s competitive advantages in the Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) region. The new investments are intended to boost these advantages and involve every part of the opera- tions in the Innovation Center, from rapid pro- totyping and prototype assembly to performance and durability testing. The Innovation Center is a European Engineer- ing Center of Excellence, serving as an expert R&D teams across EMEA and has global responsibility for small compact load- ers and compact excava- tors from 0-3 tonne. It focuses on creating centre for all Doosan Bobcat engineering

Polygon testing.

Dynamometer testing.

new innovative solutions, product development, research and testing activities. The facility, with more than 8 000 m 2 of floor space for pro- totyping and testing and 1400 m 2 of office area, is a place where new advanced - and in some cases – unique technologies are installed. With recent advances in computer designing and modelling, many manufacturers omit (or at least limit) the creation and testing of physical prototypes. In contrast, at Doosan Bobcat, the company knows their importance and has invested heavily in its

production technologies. New investments

Over the last 12 months, Doosan Bobcat has completed several more significant investments and has installed three important technologies at the Innovation Center: • CNC horizontal boring machine • CNC 5 axis milling machine • Dynamometer

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CONSTRUCTION WORLD OCTOBER 2018