Key Technological Advancements in Earthmoving Equipment Segment
Technological upgradation is the need of the hour, be it in any sector of the economy. In fact, it assumes all the more importance in Earthmoving Equipment (EE) segment as a technologically-advanced equipment in this category can positively impact the construction jobsites’ efficiency and productivity.
Major reasons that are brining technological advancements in EE sector include:
1. With growing exposure and awareness, companies, contractors or individuals in construction segment are becoming smart and demanding world-class technology for better fuel efficiency, higher productivity and profitability, thus, motivating the EE manufacturers to come up with innovative solutions to meet the their expectations.
2. The entry of global OEMs is also leading to upgradation in technology-driven product features such as remote access devices, automatic controls to manoeuvre machines, more efficient (Tier III) engines, cabin air-conditioning etc.
As a result, the new excavators, Backhoe Loaders (BHLs) etc., in the EE segment are coming up with several additional functionalities for serving the customers in a better manner.
Key technology trends observed in EE segment
Here are the two major technological trends that are having a great influence on the EE sector...
1. Intelligent technology: IOT leading to automated service and monitoring the EE remotely- Internet of Things (IOT) describes a system in which objects can communicate internally or with outside entities. In EE segment, it means machines having sensors installed to monitor operating conditions, machine hours, performance levels, physical states, fuel consumption, GPS tracking, machine’s idle time etc. These types of data help the EE owners to determine optimal operating procedures, prevent theft or misuse of equipment and reduce the maintenance cost considerably by enabling machinery to self-detect the imminent need for a repair through sensors before it becomes a bigger problem. Through built-in sensors in EE, companies can also automate service and preventive maintenance i.e., IoT can automate equipment maintenance by triggering a work order and scheduling.
If more sophisticated systems are employed, then they can also easily measure and give out information like engine load, fluid temperatures and pressure etc. Depending on the software, EE owners can receive varying levels of analysis to help in the usage of data for better decision making. It goes without saying that the right data and analytics can lead to less downtime and losses and efficient remote monitoring of EE. While in the foreign countries, such technology is already being put to use, in India, it is still not that popular. However, the awareness is gradually increasing.
Here, Mahindra Construction Equipment’s (MCE), EarthMaster BHL with the REMOTECARE feature deserves a special mention. Essentially, REMOTECARE is an intelligent communication system that keeps the business owner constantly informed about the machine through mobile phone-based SMS updates. Typically, the this smart system works on built in intelligent sensors which are capable of sensing and detecting critical faults in time. Through REMOTCARE, business owners can know what’s happening with their equipment for the whole day, receive information on diesel level, engine oil pressure, transmission oil pressure, coolant temperate, air filter clogging, hydraulic oil filter clogging, battery charge statues etc., and other advance warning on their registered mobile numbers. The best part is that the system also sends out an SMS to the Service Call Centre of MCE which in turn informs the nearby dealer about any reported issue. In fact, EE owners can even call up the machine using their mobile phone and REMOTECARE system will return an SMS giving out important details in a simple message.
2. Effortless operations’ technology: Joystick controls for increased comfort and reduced fatigue- Gone are the days of pushing manual levers, joystick controls have come to make the life easy, simple and less tiring for the operations of EEs like BHLs, excavators etc. Also called as pilot controls or pilot joysticks, joystick controls have increased the productivity considerably by reducing wrist and arm force and hand and wrist movement, thereby, enabling the operator to work for long hours. Particularly, the Mahindra EarthMaster VX BHL model offers specially designed joysticks to its customers to make their heavy duty work much easier and effortless than it actually is.
In a nutshell
Productivity and uptime are crucial drivers in the EE industry. Hence, what will define a bright future of EE would be the adoption of newer intelligent features and increased sophistication by the EE manufacturers and they have realised this fact quite well.
As a result, the growth of smart and intelligent EE is on the rise in the country. And why not? These machines offer more than one advantage to the EE owners and makes operations as well as their life easy. Thus, every year, incremental changes in the field of technology for EE are happening to develop better performing systems and users are gradually growing accustomed to the new ways of doing things.
