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Toronto Zoo Tests Electric Equipment For Use Around Animals

Tested the effectiveness of Volvo CE's ECR25 and L25 for use within public areas in the interest of animal facilities and the environment.

Tested the effectiveness of Volvo CE's ECR25 and L25 for use within public areas in the interest of animal facilities and the environment.

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Hitachi Construction Machinery Begins New Era for America with New Equipment

After years of preparing, Hitachi Construction Machinery Americas Inc. (HCMA) is launching the next chapter for Hitachi Construction Machinery in North America and Latin America. On March 1, 2022, HCMA officially began leading the Hitachi brand's construction and mining equipment sales and service support efforts.

At a commemoration celebration event held for employees at the HCMA headquarters in Newnan, Georgia, HCMA CEO Alan Quinn and HCM Executive Vice President and Executive Officer Yasushi Ochiai outlined what customers, dealers and the industry can expect moving forward.

During his address, Ochiai said that this expansion in North America and Latin America will be one of the most important for the company in the 70 years that HCM has been developing, producing, selling and servicing construction and mining machinery.

"It has been the dream of many years for HCM to explore its own business in the region, not only with wheel loaders but also with other products, services and solutions. Expansion of business in the Americas will give further momentum to the development and production of new machinery, and the promotion of sales and services. The Hitachi Construction Machinery Group will become a true global player," Ochiai said.

Quinn added that March 1 marked a historic day for HCMA: "While Hitachi equipment has been used on construction sites and mines throughout the region, moving forward, dealers and customers will experience Hitachi the same way the rest of the world does with a direct relationship. We are preparing to launch new machines and technologies while focusing on having a more direct relationship with our customers and dealers. We will do whatever it takes to be the best supplier our customers and dealers work with."

In addition to celebrating this new direction for Hitachi, the first fleet of trucks loaded with Hitachi orange equipment hit the road bound for HCMA's extensive and growing dealer network. Simon Wilson, vice president at HCMA, said the excavators and wheel loaders on those trucks are designed to help contractors optimize production, have an efficient and safe operating experience, and help manage their operating costs.

"This is just the beginning of the advances the market can expect from Hitachi," said Wilson. "Over the next year, HCMA will be introducing many new models that incorporate the latest in hydraulic systems and innovative ‘uptime' and IoT services, as well as increase the capabilities of Hitachi ConSite, with an initiative to add more telematics and predictive analytics to our equipment lines."

On the mining side of HCMA's business, HCMA Senior Director, Mining Equipment Sales Babliton Cardoso met with dealers and mining executives at the 2022 MINEXCHANGE Conference and Expo in Salt Lake City, Utah. "It was a great event, and there is a lot of excitement in the industry for this new chapter in Hitachi's history of delivering innovative and dependable mining machinery. Many people told us they've been waiting for us to make this move. Our team looks forward to working with them for many years to come."

To support dealers and customers, HCMA is expanding its corporate headquarters with the addition of a 400,000-square-foot parts distribution center and more personnel. More than 60 highly qualified individuals have already joined the team since August 2021.

"North America and Latin America represent the largest construction markets in the world, and we are ready to turn the region Hitachi orange with the industry's best equipment," concluded Quinn.

Source: https://www.heavyequipmentguide.ca/article/38236/new-era-begins-for-hitachi-construction-machinery-americas-with-new-equipment-and-expansions-underway

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After years of preparing, Hitachi Construction Machinery Americas Inc. (HCMA) is launching the next chapter for Hitachi Construction Machinery in North America and Latin America. Read More..

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Liebherr Launches New L 504 Compact Loader, Updates Existing Models | Heavy Hunt

Liebherr has now overhauled its compact loaders and expanded the series with the L 504 model.

According to Liebherr, the most important innovations include the redesigned operator’s cab, which provides the operator with excellent visibility thanks to the generous amount of glass used in the design.

The optimized visibility of the lift arms also ensures an unobstructed view of the working attachment and therefore maximum safety. The company claims that customer demand has led to the L 506 and L 508 models being made available in Speeder variants for the first time ever. The Speeder version allows the loaders to reach a top speed of 30 km/h.

The Liebherr L 504 compact loader is the latest model in Liebherr’s wheel loader range.

This new compact loader series is comprised of three models, which have been optimally coordinated with one another.

Liebherr’s smallest wheel loader embodies the qualities of the larger Liebherr wheel loaders while also being an excellent value for the money.

With numerous new features, the L 506 compact has consolidated its already strong position in the market. As is the case for the L 504, the machine height of the L 506 remains under 2.5 meters, making it easy to transport on a trailer. The new L 508 compact has become larger and wider than both of the other Liebherr compact loaders. Its powerful travel drive and high tipping load have received praise from customers.

Versatile and powerful: intelligent solutions for the lift arms

The new compact loaders have robust lift arms with z-bar kinematics, which facilitates the use of a wide variety of attachments.

Liebherr has optimized the parallel guidance for safe and precise operation when working with forks.

According to Liebherr, this is critical, for instance, when transporting palettes with paving stones or decking tiles in garden and landscaping applications.

To increase versatility, even more, Liebherr offers High Lift arms for the L 506 and L 508 models on request. This is an extended version of the lift arms with a greater reach, enabling the compact loaders to load taller transport vehicles.

Wheel loaders can be confronted with a myriad of challenges when used for municipal services. Transporting materials with various buckets or forks, excavating with a 4 in 1 bucket, cleaning up with a sweeper, or winter services with a snowplow are just some examples of this.

Liebherr claims to have ensured the mastery of this wide variety of applications by offering its fully automatic quick coupler system LIKUFIX for the three compact loaders.

LIKUFIX allows the machine operator to change between mechanical and hydraulic working tools from the cab within seconds at the touch of a button. The company believes that this saves time and reduces the risk of accidents as the operator doesn’t have to leave the cab when changing the equipment.

Comfortable and safe: new cab and functional design

Liebherr has also added new features and solutions within the redesigned cab, which can be entered via a reinforced step.

The windscreen now reaches into the foot area of the operator’s cab, which brings better visibility in all directions. In particular, operators have a much better view of the attachment and the articulation area.

The rear screen is curved on the sides, enabling an unobstructed view of the rear area.

Additionally, the new compact loaders can be equipped with a backup camera on request.

Clearly-arranged control elements and practical storage areas have been included to increase the operator's space and comfort.

With the Liebherr control lever, the machine operator can operate the lift arms and the attachment safely. This also applies to the optional mini-joystick on the control lever, which is used to control additional hydraulic functions.

An adjustable steering column is available as an option. Also, the display, standard on all machines, is also adjustable and located on the A-pillar in the cab.

According to Liebherr, these measures ensure the simple and intuitive operation of the compact loader, which can be an important attribute for equipment rentals.

Liebherr’s new compact loaders feature a modern and functional design. The engine bonnet has a dynamic and clean design, with great visibility from the cab.

The lift arms are tapered, which optimizes the view of the attachment and the material.

The compact design, with its low center-of-gravity, ensures optimum weight distribution.

According to Liebherr, the new design results in high-stability, safe and comfortable operation, day in and day out.

Source: https://www.equipmentjournal.com/construction-equipment/liebherr-launches-new-l-504-compact-loader-updates-existing-models/

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Liebherr Launches New L 504 Compact Loader, Updates Existing Models | Heavy Hunt

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Liebherr has now overhauled its compact loaders and expanded the series with the L 504 model.

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President Joe Biden signed an executive order Friday that requires union workers on federal construction projects above $35 million, including those under the new $1 trillion infrastructure law.

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Shift From Auctions To Asset Management Platform Transforms Ritchie Bros.

Long-time used equipment sales specialists expanding broad platform of services for construction and more

Back in 1958, three brothers who ran a furniture store in Kelowna, British Columbia, held an auction that turned out to be the start of a new venture that, in the years since, has turned into one of the world’s largest heavy equipment auction businesses.

Moving from selling furniture to auctioneering is quite a shift, but it proved successful for the Ritchie Brothers. Today, the company that followed on from that first auction is making another business move: from an auction house to a software and service provider targeted at equipment fleet owners and managers.

Ritchie Bros. has expanded from in-person unreserved auctions into more and more online spaces, and through a string of acquisitions, it is growing its fleet management strengths to become a one-stop dashboard for tracking, managing, and selling assets. The Burnaby, B.C.-headquartered company with more than 2,200 full-time employees has certainly come a long way from that first auction.

Auctions Serve Large Used Equipment Market

Auctions are a key way for heavy equipment owners and buyers to dispose of and pick up assets at prices that make the most sense for them. Matt Ackley, Ritchie Bros.'s chief marketing officer, describes auctions as “the most efficient way to determine an asset value or to get the appropriate value for a particular asset.”

For Ritchie Bros., heavy equipment auctions, held quarterly at specific locations, helped to bring supply and demand together and create an efficient marketplace. That worked very well for the company over many years, before the internet arrived and changed the auction game.

“As Ritchie Bros. looked at itself over the years, it asked ‘How do we adapt to this new paradigm where efficient markets can be made every day via the internet, via Google search, online where people can be reached around the world in an instant?’” Ackley described.

Ackley, an engineer with a career that saw him spend time in positions with major online companies such as eBay, Google, and finally IronPlanet prior to its acquisition in 2017 by Ritchie Bros., pointed out that with the promise of the web, it was important for Ritchie Bros. to get on board — and online — early.

“Starting in the 1990s, Ritchie Bros. introduced online bidding to its live unreserved auctions, and then heading into the 2000s it really began to look at its model,” he said.

The used equipment market worldwide is approximately $350 billion per year, but the auction segment is only a portion of those sales, an estimated $30 to $35 billion, Ackley said. “I think that over time, the internet and software have given people more and more ways to not only sell used equipment but start to manage their fleets and their assets so they can maximize the return on that particular investment.”

Ritchie Bros. started its move to explore those online opportunities in 2016, when it acquired Mascus, an online equipment listing service, and followed that up in 2017 with a big step into online auctions through the acquisition of IronPlanet. Founded in 1999, IronPlanet had developed a large audience for online equipment sales globally, and bringing it into the Ritchie Bros. fold gave the company an entirely new way to connect with buyers.

“Ritchie Bros. bought IronPlanet to focus on these periodic, weekly online auctions, as well as a new reserve platform, ‘make offer’ and ‘buy now’ types of formats so that equipment owners could access the market daily,” Ackley explained. “From a selling standpoint, we had a true multi-channel offering, listings, and marketplace formats in addition to the unreserved auctions.”

More recently, Ritchie Bros. has added companies like Rouse and SmartEquip to its portfolio, accessing even more aspects of asset management. Rouse provides data intelligence and performance benchmarking services, allowing managers to determine their equipment values and rental benchmarks in various marketplaces. SmartEquip delves into the parts and service sector, providing real-time information about assets to owners, while also providing an electronic line to OEMs and dealers for procurement of parts.

Umbrella Of Asset Management Products And Services

The result of these additions is a broad umbrella of products and services that are shifting Ritchie Bros. away from a sales focus and toward something more along the lines of a technology platform — one that offers asset managers all the tools that they need.

That shift has been reflected in corporate leadership. CEO Ann Fantozzi, who joined Ritchie Bros. in 2020, is a computer engineer by training and has been involved in numerous technology efforts in previous roles. Other members of senior leadership also come from tech backgrounds. That growth in expertise has helped drive new offerings, Ackley said.

“We started to look at the opportunity here — not only do these tools become tools to sell assets, but they become tools to manage assets. They become tools to manage price or access pricing, they become tools to order inspections, or they become tools to improve workflow and sell items on your own website,” he described. “And now, with the addition of some of our newer acquisitions, they become tools to, if you’re in the rental business, to manage rental inventory and understand utilization, and get appraisals to help with my loan portfolio.”

The ability to offer a unified, cloud-based system of asset management tools for customers is key in improving efficiency for Ritchie Bros. clients, Ackley noted.

“We have found that, as we work with our customers more and more, a lot of the tools they use are either fragmented or they’re managing their inventory on a yellow legal pad or spreadsheet,” he said. “Having the ability to offer a cloud-based system or dashboard is something we’re incredibly interested in.”

Inventory Management System Provides Gateway To Services

The core of Ritchie Bros. asset management offering is its inventory management system, which gives customers of all sizes and needs a base to operate from. Free for signup, the inventory management system tracks assets for sale, where those assets are being sold, and simplifies the process.

“It’s a dashboard that allows them to manage their entire portfolio; it’s got reporting tools, so you can see basic information — enter inventory, manage inventory and workflow to various sales channels,” Ackley explained.

Through the system, customers can indicate if they’re selling on their own or through Ritchie List, they can leverage a variety of Ritchie Bros. services such as financing, lien searches, and others, or connect with IronPlanet for online auctions or Marketplace-E for buy-now, make-offer sales.

“This is the gateway — once you have your inventory in here, you then have access to all these other services. Over time, we’ll continue to build out,” Ackley said.

Currently, the key focus is on the resale aspect of the equipment life cycle, but the goal will be to add telematics functionality and other inputs over time, allowing asset managers to incorporate even more data into their equipment management strategy. In addition, the dashboard is capable of integration with a variety of existing enterprise resource management (ERP) and asset management software platforms.

The Rouse acquisition has made that integration easier, Ackley noted, by providing a baseline of information that connects the dots when it comes to equipment in various platforms. “What one person may call a skid steer, someone else may call a compact track loader . . . the key element is understanding what piece of equipment fits into which category because that’s key to pricing and parts configuration. Integrations are a key part of that . . . Rouse brought an incredible amount of expertise in that area,” Ackley noted.

Online Taking Over, But Physical Sites Expanding As Well

The past two years have seen Ritchie Bros. move their auctions fully online — Ackley pointed out that more than 70 percent of sales at live auctions were already online, so the transition has been a smooth one — and prices have stayed strong for used equipment across the board. The company has taken advantage of the opportunity to successfully expand its online presence.

“The transition was really positive for us from an opportunity standpoint — we saw that this can work, and people do want to adopt these tools,” Ackley described. “As more and more things move online, more and more data is created, and that’s the type of data we can offer in these dashboards. We really have seen acceleration with this transition toward online.”

At the same time, Ritchie Bros. is doing something that may seem counter to the strategy: It is expanding its network of physical auction sites. There remains a need in the construction industry for buyers to experience the equipment before purchasing, and that isn’t likely to change, Ackley noted.

“What we’ve come to understand is that in this particular industry, there’s still a need to see the equipment, to touch the equipment, to inspect the equipment. There’s also a need to network and meet people face to face,” he said. “Our strategy going forward is really a hybrid approach: marrying the best of technology, data, and software online with a global physical footprint.”

Source: https://www.heavyequipmentguide.ca/article/38049/shift-from-auctions-to-asset-management-platform-transforms-ritchie-bros

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Long-time used equipment sales specialists expanding broad platform of services for construction and more

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Hitachi Sells Controlling Share Of Construction Equipment Business | Heavy Hunt

Hitachi Construction Machinery is under new controlling ownership following Hitachi’s sale of 26% of its holding — valued at $1.6 billion — to Japanese trading company Itochu and private equity firm Japan International Partners.

Hitachi’s stake is now 25.4%, with Itochu and JIP jointly owning a 26% controlling share.

The key motivation for the deal is Hitachi CM’s business in North America, where last year the joint venture with John Deere was ended and where the construction equipment business is undergoing a major reorganization.

Hitachi said the “serious challenges” presented by the reorganization led it to accept JIP and Itochu investment.

JIP is a private equity firm experienced in finance and business restructuring, while trading company Itochu is already embedded in North America’s construction sector through its ownership of compact equipment specialist Multiquip. Itochu has also worked with Hitachi CM in the past, co-owning its business in Indonesia.

According to a statement from Hitachi, “through the new capital relationship with the partners [JIP and Itochu], the company will further solidify its business development in the North America markets, the world’s largest markets.

“At the same time, [Hitachi CM] will continue to collaborate with existing business partners around the world, including those in the South America market, to accelerate its global growth strategy.”

Hitachi Construction Machinery is the world’s seventh-largest construction equipment manufacturer, based on annual revenues.

One element of the North American strategy will be a focus on equipment rental. Itochu already has shareholdings in the Japanese used equipment and online rental platform Sorabito as well as Big Rentz, the online rental marketplace in North America, and referenced these investments in its statement regarding the Hitachi deal.

“The construction machinery industry is seeing an accelerated flow from ‘ownership’ (purchasing) to ‘use’ (renting),” a release from Itochu stated. “This will require a business transformation to cater to diversified customer needs.”

Hitachi’s construction and mining equipment is manufactured in Japan.

Following the dissolution of the joint venture with Deere, Hitachi CM has been developing its sales and service network in the Americas. A new company Hitachi Construction Machinery Americas Inc. has 16 sales dealers covering the Americas, and existing distributors of wheel loaders will expand into other Hitachi products such as compact and construction-sized excavators, which will start in March.

Hitachi CM will continue to use the Hitachi brand and collaborate with the Hitachi group in R&D, including the development of IoT technology.

The OEM will also continue to work on the project for net-zero emissions in the mining market, by providing full electric dump trucks, which are jointly under development with ABB Ltd.

Hitachi CM, headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, makes excavators, wheel loaders, road construction machines, and mining machinery. It employs approximately 25,000 people worldwide and in the year to March 2021 reported revenues of $7.1 billion, of which 75% was outside Japan.

Hitachi Construction Machinery has already invested the in equipment rental market worldwide. It operates a rental business in Japan, and has the ‘Premium Rental’ business — run through its dealers — in Europe. In the US, it owns a share of ACME, a wholesale rental company that is now focused on Hitachi equipment.

Source: https://www.international-construction.com/news/hitachi-sells-controlling-share-of-construction-equipment-business/8017473.article

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Hitachi Construction Machinery is under new controlling ownership following Hitachi’s sale of 26% of its holding

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Volvo Group Acknowledged For Clean Air Tech | Heavy Hunt

The South Coast Air Quality Management District (SAQMD) presented the 32nd Clean Air Award to the Volvo Group for its contribution to the development of innovative technologies designed to reduce emissions related to the Volvo LIGHTS project.

“The Volvo Group North America is very pleased to be recognized for its clean air technology efforts by South Coast AQMD,” said Keith Brandis, Volvo Group VP of partnerships and systems solutions, in a prepared statement. “The Volvo LIGHTS (Low Impact Green Heavy Transport Solutions) project has been successful as a result of the multiple partners who represent each of the critical areas for battery electric vehicle deployment and acceptance. We appreciate South Coast AQMD supporting Volvo in this initiative, as well as the Switch-On and Joint Electric Truck Scaling Initiative (JETSI).”

Volvo LIGHTS is a collaboration among 15 public and private partners working toward the common goal of successfully introducing battery-electric trucks and equipment into the market at scale. Led by the Volvo Group and South Coast AQMD, NFI Industries, Dependable Supply Chain Services, TEC Equipment, Greenlots, Port of Long Beach, Port of Los Angeles, Southern California Edison, CALSTART, the University of California, Riverside CE-CERT, Reach Out, Rio Hondo College and San Bernardino Valley College are also stakeholders.

The Volvo LIGHTS project was made possible by a $48 million award to South Coast AQMD from the California Air Resources Board (CARB) as part of California Climate Investments (CCI), a statewide initiative that puts billions of Cap-and-Trade dollars toward reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, strengthening the economy and improving public health and the environment. South Coast AQMD contributed $4 million from the Clean Fuels Fund and awarded the Volvo Group a $45.6 million contract to design and implement the LIGHTS project. Volvo and its partners have promised no less than $45.7 million in matching contributions to increase the total project value to more than $91 million for South Coast AQMD to administer.

“We appreciate and commend South Coast AQMD’s leadership in advancing the clean air agenda in our region, and we look forward to continuing our partnership with them on innovative projects that will positively impact the air quality,” said Aravind Kailas, Volvo Group advanced technology policy director, in a statement.

Source: https://www.constructionequipment.com/volvo-group-acknowledged-clean-air-tech

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The South Coast Air Quality Management District (SAQMD) presented the 32nd Clean Air Award to the Volvo Group for its contribution to the development of innovative technologies designed to reduce emissions related to the Volvo LIGHTS project.

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Komatsu Selected For Lunar Construction Project | Heavy Hunt

A proposal by Komatsu has been chosen as an eligible target of technology related to autonomous construction on the moon.

The proposal, the Development of Digital Twin Technology for Lunar Construction Equipment, was submitted to the Project for Promoting the Development of Innovative Technologies for Outer Space Autonomous Construction. The Project is lead-managed by Japan’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT) with collaboration by Japan’s Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology.

The project is part of MLIT’s Strategic Program for Accelerating Research, Development, and Utilization of Space Technology (Stardust Program).

Under the leadership of the Council of Promoting the Development of Innovative Technologies for Autonomous Construction, an inter-ministry collaboration body, all selected companies and organizations will conduct research and development of their individual technologies, according to Komatsu.

In the ongoing three-year, mid-term management plan, to be completed in the fiscal year ending March 31, 2022, Komatsu is working to achieve safe, highly productive, smart, and clean workplaces of the future by advancing products (automation and autonomy of machines) and processes (optimization of construction operations). Concerning the selected Development of Digital Twin Technology for Lunar Construction Equipment, Komatsu will utilize accumulated technologies in both products and processes.

In a press release, Komatsu noted the complicated nature of construction on the moon’s surface and suggested that digital twin technology can precisely recreate site conditions and machines.

To develop this technology, Komatsu will conduct a feasibility study to verify the possibility of developing high-precision digital twin technology, the basic technology of lunar construction equipment. Specifically, Komatsu will create and operate a hydraulic excavator in cyberspace and compare its movements with actual equipment on Earth to verify the simulator’s precision. Komatsu will also set the surface conditions of the moon as cyberspace, and check the movements of the excavator in the simulator in order to identify the issues facing our lunar equipment.

Source: https://www.constructionequipment.com/komatsu-selected-lunar-construction-project