Capital Equipment News October 2016

CAPITAL EQUIPMENT NEWS

OCTOBER 2016

EDITOR'S COMMENT

recently had the pleasure of witnessing

the stridesVolvoConstructionEquipment

has made as far as electromobility and

automation are concerned. Its prototype

innovations, dubbed ‘machines of the

future’, are technological advancements

which, for me, are a clear sign that the future

may not be so far away after all, if it’s not

already here.

One thing to drive home from this whole

experience was that times are changing, im-

pacting on how equipment works, and will

work, on sites. While there are still echoes

of trepidation in some quarters of the con-

struction equipment industry whenever elec-

tromobility and automation are mentioned,

the fact is that everything else is changing,

and you can only fight technological change

at your own peril.

Change is dramatic; the rate of change in

the world calls for innovation to keep pace

with it. The world in 2025 will change, and

we really need to change with it. For exam-

ple, by 2025, 30% of corporate audits will be

performed by Artificial Intelligence. By 2025,

the first 3D-printed liver transplant will have

taken place, while 10% of cars on US roads

will be driverless. By this time, a 3D-printed

car will be in production, while 90% of the

global population will be using smartphones.

So, to understand the role technology will

play in every aspect of people’s lives, there is

need for a complete paradigm shift. As times

change in all other aspects of life, why not in

construction equipment? It is just kind of an

open mindset that we embrace these rapid

advances in technology as they will take the

industry to the ‘promised land’, where safer,

cleaner and more efficient working will be

the order of the day on sites.

Innovation is not a ‘nice-to-have’, it is

a fundamental part of the future of every

business. As jobs in the quarries and on the

construction sites of the future are likely to

be different, technological advances such as

improved human-machine interface, auton-

omous operation, machine-to-machine con-

nectivity or alternative power systems, are

already shaping up for the future. Research

in the fields of automation has vindicated the

school of thought that repetitive processes

on sites, such as load and haul, are the low

hanging fruits as far as automating process-

es is concerned. Automation makes sense for

all foreseeable situations, and it is encour-

aging that research also shows that 80% of

the processes on sites fall into this category.

As you will see in the Technology feature

(Page 32), Volvo CE is pushing boundaries of

engineering, automation and electrification

with its range of prototype innovations. The

innovations in question comprise the LX1,

a prototype wheel loader said to have the

potential to improve fuel efficiency by up to

50%; a prototype autonomous wheel loader

and articulated hauler working together; as

well as an electric site solution that show-

cases the new concept HX1, an autonomous,

battery-electric and cab-less load carrier.

But, jut just how long will it take before

these machines become part of the day-to-

day operations on global sites? Although this

technology may be years away from – or may

never enter – production, it will undoubtedly

influence the OEM’s future offerings.

We are already starting to see systems that

are less dependent on operator skills, ones

that support operators with guidance or con-

trol primary functions. In the near future, we

will definitely see increased machine autono-

my and the operator will act more in a super-

visory role.

@CapEquipNews

Munesu Shoko – Editor

capnews@crown.co.za