WORLD NEWS
South African construction machinery
manufacturer Bell Equipment is
about to treble the size of its European
articulated dump truck (ADT) assembly
plant in Germany.
The extension of Bell Equipment’s
Eisenach-Kindel facility, which opened
in 2003 as the company’s first production
facility outside of South Africa and
scheduled for completion in mid-2019,
will add two new halls totalling
12 000m².
The original 6 000m² assembly plant
was designed to assemble all Bell
Equipment ADT models, from the smaller
trucks to its 50-tonne vehicle. It was
intended for a maximum output of 20
units per week in a three-shift operation.
However, the introduction of the Bell
E-series trucks in 2013 led to an increase
in demand and a need to escalate
production. The result is the current
extension of the existing facility, which
on completion will provide an 18 000m²
structure for production and storage.
The company’s long-term plan for
the new factory is the incorporation of
increased fabrication of components.
Bin fabrication will be the first service
to be relocated to the site, as most of
the high-quality steel used for the bin
structures is sourced from European
suppliers, helping to reduce travel times
and costs.
Source: The Construction
Search Engine
Electrically powered mini excavator prototype developed by Hyundai and Cummins
Cummins and Hyundai Construction Equipment have jointly developed an electrically powered mini-excavator.
Cummins Inc. (NYSE: CMI) and
Hyundai Construction Equipment
(HCE) have jointly developed
an electrically powered mini
excavator.
As urban cities around the
world expand zero-emissions
standards for transit vehicles to
also include small and medium
construction equipment,
customers are seeking electrified
products in this space that
match or exceed the reliability
and performance of their diesel
counterparts.
10
JANUARY 2019
HCE senior executive vice-
president and CTO, DS Kim,
says that as electric vehicles
continue to expand their share
in the automotive market,
we are simultaneously
seeing the electrification of
commercial power systems
being pursued by many as both
an environmentally friendly
and economically sustainable
solution for construction
equipment. “HCE anticipates
that mini excavators, which
operate in urban workplaces
close to residential areas, will
be a prime candidate to electrify
to meet zero-emission and low
noise requirements in the near
future,” says Kim.
Powered by Cummins BM4.4E
flexible battery modules (4.4kWh
each), the 3.5-ton excavator is
designed to operate for a full
eight-hour shift and charge in
under three hours. The machine
eliminates all gaseous emissions
and substantially reduces noise,
making it ideal for use in urban
and sub-urban construction.
“This electric powered mini
excavator is an exciting celebration
of the future of electrified
construction equipment, combining
the strengths of HCE’s versatile
excavator with Cummins’ lithium
ion battery solutions and machine
integration expertise,” said
Julie Furber, executive director:
Electrified Power at Cummins Inc.
The prototype machine will be
used for testing to optimise the
performance, prove the structural
integrity, and enhance the
marketability.
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