NEW EQUIPMENT NEWS
Joachim Drees, chairman of the executive board of Man Truck & Bus AG, and his board To help proactively attract potential talent and bring awareness to the
colleague Dr Ulrich Dilling, responsible for production and logistics, handed over the first
electric trucks of the type MAN eTGM to the representatives of nine member companies of industry, the Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM) developed
a toolkit for manufacturers and industry partners to use in outreach to their
the Austrian Council for Sustainable Logistics (CNL) at the Steyr production site. This also local schools and communities who are recruiting the next generation of
represented the starting point for practical tests, which will begin with immediate effect and
under authentic conditions in day-to-day logistics and transport activities at CNL member skilled workers. The toolkit was developed over the past several months in
companies Gebrüder Weiss, HOFER, Magna Steyr, METRO, Quehenberger Logistics, REWE, response to the workforce shortage affecting the equipment sector, including
manufacturers, distributors, operators, and other industry segments. The toolkit
Schachinger Logistik, SPAR, and Stieglbrauerei. In the coming months, the companies will can be accessed at http://www.aem.org/workforce-development-toolkit/.
thoroughly test the vehicles under authentic conditions in their specific logistic and transport
everyday life. AEM worked in close consultation with a task force of equipment
manufacturers, dealers, and education experts to develop the toolkit. The
ideas, activities, and sample materials can be customised and applied to
The CNL is a unique initiative in European terms: Eighteen of Austria’s largest retail,
workforce development outreach efforts undertaken by any segment of the
industry, including equipment distributors and dealers, operators, and other
logistics, and manufacturing firms have united to take steps in the area of sustainable
logistics. The CNL is affiliated with the Centre for Global Change and Sustainability at
Vienna University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences.
industry stakeholders.
Volvo CE’s electric compact wheel loader concept
The LX2 electric compact wheel loader is a second-generation prototype that is part of a research project and is not commercially available.
At the Volvo Group Innovation
Summit in Berlin, the Swedish
OEM demonstrated the LX2
electric compact wheel loader.
The prototype machine delivers
zero emissions, significantly lower
noise levels, improved efficiency,
and reduced operational costs,
compared to its conventional
counterparts.
The LX2 is a second-generation
prototype that is part of a research
project and is not commercially
available. To make the machine
electric, the combustion engine
has been replaced with a lithium
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NOVEMBER 2018
ion battery. This stores enough
electric energy to operate the
machine for eight hours in its
most common applications,
such as light infrastructure
construction and landscaping.
The LX2 also incorporates two
dedicated electric motors — one
for the drivetrain and one for
the hydraulics. Decoupling the
subsystems has led to higher
efficiency in both the systems and
the entire machine.
The EX2 100% electric compact
excavator was also unveiled at the
event.
Like the LX2, the EX2 is also
part of a research project and
is not commercially available.
The prototype machine delivers
zero emissions, 10 times higher
efficiency, 10 times lower noise
levels, and reduced total cost
of ownership, compared to its
conventional counterparts.
At the summit, Volvo CE
presented its electric site research
project, which aims to transform
the quarry and aggregates industry
by reducing carbon emissions
by up to 95% and total cost of
ownership by up to 25%.
Volvo CE and its customer
Skanska Sweden are currently
testing the electric site solution
in a real production environment
for 10 weeks at Skanska’s Vikan
Kross quarry, near Gothenburg,
Sweden. The system incorporates
prototype electric and
autonomous machines, including
the HX2 autonomous, battery-
electric load carrier, the LX1
hybrid wheel loader, and the EX1
cable-connected excavator. These
machines are part of a research
project and are not commercially
available.
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