The Civil Engineering Contractor February 2019 | Page 42

SUPPLY CHAIN NEWS
B
obcat has announced a number
of new developments in the
company’s compact loader
range for Europe, Middle East and
Africa (EMEA), such as auto ride
control, heated cloth air ride seats,
and several more, offering numerous
additional benefits for customers.
The new developments provide an
increased choice of features for the
Bobcat skid-steer, compact track, and
all-wheel steer loader ranges.
Complementing this, Bobcat has also
launched the S100E model for EMEA,
an updated version of the company’s
popular S100 skid-steer loader that
meets Stage V emissions regulations.
Like the S100, the new S100E
skid-steer loader meets customer
requirements for manoeuvrability,
size, weight, uptime protection, lift
capacity, and push force for this loader
class. In addition, customers benefit
from improvements that Bobcat has
made in operator comfort, ease of
operation, noise levels, running costs,
and asset management.
These new advances come in the
year that Bobcat celebrates the 60th
anniversary of the loader, forming part
of a 60-year legacy in compact loaders
that is second to none in the worldwide
construction equipment market. Over the
past 60 years, the same outstanding quality,
workmanship, and innovation have helped
to maintain Bobcat’s market leadership, so
that one in every two skid-steer loaders
sold today is a Bobcat machine.
The improvements in Bobcat
compact loaders include:
• Auto ride control (factory option
and kit)
• Heated cloth air ride seat (factory
option and kit)
• 
Cloth suspension seat (factory
option and kit)
• Cushioned cylinders (standard)
• Auto reversing fan (factory option
and kit)
• LED side lights (kit)
• Rear camera (kit)
• Deluxe interior foot-pad (standard).
Available as a factory option or as an
aftermarket kit, the new auto ride
control system improves operator
comfort when driving with a load in
the bucket, especially on rough terrain.
This feature lets the operator lock in
travel at a speed of their choice, so that
they only have to think about where
they are going without feeling the need
Bobcat loader developments increase customer benefits
A Bobcat.
to avoid bumps or any other surface
level obstacles.
Benefits include reduced spillage caused
by vibrations due to an uneven operating
speed and/or irregular surfaces; more
stability when moving up and down
with a load/weight; and the ability to
drive faster on rough terrain. It is also
an intelligent system, providing increased
efficiency, performance gains, and a more
comfortable ride with fewer bumps,
simply through the flick of a switch. nn
Ultra-Lok helps to clamp down on cable theft
T
he tamper-proof Ultra-Lok
clamping system, distributed
locally by Banding & Identification
(ID) Solutions Africa, has been relaunched
with a particular emphasis on its ability to
prevent cable theft.
Cable theft costs the South African
economy billions of rands each year
in lost productivity, replacement
of expensive power cables, and
endangering lives in many instances.
The issue came under the media
spotlight in November 2017 when
the City of Johannesburg offered a
R100 000 reward for information
that would lead to the arrest of
the suspects who stole R2-million
worth of cables from its data centre
in Braamfontein.
40 | CEC February 2019
Banding & ID Solutions Africa sales
representative Matthew Campbell
highlights that the Ultra-Lok clamping
system can play an integral role in
combating this scourge, as it is designed
for quick installation, with the highest
clamping force, and a gap-free inside
diameter. In addition, it can be used as
frequently as every 150mm of cable for
added security.
The Ultra-Lok clamps are made
from double-wrapped one-quarter
hard 201 stainless steel for superior
strength. The unique lock formed
under full tension maximises buckle
tightness. The buckles have two to
three times the strength of preformed
clamps. The smooth inside diameter
is designed to eliminate leak paths,
while the buckle hood protects the
lock from snagging.
A feature is that the Ultra-Lok
installation tool has a built-in tension
setting. This means that, depending on
the type of material being strapped,
whether it has a soft casing or is hard-
armoured cable, the tension can be set
accordingly. The same tension setting is
applied throughout, which is a critical
security factor in many installations.
This is in contrast to manual
installation tools that are completely
user-dependent, which can result in
over- or under-tensioning. “However,
Ultra-Lok takes the guesswork out of
the entire process, while enhancing both
the quality and effectiveness of the final
installation,” Campbell concludes. nn
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