From new product names to next generation products, there is a lot happening in excavators and loaders just now.
Over the years, excavators and loaders for construction and demolition environments have bever been short of development and innovation.
But when the products of a major manufacturer are rebranded altogether, it is inevitable that market interest ramps up even further.
That is exactly what has happened with Develon.
Following an online launch earlier this year, Hyundai Doosan Infracore has officially debuted the newly named brand at a live event.
Formerly known as Doosan Construction Equipment, the machines of which are famed for their distinct orange livery, Develon’s first “in-person” appearance was marked with an opening ceremony at the ConExpo 2023 trade fair in Las Vegas, USA.
Caterpillar’s ‘one of a kind’ excavator supplied to US contractor Independence Excavating
PHOTO: DEVELON
The decision to replace the Doosan name was made in 2021, when HD Hyundai completed its acquisition of Doosan Infracore.
The new name is a combination of the words “develop” and “onwards”.
Among those exhibits were the company’s latest driverless machines to be added to its technology-based Concept-X2 equipment range.
A comprehensive update of the Concept-X machines demonstrated in Korea in 2019, the Concept-X2 autonomous construction equipment on show included the DD100-CX dozer and the DX225-CX crawler excavator.
Hyundai Doosan Infracore’s Develon products made their first public appearance at this year’s ConExpo show in the USA
PHOTO: CLEVELAND BROTHERS
The coming year will see the Develon name rolled out across the manufacturer’s network of equipment dealers.
According to the company, customers will start to see newly branded machines at their local dealerships and on jobsites by the end of June.
FUTURE GENERATION
Another company highlighting new equipment at ConExpo was John Deere, whose exhibits included its future generation of excavators. These included the 145 P-Tier, 210 P-Tier and 360 P-Tier models. The company said the machines are designed to offer industry leading performance, reliability and durability features, including the industry exclusive full-size cab on the reduced tail swing 145 P-Tier machine. Aaron Klauer, global product manager for mid- and largesize excavators described John Deere as “beyond excited” about the future of its excavator line up.
Hyundai excavators on a $7 million regeneration project with Rhodar in the United Kingdom
PHOTO: HYUNDAI CONSTRUCTION EQUIPMENT EUROPE
One manufacturer that can already report a recent high-profile jobsite appearance is Caterpillar-whose Cat6015 excavator has been supplied to US demolition contractor Independence Excavating through local dealer Cleveland Brothers.
As well as the excavator itself, which Cleveland described as “one of a kind”, the deal also includes a Fortress 145FS Series mobile shear, and a custom-designed and built Pierce Pacific three-piece boom/stick, forming a package that will tear down, wreck, cut and process harsh materials in the most difficult to reach places.
Independence’s demolition maintenance manager, Ryan Lebeau, visited Cleveland Brothers to see the machine’s first test run – cutting apart and processing an old concrete trailer that was set to be scrapped.
“This machine produces over 300 gallons per minute in hydraulic flow at the end of the stick, resulting in a 10-second cycle time for our shear,” said Ryan.
“Its performance is impressive.”
A custom-made quick-change boom system on its Volvo Construction Equipment (Volvo CE) EC380E HR is helping German demolition and earthworks specialist Austen GmbH on demolition projects with a range of reach requirements. Full story at
www.demolitionandrecycling.mediaPHOTO: VOLVO CE
This build concept was crafted with the demolition of decommissioned power plants and steel mills as its intended use, and the machine will be used in projects across the USA.
“About 85% of our fleet is Cat machines,” Ryan added.
“The Independence Excavating team is excited that we were able to work with Cleveland Brothers to build this.
“Pushing the limits of the machine through innovation is how we set ourselves apart from other demolition companies.”
FLEET UPGRADE
In Europe, leading United Kingdom-based enabling works contractor Rhodar has upgraded its fleet after a series of new contracts including a £6 million (US$7.2 million) regeneration project in Leeds in the northern England.
The company – whose services include demolition, remediation and asbestos removal – has taken delivery of two of Hyundai Construction Equipment Europe’s (HCEE) flagship A series crawler excavators from dealer Taylor & Braithwaite.
As well as the HX330AL and the HX480AL excavators, Rhodar has purchased a range of attachments from hydraulic breakers to munchers and buckets for its larger earthworks and brownfield regeneration projects.
In mini excavators, Kobelco Construction Machinery has introduced the next generation SK34SR-7 and SK39SR-7 to its range.
The new Kobelco SK34SR-7 and SK39SR-7 replace the previous SK30SR- 6E and SK35SR-6E and are said to offer increased engine performance, improved operability, an updated cabin interior and easier maintenance.
Product manager Wesley Elverding said: “We’re always listening to our customers to understand what they need from their mini excavators.
“The introduction of the new SK34SR-7 and SK39SR-7 demonstrates how we are developing our mini excavator technology and machine concepts to better suit the needs of our operators as well as more demanding jobsite conditions.” ■
Compact tracked loaders surge ahead in North America
In the USA, the past decade has seen compact tracked loaders eat into the market share held by skid steer loaders, before sales of the tracked machine overtook those of their wheeled counterparts completely (writes Neil Gerrard).
In 2012, there were 36,125 skid steer loaders sold in North America, compared to 21,500 sales of compact tracked loaders (CTLs). By 2022, that had leapt to 93,000 CTL sales, compared to 30,000 skid steers. That meant that CTLs increased their share of sales from 37% among the two classes of machines a decade ago, to 76% in 2022, according to figures from construction industry market researcher Off-Highway Research.
Skid steer loaders are a quintessentially American product, established by the Melroe Brothers, who later went on to become Bobcat, in the 1950s. As recently as the 1990s, they were to go-to compact construction machine in the US, with mini excavators not even in existence.
But in the past five to 10 years, CTLs, which at first glance look very similar to skid steers, have taken over, despite being more expensive to buy and maintain. So what has caused the turnaround? Off-Highway Research managing director Chris Sleight explains that CTLs exert a lot less ground pressure, thanks to their tracks, allowing operators to work in much poorer ground conditions.
Meanwhile skid steer loaders, as their name implies, steer by braking on one side. While it makes them very manouevrable, it also means that they will easily churn up soft ground.
“CTLs can access more different types of ground conditions and if you are in an environment where you don’t want to damage the ground you have a lot of advantages of these lower-pressure tracks,” says Chris.
Sales of tracked loaders in North America have overtaken those of skid steers in the past decade.
PHOTO: CATERPILLAR
“In a region like North America, the tracked loader is also a more comfortable machine to be buzzing about in during a shift, rather than skid steers.”
Article originally published in KHL’s Construction Briefing newsletter.