CETA to attend Hillhead 2012

Construction Equipment Technology Alliance to showcase a range of advanced products

Hillhead 2012 will present the first opportunity for visitors to the popular exhibition to see the advanced products from manufacturers in the Construction Equipment Technology Alliance (CETA).

Formed in 2011, to promote the adoption of advanced products and services, by the management teams of Halomec, MOBA Mobile Automation Ltd, GKD Technik and OnGrade Ltd, CETA will exhibit at Hillhead on stands V13, V14 and V15, located on the quarry floor.

CETA members will exhibit established products, such as GKD’s market leading excavator safe load indicators, Halomec’s weighing solutions manufactured by Loadrite ™, the MOBA-Matic® digital levelling system for pavers, graders, milling machines and dozers and the Site Zone system from OnGrade. Site Zone is a proximity warning system that produces a 360° detection zone at up to a 10-metre radius around a machine.

Hillhead will see the launch of new, exciting and innovative products from all the members of the CETA alliance.

GKD Technik

Incline Alert is an incline monitoring system for all types of construction equipment, large and small. Meeting the need for utter safety, on construction sites and in the extractive industries, Incline Alert is easy to install and operate. The system consists of an accurate and sensitive pitch and roll sensor and a display for the operator. The machine’s incline limit envelope is loaded into the system and when the machine approaches the limit, a visible and audible warning is triggered. The system can be integrated into the machine’s systems, to shut off vibration for example, and can be linked to tracking systems to give a remote warning that the machine is being operated at or near its limit. If the machine operates at a pre-programmed maximum operating angle in any plane a flashing red LED is triggered, which can only be turned off by an authorized engineer. This gives a powerful indication that the machine has been operated at its limit. This logging feature has been included at the request of hire-fleet operators who want to protect their assets. Incline Alert is suitable for articulated dumptrucks, mini-excavators, tracked and wheeled excavators, telescopic handlers, dozers and compaction equipment.

Halomec

Hillhead 2012 will be the first opportunity for managers in the extractive and construction industries to see a demonstration of the Loadrite ‘Whole Site Solution’, an integrated system for managing and monitoring the output, measured by Loadrite scales, on the fixed (conveyors) and mobile (wheel loaders and excavators) plant on a site. Each piece of plant transfers data, via a radio link, cellular modem or Wi-Fi network, to a central server with Loadrite Material Management System (MMS) software. MMS consolidates and presents the data as powerful management information in standard and user-defined reports. The system helps optimize plant utilization and output, saving time, fuel and money. The system has the added benefit of offering remote access, through the Internet, giving managers in a regional structure the ability to monitor production efficiencies at a number of sites in real time.

Loadrite MMS software consolidates and processes data from:

• Wheeled loader scales, including the L-Series, Express and Sprint models
• Excavator scales, the X-Weigh 2350
• Conveyor belt scales, C-Series with a performance range from 50 tonnes/h to 5,000 tonnes/h.

An optional direct plug-in printer gives hardcopy, time-stamped, output data. Loadrite MMS software gives users the option of standard or bespoke reports. A standard report includes:

• Date and time
• Company name
• Loader/operator identification
• On-site loading location
• Required amount of product
• Truck identification
• Docket identification
• Customer name
• Product loaded and total truck load weight
• Individual bucket load weights
• Weighing units (pounds, tons, tonnes, kilogramme).

Users can export MMS data into a CSV format, for analysis in Excel, and into third-party reporting software.

In summary, the Loadrite ‘Whole Site Solution’ offers an integrated system for managing and monitoring the output of a number of sites. The system is:

• Easy to configure
• Has an easy to use database
• Offers standard or bespoke reports
• Offers remote access, through the Internet.

This powerful system will be demonstrated in ‘real-time’ on stand V13 during Hillhead 2012.

MOBA

MOBA, a technical leader in construction equipment automation and control, will use Hillhead 2012 to launch a number of significant new products in the UK that will see their international launch at Intermat in April.

The MOBA MCA-2000 is designed for vibrating compaction rollers working on asphalt or earthworks. The GPS-based system allows the operator to accurately perform a number of synchronized passes optimizing performance and ensuring correct compaction. The system also records the number of passes and their GPS location, providing added assurance and a permanent record.

The MDS-2000 drilling system brings a simple, easy-to-use and robust control system within the reach of all contractors increasing the accuracy of hole placement. The system also helps reduce wear on all components whilst optimizing the storage and transmission of all relevant data for improved management.

MOBA will also showcase Easy Dig, a simple and easy to use 2D excavator driver assistant. Suitable for use on mini-excavators, tracked and wheeled excavators and backhoes. Easy Dig will allow workflow and safety improvements in a wide variety of applications including utility contracting, civil engineering and bulk earthworks. Easy Dig is the perfect ‘entry-level’ system for users new to automated excavator control.   

OnGrade

The OnGrade Site Zone Proximity Warning System (PWS) is an innovative product that addresses the very real need to improve site safety.

The Site Zone system offers many advantages over other proximity warning systems. It is easy to implement on a range of sites, from a small warehouse to a large civil engineering site. The system can cope with all types of equipment from a small forklift truck or wheel loader up to a large dumptruck.

The Site Zone PWS system produces an invisible detection zone around a machine. If an individual, wearing a Site Zone personnel transponder, enters the detection zone the machine’s operator is immediately warned. An optional external alarm can be fitted to machines to warn pedestrians that they have strayed into a no-go area. Site Zone uses advanced RFID technology that produces a 360-degree detection zone, at up to a 10m radius, around a machine. This detection zone can ‘see’ around blind corners and stockpiles making it especially effective compared to cameras or other ‘line of sight’ technology.

Site Zone has an in-built capability to log events such as zone breaches. Companies are already using this data to identify training needs for staff and to improve processes and traffic flows.

As well as its basic functionality Site Zone has a range of advanced features that can be integrated into a workplace transport management system. These include:

• Long life tags that reduce cost of ownership and offer additional peace of mind
• Authorized driver function
• Telemetry-based data logging giving simple Internet access to multiple machines on multiple sites
• Unique heartbeat function indicating how many people are present in the zone
• Mute button or integration into machine lever lock to allow legitimate machine approaches.

Site Zone can be customized to meet individual needs and it is available in a number of configurations including as a permanent installation or as a ‘quick-fit’ installation that can be installed in the minimum amount of time.

OnGarde

OnGarde, a sister company to OnGrade and specialists in on-site security, will join CETA at Hillhead to launch their rapid deployment CCTV tower.

The OnGarde tower design is based on two key principals, prevention and detection. With all types of crime on the increase, including equipment, material, metal and fuel theft, managers have to ensure that their operating sites are reliably monitored at all times. The innovative OnGarde CCTV tower is a cost-effective and powerful 24/7 site security system, providing a powerful deterrent with an effective real time, round the clock, automatic detection capability. The OnGarde CCTV system is available nationwide on a rental basis for period from four weeks to three years. The rental service includes delivery, installation, bespoke set-up and monitoring in a UK-based monitoring centre.

The rapid deployment system can be operational within 2h of arriving on-site. Featuring a ‘Pan-Tilt-Zoom’ (PTZ) camera, two HQI lamps, 72h battery life and an anti-vandal system the OnGarde advantage is the integrated ‘Video Content Analysis’ (VCA) system that cuts out annoying and expensive false alarms. VCA is a sophisticated sharp-motion detection system, developed by the military, which notifies the monitoring centre of any motion in the defined monitoring area. The system allows remote access to the camera from any device with Internet access. Camera options include thermal imaging and number plate recognition. The system meets BS8418.

The company say that users of the OnGarde CCTV tower see very significant cost savings compared to the traditional and outmoded ‘man and dog’ security approach and further cost saving compared to less sophisticated CCTV systems due to fewer false alarms.