The grass-green color is the distinctive feature of Hulk, a comic figure. She became famous with a cartoon about how nuclear physicist Dr. Robert Bruce Banner was exposed to too much gamma radiation in an explosion, turning him into a superhuman green creature. Because of the coloring of the construction machine in the company color, the new work tool in the form of the Cat D6N was christened with the name of the superhero by the gardening and landscaping company Gerd Linneweber from Dortmund.
The caterpillar is intended for modeling areas with subsequent topsoil applications, but it also has its field of activity in earthworks to layout a formation. The tracked dozer is currently in the process of profiling areas for noise protection walls at the former sinter plant at the Westfalenhütte.
“With various rules of conduct and precautionary measures to protect our employees and customers, we can continue to work, and that’s a good thing,”
explains Frank Linneweber, who together with his brother Karsten is managing director of Gerd Linneweber Landschaftsbau GmbH. The other brother Dirk is managing director at Nachtigall GmbH, which is also part of the group of companies.
At the moment there is also a lot to do at the start of the gala building season.
“We still have a lot of work to do from the beginning of the year and can therefore maintain our construction site operations in the current corona crisis while observing the hygiene rules and keeping the safety distance. Although we also have to do without a few employees from Eastern Europe, our team is fully committed and we have organized our crews so that they can keep to themselves – as best they can,” says the Managing Director.
A changeover for the gala farmer does not only mean the corona-related protective measures but in connection with the caterpillar, the company also uses GPS control for the first time. Until now, work has been carried out with lasers – in contrast to crawler excavators. GPS control systems have already become established there, as they promise tangible increases in productivity. In addition, 3D excavators are characterized by significantly better material handling. The material is only touched once with the bucket. No reworking is necessary. The use of modern technology from the company’s own machine park is intended to relieve employees and avoid unnecessary physical strain. The company has thus taken a different approach than many others in the industry. Machine control systems were generally only on the rise on construction sites when it came to crawlers and graders. At Gerd Linneweber, on the other hand, they were originally used on the ten crawler excavators in the class up to 22 tons.
The chain excavators are used to carry out earthworks close to nature, but also to create renaturation or retention areas or to carry out soil modeling. Starting with the terrain survey, CAD data have long been used to create design plans, application plans, implementation plans, and revision plans. These in turn form the basis for an offer, which is usually submitted to commercial customers. The CAD data have also been used for some time for construction site accounting.
“Up to now, our dozer ran rather on the side and did not achieve capacity utilization. But that is set to change because work requiring 3D control is becoming more and more common and there is greater demand for it. That is why we have now changed over,”
says Frank Linneweber.
Thorsten Paukstadt, the senior sales representative of the Zeppelin branch office in Hamm, therefore supplied the Cat D6N with GPS ex-works. It also has a rear ripper to loosen up the ground. Other equipment includes an LGP drive with wide, specially shaped floor plates that ensure low ground pressure and thus better protect vegetation. To save a time-consuming procedure for transport permits, the shield can be folded down to three meters so that the construction machine can be transported to the construction sites without any detours.
Gerd Linneweber Landschaftsbau GmbH is a family business, which was established in 1963 by the founder of the same name as a contractor. Nothing has changed in the family-run owner structure until today. Each of the brothers has his own construction sites to manage and also his own tasks. Frank Linneweber is responsible for personnel and machine procurement. Dirk Linneweber is in charge of the workshop and takes care of the EDP and digitalization in the company. Karsten Linneweber’s tasks include services and the area of soil stabilization. Company founder Gerd Linneweber retired in 2009, his wife Otilde is still working in the commercial sector.
In 1991 the company Nachtigall was taken over into the group of companies. In addition to the classic gala construction work, its services include green maintenance and soil stabilization in order to create appropriate bearing capacity and to consolidate the soil by installing soil substitutes. This is offered for other companies active in the field of earthworks.
The Gerd Linneweber GmbH is again focused on the planning and execution of commercial outdoor facilities. Before it can even be started, the construction site must be prepared. If necessary, areas are then cleared, trees felled and existing buildings including concrete and reinforced concrete foundations removed. If possible, the material obtained is recycled on-site. The excavation pit is then constructed. Here, too, the soil is recycled according to the analysis, and the excavated soil is reinstalled on site. Sewer construction work is also carried out such as the construction of house connections, in particular, sewers for drainage. In order to meet the increased legal requirements for rainwater drainage, rainwater infiltration systems and rainwater retention systems are constructed in open and closed construction methods. Special services include garden design, but also the construction of paths and terraces. Surface pavements made of natural stone and concrete blocks, borders made of shaped stones, and the greening of areas are also carried out.
“Our motto is everything from one source. We want to be broadly positioned in order to be able to cover many areas”,
Frank Linneweber explains. Thus, both companies have around 95 employees who are currently processing the orders.
Source: Caterpillar/Zeppelin
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