Strength and endurance are no longer enough for earthwork and civil contractors looking to deliver best-in-class efficiency, accuracy, and productivity. That’s why industrial and commercial contractor Gebr. Donhauser Bau teamed with EMB Baumaschinen, a heavy equipment sales, service, and technology integrator, to drive the speed and precision of earthworks movement on a large job.
Gebr. Donhauser Bau is a multi-generation, family-owned structural and civil engineering firm. With about 130 employees, the company specializes in industrial and commercial construction for public and private entities throughout the Bavarian region. The contractor was tasked with building a large pellet plant in Pressath, Germany for the Ziegler Group. The job includes the construction of several production halls and warehouses, including the foundations. The extensive earthworks and preparatory work required the movement of approximately 16,000 m³ of topsoil, the excavation of a total of 35,000 m³, and the pulling of almost 5,000 m of canals.
Adjustable booms
To facilitate earthwork efficiency on the project, EMB installed the latest version of Trimble Earthworks Grade Control Platform on two Kobelco excavators with adjustable booms. This industry-first integrates Trimble Earthworks and the adjustable boom to create a semi-automatic machine control system.
“Our two Kobelcos are the very first excavators in the world in which the adjustable excavator boom is fully integrated into the Trimble Earthworks Grade Control Platform,”
says Michael Zach, Technical Manager at Gebr. Donhauser Bau.
Full Speed/Maximum Precision
The machine control system obtains the height profile from the digitized construction plan. Then, the two Kobelco excavators excavate the surface at full speed, achieving an outstanding precision of 2 cm.
This usually very challenging task is much easier for the operator thanks to the fully integrated machine control system. The operator sets the working speed using the handle and the rest is done automatically.
“EMB started working with Trimble two years ago to prepare for the installation of a semi-automatic machine control system in the Kobelco excavators. Currently, Trimble Earthworks is the only control system that integrates the adjustable boom and allows full excavator speed without compromising accuracy,”
adds Sebastian Ellinger, Managing Director of EMB Baumaschinen.
A Clever Combination
Gebr. Donhauser Bau’s Zach adds: “For inner-city construction sites, we need compact yet powerful and stable machines. Kobelco paved the way for short-tail excavators.” Before purchasing the two new excavators, Gebr. Donhauser Bau intensively tested a Kobelco demonstration model and then ordered two special machines.
“Kobelco is known for having fewer problems with the engines. This point was also a key factor in our decision to buy,” says Zach. According to Zach, the company’s machines have to run reliably; downtime simply is not allowed.
Still, even if a machine were to break down, EMB always has four service technicians on standby for the field service. “If we receive a call for help in the morning, that means we will be on-site in the afternoon,” Ellinger assures.
On top of the Trimble machine control system that EMB custom-built, the Kobelco excavators are equipped with state-of-the-art technology that makes routine work efficient and pleasant. Features include a tiltrotator with a separate MTS control system, a quick coupler, LED headlights, a central lubrication system, auxiliary heating, and an extensive comfort package with Grammer seat, a compressor for cabin and air filter cleaning, lashing eyes, and holders for tools as well as rubber pads on the tracks to protect the roads.
The Kobelco excavators and the Trimble machine control system have been in use at the pellet plant project since July 2020 and are already indispensable.
Article adapted from a story written by Bernd Mair, Executive Director, and Peter Hebbeker, Editor for Treffpunkt.Bau magazine
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