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INTERMAT to showcase zero carbon transition across construction sector

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The next edition of INTERMAT, the sustainable construction solutions and technology exhibition, will take place from April 24-27, 2024, at Paris Nord Villepinte exhibition centre, in France, with large international manufacturers having already signed up.

To date, and since the round table held on April 20 with the entire construction sector, new names have confirmed their attendance at the show, including Ausa, Epiroc, Faymonville, Liebherr, Magni and Volvo. They join the registered exhibitors whose participation had already been announced: Alphi, Bobcat, Cummins, Imer, Komatsu, Groupe Monnoyeur, Putzmeister, Sany, Sateco, Schwing Stetter, Sunward, Takeuchi, Topcon and Wacker Neuson.

Davy Guillemard, CEO of Volvo Construction, said: “INTERMAT 2024 has reinvented itself to address the issues of the decarbonisation of the construction industry, adapt to environmental constraints, and advance along the road to sustainability. As these commitments are particularly close to the fundamental values and ambitions of the Volvo Group, which is resolutely determined to be a proactive leader in change and accelerate on the low carbon path, we have chosen to invite our clients and partners to meet us at INTERMAT 2024 to present them with all our low carbon solutions at their disposal.”

François Escourrou, CEO of Wacker Neuson, said: “The next INTERMAT show, with its low carbon theme, is keenly awaited by our group which has set itself the goal of cutting its carbon dioxide emissions by 50% in 2025 compared with 2019. To do so we have opted to convert our machines to electric power to support our clients in their CSR policy. We will therefore have a lot of new products to present at INTERMAT in 2024 in terms of equipment, with around 40 new machines in the electric range, but also in terms of associated services and digitalisation.”

Olivier Saint-Paul, CEO of PL2M, said: “At PL2M, the screed and rendering machine market leader, we look forward to taking part in the next INTERMAT 2024 and bringing our contribution to the zero carbon transition of the building sector. The event offers the chance to present new solutions that are resolutely focussed on the future, rounding out our ranges of rendering machines, fluid screed pumps and traditional screed conveyors. Our brands Putzmeister, Lancy and Brinkmann will be showcased on our stand with a great many innovations for ever higher performances and safety on building sites, and less environmental impact.”

The four major challenges of construction

The 2024 edition, in its move to gather the entire construction industry around a shared vision of the future, aims to harness its collective excellence to address the sector’s major issues in terms of decarbonisation and energy, digitalisation, CSR commitment, training and employment, and organise a platform for dialogue with the public authorities. To do so, it will draw on four main pillars that will offer highlights and developments featuring in the four main challenges for construction.

1) Innovations – innovate to find solutions to the major challenges faced by construction

Industry Forum (new in 2024) bringing together the five main construction federations DLR, EVOLIS, UMGO-FFB, FNTP, SEIMAT: an agora featuring a series of talks and round tables with top-level speakers, construction professionals, official authorities, French and international special guests, and perspectives from other sectors to address zero carbon issues from all angles and in a forward-looking dimension.

World Of Concrete Europe Forum: a series of talks dedicated to the concrete industry, the material and its various applications; INTERMAT Innovation Awards: a competition reflecting the sector’s new challenges, and unique visibility before and during the show with a dedicated display area; INTERMAT Press Days: two days of workshops and discussions on 18 and 19 January 2024 between exhibitors and journalists.

2) Energy – incorporate high performance energy sources to support the economy

New Technologies and Energies Hub (new in 2024): an area dedicated to exhibitors and start-ups, and a speaking platform; a demonstration zone dedicated to equipment, in particular electric, for a plunge into the worksite of the future, with two exhibitors already registered: Theam and River.

3) New Equations – promote professions, and financial and human resources

A space dedicated to jobs and training to give a platform to occupational promotion initiatives, workshops and talks, job dating sessions, etc. INTERMAT Rental Day: a special day devoted to equipment rental with contributions from international experts.

4) Commitments – reach net zero to contribute to protecting the planet

An exhibition model redesigned in terms of offering and format (four days instead of six); a show redesigned in an approach of resource sobriety and circular economy, with responsible products and services; an event offering physical and social access to the widest possible audience.

There will also be an exhibitor range revolving around five hubs of expertise:

  • Earthmoving, demolition and transportation;
  • Roads, materials and foundations;
  • Lifting and handling;
  • Building, civil engineering and concrete sector, including the event WOCE which will present the full value chain of the concrete industry from upstream to downstream;
  • New in 2024: New Technologies and Energies (electric, hydrogen, natural gas energies, autonomous vehicles, virtual technology engineering, etc.).

During the four days of the show, professionals will be able to take advantage of the demonstration zone, an integral part of the INTERMAT DNA, which will offer centre stage to innovative equipment operating in real-life conditions.

Volvo’s battery-electric roadmap could benefit from Proterra acquisition

Environmental, Mining equipment, Mining mergers and acquisitions, Power supply for mines, Sustainable mining, , ,

Volvo Group has been selected as the winning bidder in an auction for Proterra Inc and Proterra Operating Company Inc, with the Sweden-based company set to spend on assets including a development centre for battery modules and packs in California, and an assembly factory in South Carolina.

The business and assets of the Proterra Powered business unit come with a purchase price of $210 million and follow the voluntary Chapter 11 bankruptcy move made by Proterra Inc. and Proterra Operating Company Inc in August.

Proterra, an electric vehicle focused company, has been collaborating with Komatsu on the development of battery-electric LHDs, drills and bolters for underground hard-rock mining. Last year, the two companies showcased a 20-ton (18-t) class electric hydraulic excavator equipped with a lithium-ion battery system for the first time at bauma 2022, in Munich, Germany, with the machine representing the first electrically-powered solution to come out of joint development work on electric medium-sized hydraulic excavators.

Volvo Group says the transaction will complement the current, and accelerate its future, battery-electric road map.

The transaction between Proterra Inc. and Proterra Operating Company as sellers and Volvo is subject to approval by the bankruptcy court in the US. In addition, closing of the transaction, which is expected early 2024, will be subject to merger clearance and certain other conditions.

Rokbak emphasises innovation, sustainability, connected services and efficiencies at CONEXPO

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Rokbak is highlighting its four product focus areas – innovation, sustainability, connected services and efficiencies – at CONEXPO-CON/AGG 2023, in Las Vegas, this week, as the articulated hauler manufacturer says it continues to prioritise the customer and environment to meet industry challenges head-on.

Rokbak is using its presence at CONEXPO to highlight four connected product focus areas that will continue to shape the company’s development journey and have been created from customer feedback, market research, technology advancements and product performance improvements. The four themes are innovation, sustainability, connected services and efficiencies – and they encompass everything from future product developments to reducing operational costs, it explained.

“We’re always innovating, designing and building to keep our haulers rock solid,” Rokbak’s Senior Product Manager, Scott Pollock, said. “Since the success of our rebrand 18 months ago, we are now moving into the next phase of the Rokbak development journey. Our four product themes will be used to develop both Rokbak’s future product and product services offerings, aligned to customer needs.”

Innovation

One of the future developments that Rokbak is currently working on is its next generation cab for the RA30 (30-t payload) and RA40 (40-t payload) articulated haulers. Key benefits of the new design include higher levels of operator comfort and improved performance, modern ergonomic layout and displays, ease of operation and future proofing functionalities for automation and connectivity.

Other areas under this theme include using technological advances, modern component specifications and fuel economy to reduce customer operating costs. These reductions have been achieved through things including extended time between scheduled maintenance, fuel efficiencies, longer life fluids and filter systems. This has led to an average cost reduction for the EU Stage V/US Tier 4 Final RA30 of 19%/h, and 10%/h for the RA40, the company claims.

Sustainability

As part of the Volvo Group, Rokbak’s long-term plans are aligned with the group’s sustainability values. This includes the Volvo Group target to reach net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2040.

Rokbak is reviewing technical solutions that will allow it to achieve its sustainability goals. All Rokbak haulers are built for low fuel consumption and global CO2 emissions compliance. Both the RA30 and RA40 are compatible with hydrotreated vegetable oil, which allows customers to significantly reduce CO2 emissions.

Connected services

Rokbak’s improved Haul Track telematics system is helping machine owners manage total cost of ownership by keeping an eye on everything from fuel consumption and machine usage, to problems that if neglected could lead to repairs or unplanned downtime. The bespoke system gives customers more visibility and control of their machines with live data viewable on desktop computers and mobile devices, according to Rokbak. This includes: locating equipment and monitoring productivity and operational costs by keeping track of everything from scheduled maintenance planning, early fault warning and performance management information.

Haul Track is now AEMP-enabled, allowing for mixed fleet management via a single communication platform, Rokbak says.

Efficiencies

Rokbak says its fuel-efficient drivetrains deliver powerful performance and meet worldwide emission standards with low cost of operation and low environmental impact. The high performance drivetrain has responsive, usable power with adaptive shifting for low fuel consumption and operating costs.

Another efficiency aspect of the Rokbak design is easy service access, making the RA30 and RA40 quick and simple to maintain with ground-level test points, electric-lift hoods and tilting cabs, enabling high uptime and productivity.

“Rokbak haulers deliver new benchmarks in both performance and total cost of ownership, and reinforce the company’s commitment to sustainability and journey to net-zero as part of the Volvo Group,” Pollock concludes. “Customer needs will continue to guide our product strategy and we will continue to invest in our Rokbak products and services.”

Volvo CE makes electric wheel loader investment in Arvika plant

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As part of its ambition towards industry transformation through sustainable solutions, Volvo Construction Equipment (Volvo CE) has announced an investment into the production of electric wheel loaders from its plant in Arvika, Sweden.

The SEK65 million (circa-$6.3 million) investment from Volvo Group will allow the Arvika factory in Sweden – which specialises in the production of medium and large wheel loaders – to expand its facilities with a new building and allow for the phased introduction of new electric wheel loaders.

It is not only a milestone in the plant’s almost 140-year history, but a significant moment for Volvo CE and its determination to be completely fossil free by 2040, the company said. This is in line with the aims of the Paris Agreement and as laid out in the manufacturer’s industry leading Science-Based Target goals. It is also a step forward in its ambition for 35% of its machines sold to be electric by 2030.

Coming soon after an announcement to invest in electric haulers from the company’s production facility in Braås, Sweden, the announcement shows Volvo CE is committed to achieving more sustainable solutions for customers across all its product lines. These announcements are part of an investment strategy that allows Volvo CE to advance electric solutions across its production facilities, including also the Konz facility in Germany, Belley in France and Changwon in South Korea, where other electric machines are made.

Site Manager, Mikael Liljestrand, says: “This is a clear signal of our commitment to building the world we want to live in. It is more than 40 years since we last invested in a new building and what better reason now than to invest in our future, our planet and the next generation. We know that this is not only important to our customers and stakeholders, who rightly have high expectations on us, but it is also close to our hearts to be part of something bigger in building our future.”

Volvo CE has already introduced compact electric wheel loaders to the global market with the L20 Electric and L25 Electric wheel loaders proving to be efficient, zero-exhaust emission solutions capable of driving down carbon emissions while maintaining high productivity across a variety of customer applications. Together with the ECR25 Electric, ECR18 Electric and EC18 Electric compact excavators and the mid-size EC230 Electric excavator, Volvo CE has one of the largest electric ranges on the market.

Thanks to the investment, Arvika will erect a new building, approximately 1,500 sq m, which will allow the facility to free up areas inside its assembly factory to be able to build electric wheel loaders. While it has not yet been announced which models will begin their electric transformation and exactly when, production of both electric wheel loaders and more traditional wheel loaders fitted with combustion engines will continue for now on the same production line.

Volvo CE will ensure a phased introduction model by model, taking into account all aspects of the electric ecosystem as it does so, including infrastructure requirements, charging solutions, battery handling and business models. The result will be reliable mid-size and larger electric wheel loaders that can easily be integrated into customers’ business, it said.

It is not the first sustainability initiative from the Arvika facility. Despite increasing production last year, the factory managed to reduce its internal climate footprint by 350 t of CO2 thanks to a variety of emission reduction efforts.

“Our goal at the factory in Arvika, as well as Volvo CE and the entire Volvo Group is to be climate-smart and to produce fossil-free machines,” Liljestrand said. “Together, we are quite clear that we want to lead this transformation and be the driving force of more sustainable ways of working for the benefit of our planet. This investment is Arvika’s exciting first step towards electrification.”

Building work is set to begin later this year, with further announcements on when production will begin to come.

Foretellix automated driving solution wins Volvo Group backing

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A division of Volvo Group has backed the latest round of funding from Foretellix, a platform provider for automating the testing, verification and validation for automated driving systems (ADAS and AV).

The latest round of funding has seen the company raise $32 million, bringing its total raised capital to over $50 million, allowing Foretellix to address the growing demand for its platform and products, Ziv Binyamini, CEO and co-founder of Foretellix, says.

Earlier this year, Volvo Autonomous Solutions signed an agreement with Foretellix to, they said, jointly address the challenges of large-scale verification of autonomous driving solutions on highways and confined areas, such as mines.

The latest funding round was led by MoreTech Ventures, with participation from several strategic investors, including Volvo Group Venture Capital, Nationwide, NI and Japan-Israel High Tech Ventures.

Foretellix was founded in 2018 by a team of verification and validation pioneers with a mission to make automated driving systems safe and efficient. Foretellix says it uses a quantifiable approach to safety and hyper-automation to create and test all possible scenarios these systems may encounter, along with big data analytics to ensure the safety and completeness of the testing processes.

“This advanced platform is used throughout the development cycle, from the requirements stage through product development, verification and validation,” the company said. “Foretellix ensures safety and productivity while reducing development cost and time to-deployment.”

Foretellix says it is experiencing a rapid increase in demand for its platform. This demand comes from leading OEMs and Tier 1 companies developing ADAS and AV products, both on and off-road. The company is now commercially engaged with dozens of the largest names in the automotive industry, including Volvo Group and DENSO Corp, it said.

Martin Witt, VP and Head of Volvo Group Venture Capital, said: “We look for start-ups that are building the future with technological developments that will transform the transport industry. We believe that with Foretellix’s advanced test automation tools and expertise, we can deploy current and future ADS. We have the same clear goal to infuse automation and metrics into the verification and validation process with open standards. The investment and ongoing partnership is a base for increased safety of our leading-edge automated driving systems.”

Electric, autonomous transport to be demoed at Volvo CE’s Eskilstuna

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Volvo Construction Equipment says it is building the world’s first test and demonstration area for electric, autonomous transport solutions at its Customer Center in Eskilstuna, Sweden.

Construction has already begun on the brand-new area, which will be dedicated to testing and demonstrating the latest innovations in sustainable power, connectivity and autonomous solutions.

This 66,000 m² innovation zone will include a secure track for full-electric, automated and teleoperated machines with charging infrastructure and 5G connectivity, a control and training room building, a spectator stand and training area for the Volvo Co-Pilot assist functions.

Chief among the innovations on display will be the TARA autonomous transport solution from Volvo Autonomous Solutions for defined sites, such as quarries or mines.

At the heart of TARA is the TA15 battery electric and autonomous hauler, the next commercialisation step in the concept that began with the Electric Site project and the bidirectional, cabless, battery electric and autonomous HX02 hauler.

Calle Skillsäter, Technical Specialist in connected machines at Volvo Autonomous Solutions, said: “We are excited to demonstrate our complete TARA solution to customers, including how to set up and run the site, how to charge and store the TA15 electric autonomous haulers, and how we manage the control room and surveillance operations – everything in a brand-new state-of-the-art facility.”

The secure track will also showcase remote-controlled machines, which can also be used in quarries or mines using two tele-operation rigs installed in one of the control rooms. Another of the control rooms, meanwhile, will demonstrate in real time how Volvo CE’s uptime and productivity services can reduce customers’ total cost of ownership and operation, the company said.

Back in July, Volvo Autonomous Solutions President, Nils Jaeger, told IM that the test track already had six TA15 haulers running, and an R&D team was working on the development of future automation functionality/capability as well as operating the current test fleet.

He also confirmed Harsco Environmental and Volvo Autonomous Solutions had a joint project at Harsco’s location at the Ovako Steelworks in Hofors, Sweden, where adapted TA15 haulers were being used as slag carriers during a year-long pilot.

Carl Slotte, Head of Sales Region Europe & International at Volvo CE, added: “This is an important strategic investment, not just for Volvo CE and Volvo Autonomous Solutions but the entire Volvo Group, and is proof of our commitment to drive sustainability through innovation. We are looking forward to welcoming visitors to this world-class facility and allowing them to experience exactly how we are building tomorrow.”

The innovation area is expected to open later this year.

Sandvik enters LKAB-led SUM project as Volvo Group departs

Automation, Communications in mining, Environmental, IoT, Mineral project development, Mining equipment, Mining services, Mining software, Power supply for mines, Sustainable mining, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Sandvik has joined the Sustainable Underground Mining (SUM) project being run by LKAB at the same time as the Volvo Group has exited the Sweden-based collaboration.

The moves come as the iron ore miner looks to “further strengthen a joint endeavour towards sustainable underground mining at great depths”, it said.

To develop the digitalised, autonomous and carbon-dioxide-free mine of the future, in collaboration with other globally leading Swedish companies, LKAB initiated SUM in 2018.

After 2030, LKAB must be ready to mine iron ore deeper in the mines in Kiruna and Malmberget, in northern Sweden. For this, one of Sweden’s biggest industrial investments ever, decisions will have to be taken in the mid-2020s.

“This type of strategic collaboration project is very complex, each company contributes its specific expertise, and the partners will link together both digital systems and operations,” LKAB says. “Providing unique possibilities for SUM, the test mine, Konsuln, in Kiruna will serve as a real mine environment where technology, machines and working methods will be tested.”

Sandvik will be joining LKAB, Epiroc, ABB and Combitech in trying to achieve this goal. The Volvo Group’s earlier partnership in SUM will now take the form of other collaboration with LKAB, the miner said.

Jan Moström, President and CEO of LKAB, said: “In the coming years, LKAB must have a solution in place to be able to mine iron ore at depths approaching or exceeding 2,000 m in a cost-effective way by employing technology that is safe, autonomous, electrified, digitalised and carbon-dioxide-free.

“To enable this, collaboration with other leading industrial companies will be decisive. Sandvik’s longstanding experience of producing underground vehicle systems will complement the ongoing work in an important way.”

Stefan Widing, President and CEO Sandvik, said: “LKAB has used automated equipment from Sandvik for many years and we look forward to the opportunity to extend our collaboration and introduce new and advanced solutions that will set an industry standard.”

Epiroc and Sandvik will be relied on for battery-powered, autonomous and efficient mining equipment and related solutions that will ensure improved productivity and safety in LKAB’s mines. ABB’s role is to contribute knowledge and solutions for electrification, automation, service and maintenance. Combitech, meanwhile, will bring broad expertise and experience when it comes to connecting autonomous processes and people via so-called digital ecosystems.

LKAB says significant progress has been made on the project to date, including:

  • Successful establishment of the test mine, Konsuln, in Kiruna, where testing is carried out in a real mine environment;
  • An integration and collaboration platform, ‘LOMI’ (LKAB Open Mine Integrator) has been developed to enable an open systems architecture whereby all partners can develop modules and solutions that work together;
  • ABB has delivered ABB Ability System 800xA, the control-room console Extended Operation Workplace and a “Collaboration table” for visualising key functions and key figures in the mine, allowing the operator to monitor and control equipment in the best, most sustainable way. The ambition is that everything that is done in the test mine can be approved, planned and controlled via a project office at surface level, so that underground work can be done more efficiently;
  • Epiroc has delivered the drill rig Easer L and Scooptram ST18 LHD, both equipped for automation functionality, for the test mine, and operators and service personnel have been trained. The Easer L, commissioned in 2019, has shown good results in drilling over 50-m-long holes in the test mine, which is an important step for planning the future mine layout. For the loader, during Autumn 2020, the plan is to conduct tests with increasing complexity in terms of automation and interoperability; and
  • Combitech has delivered new solutions for systems platforms on an ongoing basis together with LKAB’s IT department. The aim is to synchronise new technology with existing systems.

In March 2020, the “Testbed for integrated, efficient and carbon-dioxide-free mining systems”, a part of SUM, received funding amounting to 207 million Swedish kronor ($23 million) from the Swedish Energy Agency.