Industrial Automation Magazine India

Emission-free, efficient and safe - The future urban construction site

Published on : Saturday 14-12-2019

Zero emissions: ZF Group unveils e-concepts for compact construction machinery; oOpen IoT platforms offer wide-ranging options for new digital services.

Bangalore, December 13, 2019 – A lot of work lies ahead for the construction industry: According to estimates, by 2050 two thirds of the world's population will live in large cities. At the same time, the industry is about to see massive changes through macro trends such as electric mobility, digitalisation and assistance systems. At the Excon India ZF proves that as a specialist for driveline and chassis technology, as well as networked system solutions, the Group is the ideal partner to overcome these challenges.

ZF knows: ideally, the construction site of the future should not only be climate neutral, but it should also operate safely and efficiently. These objectives are reflected in the guiding principle of ‘vision zero’ that ZF strives to achieve in all of its divisions: a world of mobility without local emissions, without accidents and without technical failures. To that end, the company is already developing future-oriented technologies today.

At Excon India, Z is presenting several ground-breaking innovations that pave the way for the construction site of the future.

Compact vehicles such as loaders, mini dumpers or telehandlers are a promising segment in the area of electro mobility. The eTrac driveline system with its 48-volt e-engine developed by ZF provides the necessary emission-free drive. Additionally, the Group also acts as system supplier. Not only does it deliver the unit, but it also offers a combination of front and rear axles, drives, inverters and an eDCU (electric Drive Control Unit). This best in class solution achieves the same output as conventional drivetrains, without compromising on performance factors such as traction and end speed.

Digital solutions make life easier for vehicle manufacturers and construction companies. The open IoT platform by ZF makes it possible to implement new, digital services and to use hardware systems more efficiently through data analyses and smart algorithms. Thanks to its extensive portfolio, ZF can use this technology to analyse cross-sector trends and intelligently create synergies. Let's take the example of data analysis for off-highway vehicles: construction machinery drivelines are monitored across their entire product life cycle via the cloud. That contributes to reducing downtime, as potential issues can be recognised and rectified at any early stage. With that in mind, ZF opts for a concept study based on its own ZF App. It is intended to help the end user to easily diagnose problems. The asset tracking solution ‘deTAGtive’ allows construction machinery, material or vehicle accessories to be fully monitored. Hardware tags fitted with Bluetooth smart technology control the entire flow of material and all processes on the construction site. The life cycle of each machine can be recorded in real time, for example.