You know things are looking up when you attend a press function and one of the machines readied for the open day is AWOL, having just been sold to a needy client in Botswana. “Bulk Handling Today” visited the Wirtgen premises late last year where the MD, Heinrich Schulenberg did say, nevertheless that the last three years have been pretty hard.
“Although repairs, maintenance and refurbishments are pretty good business, the key is to introduce new machines which offer new prospects, and to upgrade existing products with new features. You need at least one good idea more than your competitors,” explains Heinrich.
The Wirtgen Group, headquartered in Germany, increased its production capacity by 50% in 2016/17 at a total investment of 50 million Euro to underpin its range of highly efficient and compact crushing and screening plants worldwide. Kleeman is part of the group alongside Vogele, Hamm and Beninghoven.
Economy, economy, economy
Billed the Evo line, Kleeman has concentrated on fuel economy as well as ease of transport and rapid set-up. This track-mounted mobile range includes jaw, impact, cone and screening plants. Between 29.9 and 36.7t, no special permits are required to move from site to site.
Fuel use is at 12 to 13 litres per hour for these machines which work primarily in the natural stone and recycling industries.
New features include a widened feeding area to enable the use of a larger wheel loader and the width of the feeding conveyor comes in at 1,2m as opposed to the usual 1.05m therefore allowing efficient feeding from the top.
Safety first
In addition, the side conveyors are unfolded remotely whereas before staff had to stand alongside the conveyors. “A definite plus for safety which is increasingly a major focus of our customers,” says Heinrich. Start-up occurs in sequence, also remotely, and given the hydraulic system in place, there is no danger of the conveyors unexpectedly dropping down.
“Another example of our emphasis on safety is the lock & turn system on the Mobirex Evo2 which makes the elimination of blockages of this impact crusher ergonomic and safe”. Heinrich concludes, “Our emphasis on easing the day-to-day work of the operator is top of mind, never forgetting the customer’s goal of purchasing equipment with optimal performance values.”
Wirtgen
Heinrich Schulenburg
Email: heinrich.schulenburg@wirtgen-group.com
www.wirtgen-group.com/en
