8 April 2019, 13:10
Trimble and Kobelco announced today that Kobelco will offer the Trimble® Earthworks Grade Control Platform for Excavators as a factory-fit machine control solution for the European market. The solution provides 2D machine control to increase the productivity and quality of finished earthworks.
"Kobelco is pleased that our customers in Europe will soon have the ability to choose Trimble Earthworks 2D machine control for their new excavators direct from the factory," said Makoto Kato, managing director, Kobelco Construction Machinery Europe B.V.
"The collaboration between Trimble and Kobelco takes excavator performance to the next level with Trimble Earthworks semi-automatic excavator machine control," said Jean Francois Sourdoire, business development manager, Europe, Africa, Middle East for Trimble Civil Engineering and Construction. "The improved productivity and quality control that the Trimble Earthworks Grade Control Platform and Kobelco machine integration enables will benefit our mutual customers."
Excavator Automatics
With Trimble Earthworks, contractors can now take advantage of machine control automatics for excavators, allowing operators to create smooth, flat or sloped surfaces more easily. When the excavator is placed in Autos mode, the operator controls the stick, and Trimble Earthworks controls the boom and bucket to stay on grade, reduce overcut and increase production. By automating excavator operation, Trimble Earthworks allows operators to achieve grade consistently, with high accuracy and in less time.
Kobelco will offer a 2D machine control factory-fit option that includes a 10-inch Android™ tablet display running the Trimble Earthworks software application. This option includes rugged Trimble hardware, designed and tested for the harsh conditions found on construction sites.
Upgrade to 3D
Contractors can upgrade their 2D system to 3D through a local SITECH® dealer. SITECH is Trimble's global distribution network, providing installation services, personalized training and local technical support for Trimble construction technology.
Availability
Factory-fit Trimble machine control for Kobelco excavators is expected to be available in Europe from Kobelco's dealer channel in 2020.
Source: Trimble Inc.