Traversing the industry’s ever-expanding digital universe

Astec Digital’s Eric Baker, seen here at a ConExpo-Con/Agg press conference, says every end user’s journey into digital technology is different. Photo: P&Q Staff

A new generation of equipment emerges every three years at ConExpo-Con/Agg.

From processing equipment to rolling stock and everything in-between, aggregate producers always have plenty to explore at the show in terms of new machinery. One difference between recent ConExpos and ones from the distant past, however, is how prominent digital technology is.

“With the iron, it changes,” says Eric Baker, vice president and general manager of Astec Digital. “There’s new developments and innovation. But the real innovation and growth in new technology is more in [digital]. So, how do I leverage it? How do I make it work for me rather than be in data overload?”

Digital tech was a fixture at ConExpo-Con/Agg this time around, as a number of manufacturers introduced new or updated programs to provide users insights about their equipment.

Additionally, manufacturers made clear at the show that they realize some datapoints are more valuable than others. So, today’s tech offerings are being shaped around need-to-know information rather every granular detail about equipment performance.

“As an equipment OEM, when we say this parameter is important to monitor, it is definitely tied back to a functionality feature or a maintenance feature of that piece of equipment,” says Ken Albaugh, director of sales and services at Xylem. “We’re not just feeding them data to feed them data. We’re saying: ‘You need to watch this vibration, temperature or these bearings in order to keep the process running – and to possibly intervene before something completely implodes and shuts your operation down.’”

Baker echoes Albaugh’s sentiment.

“We need to provide actionable intelligence,” he says. “You don’t need to know in real-time what the pressure is on a motor. You need to know when it’s overpressured and if it is going to fail. If we can provide data analytics and then turn that into something you need to be aware of – rather than provide a data stream that [customers] then have to analyze and understand – then they’ll be for the better.”

Making every dollar count

Kleemann’s Spective Connect, an intuitive operating concept includes components that are tuned to one another and accompany machine operators during the workday. Photo: Kleemann

Ultimately, aggregate producers want information at their fingertips that’s going to help them avoid downtime. If data can help them do that, then they’re more likely to invest in a particular technology.

“As production demands have gotten so high in this market, it is more important than ever for a company to be able to manage and maximize their production and their performance,” says Tony Gianni, Eastern North America business manager at Loadrite. “We do that by connecting both the physical and digital worlds through the use of loader scales and tying into PLCs with belt automation.”

Those manufacturing crushing and screening equipment are venturing down the digital pathway, as well. Take Kleemann as an example.

“We utilize the Spective operating system, which helps you operate and troubleshoot the machine,” says Evan Haddix, technical sales manager at Kleemann. “With Spective, you can easily do fault tracking and any diagnosis on the machine. This system will tell you, for example, if you hit an e-stop [and] which e-stop you hit.”

Kleemann took yet another step forward with Spective at ConExpo-Con/Agg.

“We have Spective Connect, which is a smartphone app for Android or iPhone,” Haddix says. “With Spective Connect, you can basically see all of the outputs from your Spective operating system, such as your current fuel burn, belt scales, gap setting, feed speeds or any kind of fault warnings.”

As Haddix describes, Spective Connect provides benefits to equipment operators that they might not otherwise think about.

“For example, instead of having to get out of the loader to go clear a fault, you can see what fault is on the machine before actually getting out of your loading tool,” he says. “That makes things much easier and safer for operators.”

Similarly, Screen Machine unveiled SmartWatch at ConExpo-Con/Agg. SmartWatch is a digital program that’s tied in with the company’s portable plants.

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