PCA Ground Engineering is using a Cat® remote-control operation system, offered by Hastings Deering, to increase safety for its excavator operators
Keeping operators safe on the job site is of the highest importance for construction and earthmoving businesses, so eliminating potential risks goes a long way in ensuring this.
As technology continues to advance across the globe more and more innovations such as remote-control operation can help to support job-site safety.
It’s only a matter of time before these types of technologies become the new norm across the industry.
One business that has already introduced this type of technology and seen significant benefits is PCA Ground Engineering.
Investing in safety
Based on the Gold Coast, PCA Ground Engineering is a specialist in piling, grouting, earth retention, civil construction and engineering.
While every project is executed with precise attention to detail, PCA truly shines in managing complex and demanding undertakings.
These complex projects often test the limits of engineering and machinery; showcasing the company’s depth of expertise and experience.
To tackle these challenges head-on, PCA remains committed to investing in the latest equipment, including advanced machinery and specialised attachments tailored for specific tasks.
It consistently strives to protect the health and safety of employees and contractors, which is why PCA has recently invested in the Cat Line-Of-Sight (LOS) Command system, enabling its Cat 325 excavator to be remotely operated.
By removing the operator from the cab, this cutting-edge technology ensures a safer working environment in hazardous conditions.
Remote operation
Having procured machinery from all around the world, PCA general manager Robert Bollman says PCA looks for global best practice, leading the business to Cat dealer Hastings Deering.
With an initial brief provided by the PCA team, Hastings Deering sales representative Steve Rykiert says PCA had two key priorities in mind – it wanted to able to run a drill and the machine needed to be operated via remote control.
“This was one of the first Cat Line-Of-Sight Command remote control excavators in Australia,” he says.
“The idea behind the remote was that it needed to be able to do everything that the operator in the cab can do.”
With PCA’s excavator able to be operated from up to 400m away, the Cat Command Console is a remote that enables PCA users to work safely and comfortably outside the machine, with all the same functions that would be available inside the cabin.
While using the remote, PCA operators always remain onsite and in direct visual contact with the machine. Operators’ remote inputs are sent directly to the machine electronics via a dedicated radio transmitter/receiver, offering real-time control.
Aside from the safety gains for PCA operators, general manager Robert Bollman says the technology has also provided productivity benefits.
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“Environmentally, we find that the operators do fewer track movements, because they can actually see,” he says.
“Often an operator will go back and forth to get the right visual – with the command system, you don’t need to do that.”
Bollman adds that PCA operators have been able to put various attachments on the machine, while working with millimetre precision – all from a safe distance.
Up to 10 hours of continuous operating time is offered with the Cat Command Console, with a charging time of four hours or less. It also doesn’t require any on-site communications infrastructure.
Testing the technology and controlling PCA’s excavator himself, Hastings Deering technology onboarding specialist Zach Sales says the user has full functionality of the machine.
“I found it to be really smooth and responsive,” he says.
“There’s also a non-line-of-sight option, where the machine can be almost anywhere with a mesh network.
“You could operate the machine from Brisbane, or be operating out of the mine site in Moranbah.”
Reflecting on the successful partnership, Rykiert says a lot of hard work went in to making this possible.
“Our Hastings Deering technology team were in contact through video call with the Cat technology team in America who designed the program,” he says.
“We met with Rob [Bollman], his workshop and his supervisors, and the brief was the machine needed to do the work – I think that’s what we’ve accomplished here.”
For more information on the Cat® Command Line-Of-Sight technology, visit www.hastingsdeering.com.au
