The new Solmec 106ZE electric materials handler
Can battery power work for waste? If the answer is ‘yes’ then there are significant environmental advantages – and a quieter and safer environment for staff. With that in mind, Malcolm Bates heads off to Italy to see if electric power really is ‘a spark of inspiration’...
by Malcolm Bates
Firstly, a word of warning to all our American and north European readers – Carlo Casarotti, the marketing director of Solmec, is not amused by all those national stereotypical jokes about ‘Italian electrics’. I have an Italian motorcycle and it works fine. But it has to be said, the quality of the engineering is often much better than the quality of the electrical and ancillary components.
You can’t fault Italian engineering: Ferrari, Lamborghini, Maserati, Alfa Romeo. All these famous Italian brands have produced iconic designs over the years. Although sadly, like much in manufacturing these days, the individual with the ‘passioni’ is no longer in charge of the business. That job is done by accountants who are often based in another country.
But it’s not like that at Solmec. This is still a family-owned business. And there is still plenty of passion. As Carlo never ceases to remind me each time we meet (apart from telling me to stop making jokes about Italian electrics, that is!), ‘At Solmec, we don’t make excavators for the construction industry, we make materials handlers. They might look similar, but the job they do is entirely different. A modified excavator will never perform as well as a purpose-built machine,’ he explains, passionately. He’s right of course – twice over. I should stop making those cheap jokes, but more importantly, he’s also right about how different the machine dynamics are.
Unfortunately, on one hand there is a rich back catalogue of jokes about ‘Italian electrics’. And on the other? Well, there are at least a dozen global manufacturers selling ‘modified excavators’ (his quotes) as materials handlers in waste and recycling applications. And they will talk down Carlo’s claims because it suits them to do so.
Solmec is faced with a major dilemma here: as a market leader in Italy, production is still not large enough to justify the specialized high-quality components the company uses in its machines. But to become a genuine world class player, Solmec faces some formidable hurdles in marketing, in logistics and lastly (but not least), in aftersales service provision. Why? Because in other global markets, issues relating to parts delivery, downtime delays (before a dealer service fitter calls) and other specific warranty issues tend to be set in contractual stone. And if the terms are not strictly adhered to? Contracts can be lost and lawyers hired. In the Italian market such issues tend to be handled on a more personal and individual basis. In other words, there’s a cultural difference – perceived or real. Carlo Casarotti doesn’t agree this is a major problem, but unlike several other Italian manufacturers, he is at least prepared to accept Solmec needs to confront ‘these perceptions’ head-on. The reason is simple – if Solmec is to continue to be a high quality manufacturer, it has to increase production. And that means the company has to ‘globalize’.
Progress report
How? Well, the expansion program is already underway. Waste Management World has reported on this in previous issues. So the purpose of my most recent trip to Rovigo, northern Italy, is to see what has actually been achieved. And what is likely to happen next.
As I’d already learned from a previous trip, the use of high quality components is an integral part of the Solmec philosophy. For example, there are several diesel engine options available to Solmec – including some ‘budget’ brands produced in Italy. But instead of buying on lowest price, Solmec uses high quality Deutz diesels instead. Italy is the hydraulics workshop of Europe, so you might be forgiven for thinking Solmec’s chief buyer could wield considerable pressure locally in order to buy in hydraulic components at a highly competitive price. Not at all. Wherever possible, Solmec materials handlers use components designed and built in-house – and that includes a large proportion of items such as hydraulic cylinders. That’s unusual these days, but you can’t argue with the logic – it’s the best way to ensure matching of components and top quality control.
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Time for a drive! WMW collection & transport expert, Malcolm Bates, gets to grips with the controls of the first production machine, at the Solmec factory. |
During my visit to Rovigo, I was prepared for a long discussion on these issues because further improvements to product quality, will aid operational reliability – which will in turn, help to establish Solmec’s machines in new markets. But what I wasn’t prepared for was the impressive work which has been put into designing their brand new ‘Eco Plant’ to replace the current manufacturing facility. Not only is it beautiful to look at, but as Carlo explains, it will stand alongside any other facility in the world in terms of energy saving. It will also have a reduced impact on the environment – as well as boosting product quality and production efficiency. Does that help underline how serious Carlo Casarotti is about expansion? I would say so.
Construction of the new plant is due to start as soon as the current economic depression shows a clear sign of being over. ‘We already have the land. The design is completed. The plans are passed and approved and we’re ready to go,’ Carlo explains.
No engine
Still, I’m really not here to look at plans for new production facilities, however impressive. Ironically, I’m here to look at some Italian electrics. Or more specifically, an electric materials handler designed and built by Solmec.
That machine is the new 106ZE (‘ZE’ for Zero Emissions) and following a rather low-key launch at the end of last year, it has now joined the range as one of the few Solmec machines without a Deutz diesel – if only because there is no diesel engine.
Instead, the power source comprises of two battery packs giving a 930 A/hour, 80 V capability. These are mounted where most diesel-powered 360s have their balance weights. The batteries power a three-phase 28 kW motor, which then powers the Rexroth hydraulic motors.
Travel speed is up to 11 km/hour. Perhaps the most significant feature of the overall concept is its simplicity. Solmec designers could have got over-enthusiastic about the technology and gone for electric wheel motors and perhaps some sophisticated control systems which may, or may not, have stood up to an operational life in our industry. Instead, they took a more practical view. Drive is still via propshafts and conventional axle/differentials. And the hydraulic functions are still exactly that – the ZE still uses hydraulic cylinders and has a driver’s workstation much like a conventional diesel machine.
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| A rear view of the new 106ZEmaterials handler. |
Does it work? During a short test drive, I was interested to see how the adoption of battery electric power changes the ‘feel’ of the machine. Converting instant electric output into proportional hydraulic control is not an easy thing to do, but I can report that – while the ZE does feel different to operate with a very small time ‘lag’ – it’s almost entirely a positive experience. There is no vibration and it’s so quiet, the driver of a ZE can have a conversation with personnel on the ground without shouting. And in many recycling ‘picking’ operations that is a significant safety factor.
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| Six ‘series’ of materials handler are currently being built – up to 60 tonnes machine weight |
So, does the 106ZE have the power reserves needed for a long, arduous shift in the waste industry without going those batteries going ‘flat’? Solmec suggests an ‘on-station’ capability of between six and eight hours per charge, which should be enough for many situations.
But where longer shifts are worked, or where longer distance work cycles need to be undertaken? Again, the solution is simple – the two battery packs can be withdrawn by forklift truck (or fork-equipped telehandler) and freshly charged packs slotted into place in just a few minutes – say during a driver’s break. The machine I drove was the first to be built and was designed to meet a specific need in a tannery. This explains why no cab is fitted, although I’m assured that a full driver’s cabin with aircon option is part of the normal specification for waste and recycling applications.
How does the performance of the 106ZE compare with other diesel machines in the Solmec range? With a 3.80 or 4.50 gooseneck boom and either a 2.6 or 3.3 metre dipper giving a maximum lift height of 8.5 metres and a reach of 7.6 metres, the answer is just below that of the popular 16 tonne machine weight, diesel-powered 108LS. This suggests Solmec sees the 106ZE as a complimentary machine where there is a major environmental issue, rather than pretending that battery electric power can take on diesel-powered machines in the 20 to 30 tonne class. But that’s not to say Solmec doesn’t have plenty of Italian red machines in its product range capable of challenging the yellow, blue and green machines produced by already-established global competitors.
Six different ‘series’ of machines are now in production, starting with the smallest, the ‘100 Series’ (which comprises the 106ZE and 108LS) going up to the largest, the ‘600 Series’, which includes the impressive 56-60 tonne machine weight 520ESC. As each single model is available with a number of boom/dipper options, the actual product range is already over 20 models.
But I wouldn’t be surprised to hear that once Solmec production shifts to the new ‘EcoPlant’, the range will be expanded even further… See the 106ZE at ‘Futuresource’ in London in June, or for more details contact www.solmec.it.
Malcolm Bates is the collection & transport correspondent for Waste Management World.
e-mail: wmw@pennwell.com
