Cranes with brains
What would you call cranes that remember
when, where, how, and who operated them on a given day? Or cranes that
communicate with you via the internet?
PALFINGER’s new truck-mounted cranes do just that – and more. They are cranes with brains. Danfoss helped make it happen. Read on and learn how.
PALFINGER’s new truck-mounted cranes do just that – and more. They are cranes with brains. Danfoss helped make it happen. Read on and learn how.
As connected as the smart phone in your pocket
Danfoss' CS100 IoT Gateway - the black box - utilizes multiple cellular technologies for transmission of machine data. In the photo: Marco Wieneroither, Customer Service & Field Test Support, PALFINGER, Köstendorf, Austria.
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A 7 by 3-centimeter black box located near the base of the crane arm. This is the only visible sign that Austria-based PALFINGER’s new TEC and SH knuckle boom cranes are as connected as the smart phone in your pocket.
The cranes are born with a cloud-based communications system called Danfoss PLUS+1® Connect. It enables crane owners to sit in the comfort of their office and connect to any of their cranes – from the one moving concrete at a nearby construction site to the one loading tree logs in a forest 300 km away.
And once logged on, they can analyze detailed data regarding crane operation and productivity or upload software updates. The benefits? Let’s look at a real-life example.
Danfoss' CS100 IoT Gateway - the black box - utilizes multiple cellular technologies for transmission of machine data. In the photo: Marco Wieneroither, Customer Service & Field Test Support, PALFINGER, Köstendorf, Austria.
Why connected cranes make sense for PALFINGER's customers
Hierzmann Transporte GmbH is a transport and
material handling company in Southern Austria. The company has 70 crane and
transport vehicles in its fleet – and 60 operators to man them.
Keeping track of each machine’s geographical location, service needs, operating hours and so on is therefore a big task. And it isn’t made smaller by the fact that orders come in on short notice from customers, who need something moved from
A to B.
But, over the last months, the company has been testing Danfoss PLUS+1® Connect on three PALFINGER knuckle boom cranes. And that has made things a lot easier.
Keeping track of each machine’s geographical location, service needs, operating hours and so on is therefore a big task. And it isn’t made smaller by the fact that orders come in on short notice from customers, who need something moved from
A to B.
But, over the last months, the company has been testing Danfoss PLUS+1® Connect on three PALFINGER knuckle boom cranes. And that has made things a lot easier.
Fleet Manager, Hierzmann Transporte, Markus Kaltenegger:
"Activity outside normal working hours or during the weekend might be a sign of unauthorized use or even theft. Now, we get such information instantly. And this is key," says Markus Kaltenegger.
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“The system makes things a lot easier. We can
log on from any device and, for example, see how many hours our operators work
on a given task. This helps us better prepare work-schedules. We also
immediately get alerts if a component on a machine needs service soon. And the
GPS function makes it easy to identify the nearest service-shop. PALFINGER has
always been first with innovative technology and this connectivity solution is
no exception.”
He adds that the system offers many other benefits, one of them being the ability to see when a machine is operating.
He adds that the system offers many other benefits, one of them being the ability to see when a machine is operating.
"Activity outside normal working hours or during the weekend might be a sign of unauthorized use or even theft. Now, we get such information instantly. And this is key," says Markus Kaltenegger.
Pick and choose
Collected machine data is safely stored in the PLUS+1 Connect cloud. PALFINGER accesses the data via their own interface which offers both a quick overview and detailed information charts.
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The Danfoss PLUS+1® Connect
package consists of four digital blocks. First, you have the black box – the
Danfoss CS100 IoT Gateway. It’s a powerful small computer with built-in
cellular and GNSS/GPS modem. Next, is the PLUS+1® Connect Cloud which stores
the collected data. The cloud also includes PLUS+1® Connect analytics services
which sorts and makes sense of the data. Finally, the portal interface allows
users easy access to the data.
Off-highway machine manufacturers can pick all elements or just some of them. And this is exactly what PALFINGER has done. They already had their own analytics tool and interface when they began considering PLUS+1® Connect. And they wanted to keep these blocks while relying on Danfoss for connectivity, data collection, and safe storage of data in the PLUS+1® Connect cloud.
Off-highway machine manufacturers can pick all elements or just some of them. And this is exactly what PALFINGER has done. They already had their own analytics tool and interface when they began considering PLUS+1® Connect. And they wanted to keep these blocks while relying on Danfoss for connectivity, data collection, and safe storage of data in the PLUS+1® Connect cloud.
Collected machine data is safely stored in the PLUS+1 Connect cloud. PALFINGER accesses the data via their own interface which offers both a quick overview and detailed information charts.
Sebastian Schinwald, Project & Risk Manager, R&D, PALFINGER, Austria.
What goes on - how, when, and where
PALFINGER’s TEC and SH knuckle boom cranes are the first to use PLUS+1 Connect. Left: Dianne Sunu, Digital Customer Experience Manager, Danfoss. Right: Sebastian Schinwald, PALFINGER.
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PLUS+1® Connect allows
PALFINGER to collect data about how, when, and where any kind of error
happens on any of its machines in the field.
"This is extremely valuable. Say that a certain error type almost always happens in Northern Russia or Finland, never in warmer climates. This will tell us that the cause might be temperature related or because of the way that operators in a specific temperature setting handle their machines,” says Sebastian Schinwald, PALFINGER.
Danfoss’ PLUS+1® Connect system is designed for use in several off-highway machinery sectors, including material handling, agriculture, construction, and road building.
"This is extremely valuable. Say that a certain error type almost always happens in Northern Russia or Finland, never in warmer climates. This will tell us that the cause might be temperature related or because of the way that operators in a specific temperature setting handle their machines,” says Sebastian Schinwald, PALFINGER.
Danfoss’ PLUS+1® Connect system is designed for use in several off-highway machinery sectors, including material handling, agriculture, construction, and road building.
PALFINGER’s TEC and SH knuckle boom cranes are the first to use PLUS+1 Connect. Left: Dianne Sunu, Digital Customer Experience Manager, Danfoss. Right: Sebastian Schinwald, PALFINGER.
Facts: Danfoss and digitalization – did you know?
Facts: Danfoss and digitalization – did you know?
The CS100 IoT Gateway is just one of a very large group of Danfoss products and solutions enabling our customers to make the most of digitalization and connectivity. In the photo: Richard Moser, Software Developer, Palfinger.
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At Danfoss, we are
serious about digitalization. For years, we have invested heavily in growing
our digital skills and capabilities. The goal? To create value and competitive
advantages for our customer – for you.
We use digital technology to optimize our supply chain, bring speed to R&D, improve customer experience, and create connected and smarter products and solutions to the Markets we Serve.
We use digital technology to optimize our supply chain, bring speed to R&D, improve customer experience, and create connected and smarter products and solutions to the Markets we Serve.
The CS100 IoT Gateway is just one of a very large group of Danfoss products and solutions enabling our customers to make the most of digitalization and connectivity. In the photo: Richard Moser, Software Developer, Palfinger.
Roughly 2,500 new PALFINGER TEC and SH knuckle boom cranes will be born with PLUS+1® Connect in 2019. And PALFINGER expects to add the system to several of its other crane types from 2020 onwards.
Published by Danfoss
Photos and video: Danfoss and Palfinger
Video shooting/editing: Thomas Toft Nilsson & Michael Waltl
Text and idea: Ole Kanstrup
More info:
PLUS+1® Connect
Danfoss
Palfinger
Photos and video: Danfoss and Palfinger
Video shooting/editing: Thomas Toft Nilsson & Michael Waltl
Text and idea: Ole Kanstrup
More info:
PLUS+1® Connect
Danfoss
Palfinger
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