Waste management company from the district of Uelzen relies on Cat handling technology of the new generation
Ultrasound is not only used in medicine, but also in waste disposal. The waste management company (awb) in the district of Uelzen, for example, uses it to measure the volume flow of methane and CO2. Again and again, awb is breaking new ground. Because changing, improving and revising processes is in Marcus Joseph and Andreas Kröpke‘s blood, and that is how they see their job or mission in the public sector – one as operations manager, the other as deputy manager of the Borg waste disposal center. This led to the commissioning of a Cat MH3022 material handler by Michael Otto, senior sales representative at Zeppelin‘s Hamburg branch.
The machine is to handle the transshipment work in the transshipment facility, which has been operated privately for the last 17 years and is now managed entirely by the company itself. „In the past, excavators were replaced every four or five years. We have decided to use an excavator for up to ten years,“ says Marcus Joseph. But that is not all that has changed.
Michael Otto, senior sales representative at Zeppelin, Marcus Joseph, operations manager of the Borg waste disposal center, Andreas Kröpke, deputy manager of the Borg waste disposal center, and Eiko Pöhlsen, Zeppelin service consultant (from left)
© Zeppelin
Low fuel consumption is at the top of the list of requirements. Marcus Joseph and Andreas Kröpke have precisely recorded the total costs and compared them with the advantages of the material handler when it transports all waste that is not permitted for landfill to the reloading facility. With its larger separator, the loading capacity is reached more quickly, the two confirm. „The moving floor can load 25 t within 20 minutes,“ adds Andreas Kröpke. The size of the Cat MH3022, with a boom of 11 m, was chosen so that it does not have to reposition itself with its claws every time.
Drivers such as Andreas Woigk, who has been operating construction machinery for 25 years, were also involved in the equipment selection process. Safety is a key factor for him. He appreciates the smooth work processes of the new electro-hydraulic pilot control. Zeppelin Service at the Hamburg branch calibrated the material handler and adjusted it to the machine operator‘s requirements. „There‘s no more jerky work. I can grab a load weighing up to a thousand kilograms precisely and cleanly in the grab,“ says the operator, who is impressed by the joystick steering, which is also used on the other Cat 938M and 950M wheel loaders and the Cat 301.6 mini excavator at awb. „It was polarizing at first, but is now enthusiastically accepted by everyone. It means that the steering wheel no longer interferes with the steering column,“ says the operations manager.
The reloading facility handles around 25 000 t of waste per year
© Zeppelin
Integrated assistance systems are linked to the electro-hydraulic pilot control on the MH3022. This includes a scale. „The driver can now see exactly how full he needs to load the truck. As our trucks also have a scale, we are doubly protected and know that the values are correct. This benefits us because we are also subject to process management and can record all loads even better as part of our material flow management,“ says Marcus Joseph. But the construction machine can do even more and is intended to leverage synergies during reloading. There are already plans to work with a mulcher.
Steps and handrails ensure safe access to the cab. The driver is protected by bulletproof glass in the cab. „That was an option we chose because we didn‘t want his field of vision to be permanently obstructed by a demolition grid,“ says Marcus Joseph. But there is also good visibility and comfort in other respects. „The excavator works quietly in the hall,“ says Andreas Kröpke.
To ensure smooth operation, awb has concluded a service contract with Zeppelin. „We were already satisfied with Zeppelin in the past. If there was a problem, a solution was sought and found. The good thing is that you get involved,“ says Marcus Joseph. Zeppelin service consultant Eiko Pöhlsen is also the contact person for questions. Daily maintenance work, such as blowing out the radiator, is carried out by Andreas Woigk. Maintenance flaps are easily accessible. „We are simply delighted that, as a small municipal company, we can also work with a new-generation machine in the public sector,“ says Marcus Joseph.
The reloading facility handles around 25 000 t of waste per year. The majority of this is household waste. In addition, compost is produced from biowaste in a fermentation plant with downstream rotting. The biogas produced during the process is converted into electricity via two combined heat and power plants with heat extraction. Around 3 million kW/h of electricity are generated per year. Both the electricity and the waste heat are consumed by the company itself – for example for offices, facilities, but also for operating electric vehicles. The company is therefore energy self-sufficient and hardly reliant on fossil fuels. The surplus electricity is fed into the public grid. The landfill gas is also fed back into the combined heat and power plants. Electricity is also generated at the Borg waste disposal center using photovoltaic systems. The roof surfaces of the delivery hall, the digester building and the ventilator building have been equipped with these since 2013. The system currently has an output of around 140 kW/h. It generates around 120 000 kW/h per year, all of which is fed into the public grid. The photovoltaic system is currently being expanded on the roofs of the company buildings that are not yet occupied in order to use more solar energy. „Our site has grown and this means that more and more systems are being added and employees are taking on more tasks,“ says Marcus Joseph.
