Cat Connect contributes to four key areas according to their respective functionalities: Equipment management, productivity, safety and sustainability. Among these key areas, Equipment management and productivity are two areas which are in maximum demand by customers.

Productivity and customer?s bottom line depend on moving material accurately, quickly, and safely in the first attempt. Maintaining consistent grade is difficult, labour-intensive, and challenging for even the most experienced operators. By combining digital design data, in-cab operator guidance features, and automatic blade controls, Cat AccuGrade?grade control system enhances grading accuracy and virtually eliminates the need for survey stakes.

For productivity, Caterpillar offers Cat AccuGrade that realises intelligent construction. By using the measuring techniques and sensors equipped on the machine, Cat AccuGrade locates the position of the bucket or blad?e and then adjusts it automatically according to the requirements of the digital design. These cutting-edge techniques help in improving construction efficiency while reducing fuel and material consumption. It can also send real-time feedback to the operator to enhance job quality. Cat AccuGrade is a scalable solution, wherein customers can choose the products and solutions that best meet their specific needs and budgets. The use of Cat AccuGrade will help customers understand the means to boost their business and achieve more efficiency, safety and sustainability.

Application areas
Any application, be it constructing a residential community, paving a new interstate or extracting materials from a quarry, Cat Connect provides the flexibility and scalability to meet the unique needs of a jobsite. A Cat dealer can help determine the right combination of technologies and services needed to enhance one?s operations and achieve his goals.

Construction

• Reduces rework
• Tracks volumes moved or placed
• Reduces survey costs
• Applies guidance tools to enable round-the-clock work

Quarry and aggregates

• Measures and tracks loads, cycles and weights
• Maintains haul roads and ramps
• Monitors tonne/hour and tonne/gallon
• Optimises onsite construction projects
• Reduces dependency on surveyors

Implementing the technoloy
Cat technology solutions are tailored to meet customer?s product and business requirements. They are fully integrated into Cat machines and engines at first fit, or through aftermarket retrofit and software based options. By working with its partners like Trimble?, Caterpillar?s fleet management approach aims to set industry standards by leveraging proven cross-industry applications and modules, which will give its customers a competitive advantage. Cat customers would receive support for all these solutions through its capable dealer network.

Benefits to end-user
Based on its job site study using the AccuGrade, Caterpillar found enormous measurable benefits, which in turn were witnessed by its customers during demonstration.
These are:

• Reduces time
• Reduces fuel consumption
• Reduces material wastages
• Increases accuracy
• Reduces manpower usage
• Increases jobsite safety

Cost benefit
Based on study and demonstration at customer job site, the below mentioned results were achieved.
AccuGrade on motor grader cost benefits in road construction: The study showed 30 per cent reduction in fuel consumption. It also showed an impressive 20 per cent reduction in passes.

Other non-measurable benefits:

• Job of level checking team reduced by 80 per cent (checked the levels only twice during the first blade passes against multiple checking on all five blade passes in conventional method)
• Operator effort reduced by more than 50 per cent (needs to adjust only one side of the blade whereas in conventional method he has to look at both sides repetitively and keep adjusting the blade)

AccuGrade on excavators measurable cost benefits in irrigation projects: The results showed 32 per cent faster execution of projects. The cost of the project also fell down by 24 per cent.
Possibilities of retro fits on old equipment or modifications in the existing methods as an add-on: It is possible for retro fit on existing machines. Cat dealers are capable of doing it.

Article courtesy: Caterpillar India