Sustainability, while at the top of most business plans in all sectors, is front and centre within the aggregate production sector. For this reason, Metso Outotec is working hard to develop a complete range of electrically driven track-mounted crushers and screens.
This new Lokotrack range will be built on a specific platform that Metso Outotec has been developing since 2020 with a total R&D investment of around €20 million. The development work will take place primarily at Metso Outotec’s technology centre in Tampere, Finland.
The platform concept itself has now been developed and Metso Outotec is entering the design phase of the first new products. The company says that the new Lokotrack range will be transformational for the entire aggregates industry of mobile crushing and screening. This will also significantly contribute to Metso Outotec’s Planet Positive strategy and its commitment to reach the 1.5°C climate target.
The concept of track-mounted crushers and screens was developed in Finland in 1985 to minimise cost and energy use. Lokotrack has made it possible to provide onsite mobility close to the processed raw materials lowering transport and hauling costs and emissions.
“The next-generation Lokotrack range will address the needs of our crushing and screening customers by providing new easy-to-use diesel-electric equipment,” says Renaud Lapointe, senior vice president at Metso Outotec’s aggregates business area. “The possibility to run track-mounted machines from an integrated genset or to connect to an external power source lowers operational costs and allows access to renewable energy for our customers.”
The new unique platform will enable a faster and more agile way to develop products and reduce the number of components. “Using one common architecture throughout the range allows scalable solutions that can be seamlessly combined and adapted for different applications and capacities,” says Jarmo Vuorenpää, director of the new Lokotrack Offering, Aggregates business area within Metso Outotec.
“Harmonised design together with advanced digital solutions enables our global service network to support the customers throughout the entire equipment lifecycle.”
Metrics upgraded
Metso also recently announced that it is launching an upgraded version of Metrics, the company’s cloud-based tool for real-time monitoring for aggregates customers’ Lokotrack mobile crushers and screens. Features include C02 tracking for sustainability benefits, 24/7 access to real-time data, a maintenance module, and critical dashboards for utilisation and geolocation. The new Metrics allows remote troubleshooting and the user interface can be tailored to address different customer needs. New features and functions can be also updated remotely.
By combining the new Metrics with its global service footprint, Metso Outotec and its distributor partners can support customers in making data-driven decisions that impact their crushing and screening operations.
“Metso Outotec Metrics for aggregates connects mobile crushers and screens, providing increased real-time data visibility and analytics to improve availability, performance, reliability and profitability,” says Merja Tyyni, vice-president for standard crushers.
Metrics is part of Metso Outotec’s Planet Positive portfolio. In addition to the improved speed of data transmission, new features will continually be developed. One new feature currently in development is integrated mass flow measurement for tracking production and waste to help customers quantify their production performance.
“The new Metrics will enable us to take equipment features and customer experience to a new level by improving our customers’ equipment’s performance and increasing both uptime and the overall machine life cycle," says Kimmo Anttila, vice-president of Lokotrack Solutions, Aggregates business area.
While newer Lokotrack machines come equipped with Metso Outotec Metrics, legacy equipment can in most cases be modernised and integrate equipment for digital connectivity with a Retrofit Kit. In the first phase, the Retrofit Kit is available for certain Lokotrack crushers and screens.
Metso Outotec is based in Helsinki, Finland, and employs more than 15,000 people in over 50 countries. Sales for 2021 were about €4.2 billion.
