By: Jack Roberts
During a recent virtual press conference, CASE Construction Equipment debuted a new, optional, machine control system for its lineup of heavy construction machinery.
The new control system is called OEM-FT 2-D and 3-D, and, according to Nathaniel Waldschmidt, product manager, CASE, the system has the ability to transform excavating operations ranging from flatwork, laying pipe, or using a CASE excavator to establish final grade and contour.
But the new machine control system is not limited only to excavators. CASE will now offer OEM-FT on dozers as well (as a factory-fit option). And although the system is fine-tuned for each respective machine, Waldschmidt said the optional new system ensures that the optimal combination of machine and solution is installed and tested by CASE certified precision field specialists. It also simplifies the acquisition process and allows for the technology to be grouped in with the purchase of the machine—combining the financing or lease approval, rate, and payment in a single package.
“It takes the guesswork out of what solution works best with each machine, and ensures that it is installed and tested by certified professionals before it’s delivered to the contractor,” Waldschmidt added. “The excavator and the machine control system are optimally matched and calibrated—helping the owners and operators of each machine get up and running immediately upon delivery of the machine.”
Another benefit to the new machine control system are potential labor savings, Waldschmidt noted. “We understand that it is hard for our customers to find skilled and experienced operators now,” he said. “And the OEM-FIT 2-D and 3-D machine control systems help eliminate the need for someone stationed down in the trench checking grade. With more precise machine control, you put people to work elsewhere on a jobsite because if you’re in a 3-D system, the jobsite plan exists digitally, it’s always there, and you eliminate staking and recycling costs which can be thousands of dollars.”
And because the system saves and approaches each individual job as a constant data set, Waldschmidt said, contractors know how the machine will begin to work the jobsite and how it will complete the work. “Thanks to CASE OEM-FIT machine control, this means you’ll put less wear and tear on your equipment,” he explained. “And that means less maintenance, which can lead to longer machine life—or at least more work accomplished within that machine’s lifetime. And you’re going to accomplish that job with less fuel, so less wear and tear and less fuel for the same amount of work.”
All told, Waldschmidt said CASE feels its new machine control system has the ability for the productivity, efficiency, and long-term profitability of excavators and dozers. Moreover, he says, CASE and Leica engineers worked to make certain that the OEM-FIT 2-D and 3-D system is a completely turnkey solution that will allow contractors to benefit from more machine productivity, reduced maintenance, and wear-and-tear while reducing operating costs across the board.
