Technology Innovation Workshop construction crane electrification
Energy - Innovatoie - RIWOLUTION
Entry into the European market through electrification of construction cranes.
Background
The Japanese crane manufacturer HSC supplied machines that are mainly diesel-powered, which does not meet the strict European laws around emissions and electrification of construction machinery. Moreover, it lacks the expertise to electrify the current machines according to the requirements of European regulations. The company wanted to take a step toward the electrification of its machines, with the goal of a total transition from a diesel-powered cranes to a fully electric-powered product family. The challenge was to concretize this transition with the right first step. Riwo organized a workshop to explore the key areas of focus and create a detailed action plan.
Conducting the workshop with limited resources provided quick insight into how to get from the idea phase to the concept phase.
The benefits of the workshop for HSC management:
- Know how to comply with European legislation, which is essential to operate legally and successfully in Europe.
- Developing a detailed plan of action and investment proposal to realize the transition to electric cranes, with a clear understanding of the investment required and the expected returns.
Approach: workshop
The workshop focused on the ideas and early concept phase of the innovation. With both engineers and account managers from RIWO and the crane manufacturer, both customer needs and available technology solutions were explored.
Thanks to the workshop, it became clear what technologies are currently available and what concrete steps need to be taken to actually achieve the intended innovation.
With relatively few resources and in a short amount of time, the workshop offered valuable insight into the process of turning an initial idea into a developed concept, allowing participants to move forward in a focused way to develop it.
The workshop produced the following:
- Understanding the criteria of European legislation regarding the electrification of construction machinery.
- Conceptualization of technical capabilities to comply with European legislation to ensure full machine operation.
- A cost-benefit analysis to assess the financial feasibility of electrification.
- An advice on next steps and development plan, so that a further development process is well coordinated and goals can be achieved on time and within budget.
