25 YEARS OF INNOVATION ENGCON 1990–2015

A BRIEF LOOK BACK THEN IT’S FULL SPEED AHEAD AGAIN!

n the occasion of our The launch of Generation 2 of our til- 25th anniversary, trotators, adapted to fit the mod- we have every ern excavators of today, is now reason to look taking place in earnest. A Oback in time – but we also complete range of tiltrota- have to look to the future. tors will soon be available for Our innovations throughout all excavator sizes on all our the years have altered an entire markets! We are also focusing industry, all over the world. From strongly on launching our prod- our early beginnings in Strömsund, we ucts on new and revived markets have become an international group with a pres- where we can perceive particularly great oppor- ence in a large number of countries. I am incred- tunities. This is an exciting time of great develop- ibly proud of what we have managed to achieve ment for us. together over the years. It is fantastic to be able At engcon, we have every reason to be proud to help contractors all over the world to become – but we must never rest on our laurels. In our more efficient, utilise their excavators more ef- view, it is always possible to create even better fectively, work more safely, reduce their fuel con- solutions! And with that we continue our journey sumption and wear and tear on their machines, – a journey which, as yet, has only just begun. and quite simply earn more money.

Stig Engström, founder and CEO Bauma -98 Pulse vibro plate

Trade fair in Gothenburg, 1995

The EC30 and Pulse compactor are launched. Engcon moves to Stig Engström is named Strömsund. Entrepreneur of the Year Brothers Ulf and for 1996 in the municipali- ty of Strömsund. Stig Engström The EMEX trade fair in Stock- The company has holm heralds the launch of the 8 employees and net ”new engcon” with a completely sales of SEK 10.5 million. new tiltrotator, EC20, which is engcon AB is founded by brothers followed not long after by the first Stig and Ulf Engström in their home EC10. The accounts show net town of Lidsjöberg. revenues of SEK 605,000. Pulse vibro plate

’’Blå Huset’’ in Strömsund

The first EC05 is displayed at a trade engcon is named Marketer fair in Stockholm, and engcon takes of the Year and Growth part in the international Bauma trade Company of the Year in fair for the first time. The Jämtland. accounts show net revenues of SEK 27 million. The company employs 15 people. The accounts for 2001 show net revenues of SEK 67 million. 20 tiltrotators and The company employs 42 people. quick couplers Purchase of Markussons mekaniska. have been supplied outside the Nordic Stig Engström is named engcon concludes region. The compa- Gnosjö Man of the Year contracts with ny starts to focus on and Entrepreneur of the Year. resellers in Norway non-Nordic markets. The company continues to and Denmark. Engcon is named grow and becomes a The first EC15 tilt- Gazelle of the Year Gazelle company for the rotator is supplied. by Dagens industri. third consecutive year.

Stig at Guldgalan!

Micropop control system

The financial crisis involving Lehman Brothers affects the world, and engcon as well. The workforce and net sales are halved directly. Net sales SEK 245 million, and around 50 employ- ees. One glimmer of light in the darkness is Stig Engström receiving the Entrepreneur of the Year award for 2007 from financial journal Dagens industri.

engcon extends its range by introducing a sup- Stig Engström is named plementary bucket range which includes deep Entrepreneur of the Year! buckets, cable buckets and grading buckets, as well as rippers and asphalt cutters. engcon launches its The company is restructured as a EC02, a completely new tiltrotator for mini ex- own control system, group, with the parent company cavators, is launched and immediately takes Microprop DC1, engcon Holding AB and three a market which was simply waiting for this and purchases a subsidiaries, engcon Nordic product. 2007 is also a record year in which majority share in AB, engcon UK Ltd and engcon engcon supplies 5200 tiltrotators, launches snowplough man- Poland Spzoo. Sales offices open a bucket range and so becomes a complete ufacturer Mählers, in Finland and Denmark. Örjan supplier of standard attachments for exca- thereby extending Westerlund takes over from Stig vators. Net sales SEK 532 million, and more the engcon Group’s Engström as the CEO. The ac- than 100 people work at the company. product range. counts show net sales of SEK 113 Almost 3000 tiltrotators left Ström- engcon is named the million, and the company employs sund in 2005, along with around first Marathon Ga- around 60 people. 1000 other products. engcon is now zelle in history, proof without doubt the biggest tiltrotator that the company has engcon achieves manufacturer in the world. The ac- matched the criteria quality certifica- counts show net sales of SEK 215.3 for Gazelle of the Year tion to ISO 9001. million, and the company employs for 10 consecutive almost 80 people. years. engcon is celebrating its 25th anniversary with the launch of the EC214, a completely new tiltrotator, and the anniversary EC219 Silver Edition model.

engcon will be releasing a number of new products for this year’s trade fairs, including a newly developed detachable grapple cartridge. engcon’s tiltrotators are being prepared for machine management compatibility. engcon celebrates its 20th anniversary, and recovery following the financial crisis is in full swing with a cautious in- crease in net sales to SEK 285 million. ”Just a bit of a glitch”, says an optimistic Stig Engström, named Entrepreneur Silver Edition of the Decade at the Jämtland Gala for anniversary model Entrepreneurs, known as Guldgalan.

engcon launches a completely new Q-Safe, the world’s safest quick coupler tiltrotator, EC226, for 18 to 26-tonne for excavators, is launched, and the entire excavators. This becomes the second engcon range is permeated by a safety generation of tiltrotators with a 45-de- approach going by the name of Non Acci- gree tilt angle and central lubrication, and greatly reinforced to handle the dent Generation. This means that engcon new generation of excavators. Gener- tiltrotators, with their technical solutions, are ation 2 of the Microprop control sys- made as safe as possible. tem is also displayed. DC2 is a more robust system than its predecessor The EC209 for 6 to and offers smart functions such as re- 9-tonne excavators and mote support via the mobile network. EC206 for 4 to 6-tonne It is also prepared for track control. A excavators are launched, new rotating brush for excavators is thus becoming the third also launched. and fourth models of Generation 2, which will The EC219, the soon have phased out the second Generation first generation entirely. 2 model for 14 to Net sales for the engcon 19-tonne excava- Group now amount to tors, is launched around SEK 600 million, and soon becomes and around 150 people a big seller for the work company. for the group. ENGCON DRIVEN BY INNOVATION Our success has been based on constantly challeng- ing ourselves and focusing on innovations. Since we began 25 years ago, we have focused on finding TIME TO SAVE! new solutions which make using our products Railway 20% Telecom and electricity 20% easier, smarter and safer. Pipes and drainage 30% Construction sites 30% Our aim has always been to help you earn more Roadbuilding 25% money by enabling you to do more in a shorter time. Here are two of the most important innovations from us at engcon over the past few years.

E C - O I L™ Q-SAFE™ INSTANT TOOL AND ATTACHMENT CHANGES THE SAFEST QUICK DIRECTLY FROM THE CAB. HITCH IN THE WORLD EC-Oil is an accessory for the Q-Safe quick coupler, Q-Safe is a quick coupler for excavators, designed for permitting automatic connection of hydraulics, electrics maximum safety. The bucket must be slightly in contact and central lubrication. EC-Oil can be mounted on both with the ground in order to release the attachment, so the the machine hitch and the quick coupler for the tiltrotator, bucket cannot be released while it is up in the air. which means that it takes seconds to unhitch the tiltrota- tor if, for example, you need to operate it with a hydraulic The machine cannot be slewed if the bucket is not cou- hammer or need maximum breakout force. pled properly. Q-Safe can be supplemented with EC-Oil for automatic coupling of hydraulic attachments. Connecting hydraulic attachments such as grapples and ground compactors beneath the tiltrotator is every bit as quick, and EC-Oil saves many hours as there is no need for fiddly hydraulic couplings. ENGCON IT TILTS, DRIVEN BY ROTATES AND INNOVATION MAXIMISES PROFITS!

Your old or new excavators can be made more efficient with a tiltrotator from eng- con and our unique attachment sys- tem. Attachments can be replaced in just a few seconds, enabling you to take on completely new tasks. Our tiltrotator tilts and rotates, giving you unique opportunities to use your attachments – so improving results and requiring less time to get the job done. engcon.com/segments presents a number of cases. How much more efficient can you be? FACTS

NAME Stig Engström AGE 51 LIVES IN Strömsund BACKGROUND Founded engcon in 1990. Winner of multiple awards as an entrepre- neur. NOW Celebrating 25 years with engcon, the company which he founded in 1990 and still runs to the best of his ability. DIG WHERE YOU STAND!

From a simple concept involving excavators doing lots more, to a world-leading company with customers all over the world. The history of engcon is unique, but its road to success has been fairly bumpy.

AS THIS HOW YOU PERCEIVED YOUR HOW DO YOU FEEL NOW THAT ENGCON HAS CONCEPT WHEN YOU STARTED OUT? GROWN SO MUCH? ‘‘Yes, I remember the first time I saw a til- ‘‘It’s absolutely fantastic, of course. We’ve just gone trotator on an excavator. That was back in on growing bigger and bigger, and a while ago we were 1W985, and straight away I thought wow, everyone should named a Marathon Gazelle for demonstrating growth for have one of those! I realised straight away that there’d be a ten consecutive years. But things were easier and faster market for these. This had to be a hit worldwide!” before, nowadays you have more paperwork to do and demands are completely different. There are computers After a few years with different companies, Stig decided all over the machines, and you can’t cut cables in just any to bite the bullet and create engcon. Stig remembers that way. as being a turbulent time. ‘‘I sat at home in my apartment drawing designs for about engcon was founded a year, I experimented and built prototypes. It definitely ›› wasn’t an easy time. It actually took us a number of years to because I wasn’t happy try out different designs before we came up with the right about how excavators one. The breakthrough came when I was working with a designer and we managed to come up with what became worked – there was so the EC20. We presented it at a trade fair in Stockholm and much more they were attracted a fair bit of attention. We wanted more people to capable of! notice us, so we started to advertise a bit by sending out ‹‹ mailings and making phone calls. We received a fantastic response, and I’ll never forget our first customers. We re- When I look at the old tiltrotator that we built when we ceived a real boost in 1995, and we grew quickly over the started out, it still gives me a pain in my stomach. There next few years!” was such an incredible amount of financial pressure at the outset, so any problems we’ve faced since have just been minor to me. When a customer gets in touch and is un- happy about something, for instance, we deal with the matter quickly and correctly. In fact, we find that customers who’ve There was such an ››incredible amount of financialpressure at the outset, so any problems we’ve faced since have just been minor to me.‹‹ had problems end up being happier with us than customers who’ve not had problems. People can rely on us, and I think this is one of the reasons why we’ve grown so much over the years.”

An heirloom. One of the first ten tiltrotators ever manufactured by engcon.

TELL US ABOUT YOUR FOREIGN INITIATIVE. ‘‘We felt we were ready to take on Germany back in 1997. We wanted to be involved in the big Bauma trade fair, and we asked for information about it to be sent to us. I filled in everything carefully; who I was, the stand size I wanted, etc.” ‘‘I remember, the deadline for applications was 31 Octo- ber. After two weeks, I received a letter which pleasantly but firmly stated that they were unfortunately unable to offer us a place as the application deadline was in October – the year before! But suddenly we had the opportunity of a small space at Bauma in spite of everything. It felt great.” ‘‘The month before the trade fair, I started to give the mat- ter some thought. People speak German in Germany, and I’d spent five years at school studying the language. But I’m not really comfortable speaking German. I phoned a friend and asked whether he could spend a week with me in Munich and act as my interpreter.” ‘‘We filled up my old Audi 100 with everything we needed for the stand, and off we went! It was quite a success – we even ended up on the front page of a newspaper. It was really fabulous! We sold a few things and made a few contacts, but not much came of it other than that.” Håkan Wiik, one of the promi- nent figures at engcon. Håkan started working at engcon in 1993 and moved to Finland in 2002 to become a co-owner of engcon in Finland. He’s a happy pensioner nowadays. HOW DO YOU THINK THINGS WILL DEVELOP IN FUTURE? ‘‘We’re focusing on a major in- itiative in Germany again. I’m absolutely certain we’ll see the same high penetration of these products in Germany and France as here in the Nordic region, and things will probably go quickly. We’ll have to keep up with the influx of orders when this is re- leased, and so we’re ready for the off! This is why we’ve built up a business in Germany so that we can service and assemble our machines.” I’m really looking forward›› to increasing our involvement in Germany, the UK, France and the Nether- lands.‹‹ WHAT’S THE SITUATION WITH PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT? ‘‘It’s not really necessary for the European market, because we’re so far ahead of the competition up here in the Nordic re- gion. We have control here, with mobile phones and suchlike, while Germany hasn’t yet fully understood the advantages of our unique concept. I’m focusing on getting our products out there, but without losing the Nordic market. The next step for us and the rest of the industry will involve controlling ma- chines with lasers and GPS – this will be an exciting develop- ment.”

HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT YOUR ROLE AS CEO AND FOUNDER OF THE COMPANY? ‘‘I’m the CEO, sure, but even so my main job is to understand what our customers need, what the next big thing might be. The markets on which we focus more extensively are all about digging where you stand, i.e. being able to do more with your excavator while not mov- ing around. This results in efficien- cy and increases profits. This is an area in which engcon will be an Stig can often be found in the important partner. And this is how development department, testing products and adjusting we’ll continue our growth.” things.

Stig Engström, engcon’s founder, standing beside the tiltrotator assembly line at the Strömsund plant. MONICA & MARTIN PART OF THE ENGCON

FAMILY Monica, Stig’s ex-wife, was responsible engcon’s finances for a number of years. Martin, their son, Meet Monica and Martin. Monica also works at engcon. was responsible for engcon’s ‘‘The tide started to turn in 1996. The economic situation finances right from the very begin- was better and we sold more machines. People in Swe- ning, and now she’s a member of den have always been really keen on innovations, and that helped us to sell more too. We were so used to scrimping the board at engcon and plays an and saving that when we made some sales, we soon had some money left over and we invested that in the company. active part in trade fairs. Martin is We were working round the clock”, explains Monica. their son, and now he is getting ‘‘One of the reasons for engcon’s success is that we’ve al- involved with the group in earnest. ways looked to the future, aimed at growing, becoming the biggest in our field. Another reason is the family feel we have at the company, we’ve had that right from the start. I tig and I were married for a number of years, remember how I used to make waffles for everyone at the explains Monica Engström. We became a company. But we’ve grown now, and that’s changed the couple in 1990. Stig was working with similar company. We’re growing out across the world, and it’s no products at a company, but he arrived home longer a small company. It’s a big company now.” Slate at night and was fed up. He thought that getting to where he wanted to be with the products and the Martin Engström is the son of Stig and Monica. He’s been company was a slow and arduous task. And that was with the company since he started working. how we came up with the idea of him starting his own company. We can’t go on like this, I said, we have to People in Sweden have start up on our own! I remember that Stig talked to his ›› friends about it, and a lot of people reckoned he was always been really keen on mad to give up a secure job. But I said to him that he innovations, and that helped should just go for it. us to sell more too. ‘‘Stig enlisted the help of his brother, who helped to fi- ‹‹ nance the start of the limited company. I was studying ‘‘I remember being allowed to stack pallets, sweep up and finance and marketing and tried to help out in my own do all kinds of little jobs when I was little, he explains. Now way. I dealt with the accounts, wrote letters and sort- I’m older, I’ve done a lot of work on the sales side of things ed out the administration. We struggled financially in for the company, but I also demonstrate our products 1992, and the year after that our son Martin was born. when so required. My plan now is to move to Germany and I remember Martin’s first few days of life – I sat there progress things there, and learn more about the things I’ve and answered the phone while feeding him.” not learned about yet. I’m really looking forward to learning more of the language, too. And of course I’ll be talking to ‘‘We moved to Strömsund after that, partly because both Stig and Monica back home in Sweden, we’re always that made it easier to find people to work for us. The open with one another and we have no secrets. Maybe municipality were really pleased about us setting up that’s one of the secrets of engcon’s success.” here, times were hard of course. We took on our first staff at that time and I carried on working, answering the phones, heading out and doing assembly work.” THE FIRST 25 CUSTOMERS STIG SAYS: Development was the order of the day in the first few years of engcon, and despite a number of setbacks innovator Stig Engström was absolutely convinced that tiltrotator technology was the future. All he had to do was make everything work.

Convincing contractors about the amazing features of the tiltrotator while also assisting the very first customers with servicing and re- pairs and exchanges of non-functioning prod- ucts was no easy task. Despite incredibly hard times when engcon first came into being, Stig remembers that his very first customers were incredibly pa- tient. And even though harsh words were exchanged at times, contractors had just as much belief in the technology as Stig himself had. Many of the very earliest customers are still active contractors, and the majority of them are still faithful engcon users. Of course, we’d like to thank them for that. Stig tells us here about the company’s first 25 customers, in no particular order.

Stig Engström at the controls in the 1990s.

CONT. ›››› ROLF ISRAELSSON, FRÄNSTA HUDDIG 960 really tough testing environment, and we exchanged some pretty Probably the first person to order an EC10 model, archetype A, harsh words. We continue to work together to this day. Hedins and I never got it to work despite repeated attempts. He had an hjulgrävmaskiner, now run by Sture’s son Micke, has always been investment fund that he had to spend before New Year 1991, so he an important engcon customer. bought an Indexator RT800 instead and I had to go and pick up my wonderful EC10 A and drive it back very slowly. HARRY PERSSON, STRÖMSUND, ÅKERMAN H7 WITH B18 HITCH Harry turned up at my office just before JAN KARLSSON, LUND HUDDIG 960 Christmas 1993 and was wondering about Jan bought one of the very first EC10 model As that never really buying an EC20. I was really pleased to worked. Fältmontören in Skåne helped me to service it, but we had have a local customer. Harry wanted his to give up in the end. We swapped Jan’s tiltrotator for a model B as invoice before New Year for accounting soon as I implemented worm wheels and hydraulic locks in 1993. purposes, although we weren’t going to deliver the machine until late January. He DEGEBERGA GRUS OCH SCHAKT, got his invoice, and we received the money Harry Persson DEGEBERGA, LIEBHERR AND before New Year. You can imagine how VOLVO 6300 welcome that money was! The tiltrotator was completed three I clearly remember when Håkan and I were times before Harry got it. Just when we finished it, we sent it to heading for the cottage in February 1994. another customer, and then the same happened again with another A few kilometres away from our destination, customer. But when the spring sun was high in the sky and we Håkan received a phone call from Bertil who wanted to borrow it for the third time, Harry adopted a rougher tone said he’d accepted our price for an EC20 that I’d never heard before and told us he needed his tiltrotator. I with a B18 hitch and an EC10 with a 50 Bertil Andersson don’t remember whether we managed to talk him round this time as hitch, including a few buckets. This was the well, or if he received his tiltrotator in the latter half of April. biggest order we’d ever received, and we were on cloud nine for a few weeks. In fact, I still feel really happy whenever I think about it! HERTSJÖ ENTREPRENAD HANS BORVALL, BOLLNÄS. Since then, Bertil has been one of engcon’s most faithful custom- CAT 212 ers and we’ve met up at trade fairs every year. One of the first EC20s we supplied. I was there myself and as- sembled it. Hans is an incredibly pleasant person, and we’ve done KRISTER RÖNNDE, MUNKALJUNGBY, BM6300 business together since this first assembly work. Krister bought an EC10 model A, and it was supplied with hydrau- lic locks so it was one step ahead. Swapped for a B. He’s always ANDERS EK, GETINGE, HUDDIG 960 been pleasant and helpful despite a number of problems, and I A wonderful person who helped me a lot, despite all kinds of think he’s faithful to engcon to this day. problems with his EC10 model A wheel. Positive and helpful, and we swapped the wheel for a model B as soon as I had the money available. MUNICIPALITY OF TIMRÅ Bought an EC10 model A from me in Täby in 1991 and paid with KJELL BRODIN, SANDVIKEN, VALMET 7000 the money they’d received because the driver had been injured He had one of the first EC10 type Bs we delivered in 1993. I at work. I delivered and assembled the machine myself, and I was was there myself and did the assembly work. We’ve had a long overwhelmed with happiness. I didn’t hear from them for a year, relationship with Kjell and his son Stefan since then. Stefan has just which seemed a little strange because the machine didn’t normally come back to the engcon fold after a number of years with other work. When the driver got in touch, I was terrified. But as it turned suppliers. out, he’d forgotten how it worked because he’d been off sick for a year. We swapped this for a B after a year or so. GÖRAN SIVERMAN, VÄLLINGBY, BM6300 We supplied Göran with one of the first EC10 model As. I was on KRANTZ ÅKERI UPPSALA, ÅKERMAN H3, site in central Stockholm several times to service it, repair it and DRIVER HÅKAN FRANZEN eventually replace it with a type B. Bought one of the very first machines. Nothing ever worked, but Håkan rolled his sleeves up and tinkered with the machine and always kept both me and the haulage company smiling. The wheel KNUT SØRLUNDSENGEN, was updated to a B, and after a year or so Håkan bought the exca- HAMAR, KOBELCO WITH SMP 2 vator himself and started up his own company. I think he’s still with HITCH engcon to this day. One of our first customers in Norway, who bought his machine via Lippemaskin. The STURE HEDIN JOKKMOKK, ÅKERMAN H7 biggest challenge involved getting an SMP Bought an EC20 ”Rock rotator” from me in 1994. Sture was one of 2 quick coupler that would fit. The first hitch my customers back in 1986 when I assembled his first ever R1800 was bought from SMP and welded onto in the mine in Vitåfors (Gällivare). The wheel was used to break our tiltrotator. Knut has been a faithful cus- down tunnels, and we had all kinds of problems with it. This was a Knut Sörlundsengen tomer for many years and still has a number of engcon products now. PÄR SVELANDER ÅNGE, VALMET 9000E in Lidsjöberg. I think Hjorts bought their first EC10 model B before Bought an EC10 A from me, but that was also replaced with a B Christmas 1994. They’ve had a lot of products from us since then. after a while. SVEN-ERIK ENGSTRÖM, ÖSTERSUND, ÅKERMAN H10 GÖSTA KARLSSON GAMLA KÖPSTAD, TVÅÅKER, Sven-Erik was our first EC20 test operator. I wanted to sell a tiltro- HUDDIG 960 tator, of course, but he resisted. I remember assembling it on the Bought an EC10 model A from me, and updated it to a B after E14 between Gällö and Bräcke, but despite testing it for a couple about a year. of months he didn’t want to buy it from me. But since then we’ve sold a number of tiltrotators to SE Engström.

OVE NATANAELSSON, STENUNGSUND, ÅKERMAN BRÖDERNA HEMMING VASA, A pioneer in the development of the original wheel. He was a test FINLAND, ÅKERMAN driver for Ulf Holmdahl, who was one of the inventors of the ”Vrid- I remember how much Håkan Wiik wanted vicka” (turn-pivoter). Of course, he encountered major problems to get in with this contractor in his own with everything but he was always helpful. When I started again local area. Hemming was an old company together with RS Maskinutrustning (Kent Ratikainen and Tommy with a good reputation. It had a number of Söderberg), Ove bought one of the first EC20s. excavators and, as Håkan put it, ”they’re weren’t short of money”. They’d already JOHN JAKKULA, VESTRE JAKOBSELV, ÅKERMAN H7 bought their first tiltrotator from Håkan Stig Johanssen at Lippemaskin managed to sell an EC20 to this Kai I Hemming when he was working for Noreco before customer near Kirkenes, including assembly. Great, so Monica 1992. I so remember our happiness when and I went off to Kirkenes in July 1994. It was cold and windy there Hemming ordered two tiltrotators in 1994. We’d managed to make despite the time of year. Assembly took place as usual in a car park inroads into Finland. outside a petrol station. That was quite handy, actually, because we didn’t have to go far to buy the cable terminals and electrical tape BROBY TRÄDGÅRDSANLÄGGNINGAR, VOLVO 6300 that we needed. Håkan and I were on one of our few sales trips, and one of our aims was to assemble an EC10 model B for Broby trädgårdsanlägg- CIVIL ENGINEER ERLING RÖYNSTRAND, ODDA, ningar. I very clearly remember what happened, because after the ÅKERMAN H10 visit I was forced to drive home in a panic because Monica had just Monica and I headed there in August 1994 and assembled an been taken off to the labour ward. Martin was born a week after my EC20 and a converted timber grapple for handling stone. The visit to Broby trädgårdsanläggningar. machine was operated high up on a mountainside, where a natural stone wall was being built in order to prevent the next rockfall. A KJELLS GRÄVSERVICE, KATRINEHOLM, BM6300 number of buildings had been pushed down into the sea following Kjell was early to market and ordered an EC10 type A. Of course, a rockfall a few months before my visit. Assembly went as well as just like all the others it never really worked. We exchanged quite a could be expected at that time. lot of harsh comments before we arrived at the point where I could swap his EC10 A for a type B. MJÖLBY ENTREPRENAD One of the first two EC20s built and sold via RS Maskinutrustning, E KARLSTRÖMS ÅKERI, RAMSELE, our contacts in Uddevalla. Unfortunately we got a Montabert CAT 20-TONNE WITH 20 HITCH BRH1100 as a trade-in rather than cash, with a value of around Bengt and Sven Göran Karlström have SEK 90,000. We didn’t appreciate that at all at the time. Moreover, worked closely with engcon throughout the piston in the hammer was broken and a new one would cost our history. Their first tiltrotator was an SEK 70,000. Our neighbour Sven Asp in Strömsund manufac- EC20 extra strong that they were going tured a piston of his own, and after tempering and all that it cost to use for cable laying, so they had quite a SEK 18,000. Lippemaskin took pity on us afterwards and it com- struggle on their hands. We had to make manded a value of SEK 11,000 at that time. the tiltrotator as simple as possible with a single selection valve between tilt and HJORTS ENTREPRENAD FAGERLAND, HUDDIG 960 rotation, and Bengt didn’t want a swivel or Bengt Karlström It was really hard to persuade Sven Erik hydraulic lock. It had to be simple, manual Hjort to buy an EC10 from us. But that and functional. So I made my first manual lock for a 20 hitch out of said, he worked for me as a test operator a threaded rod, a standard nut and a few bits and pieces I had lying in Lidsjöberg right from the start. He was around in boxes from my other projects. I remember so clearly the building new power lines around the area day Bengt, a very powerful man, came up to me with half the mech- and got to try out my first EC10 type A anism in his hand and said ”you must be absolutely shameless if a number of times. The trials continued you’re sending out things like this to people who work…”. I blushed for a few hours at most before the whole and managed to build a more heavy duty variant of the lock mecha- thing was wrecked. So once again I had nism. E Karlströms is still one of our truly faithful customers. to get out my welding gear at the garage Sven-Erik Hjort FROM MODEL A TO EC10-A GENERATION 2

We’ve altered an entire industry engcon is setting a new standard in our first 25 years in business! with the Generation 2 series. Thousands of hours of research, Among the features are a 45 de- testing and further development have gree tilt angle, increased service ac- created a unique concept. cess, increased bushing sizes, hy- Our customers all over the world can draulic motor on the left-hand side work more quickly, more safely and and integrated central lubrication. more efficiently. They can earn more The latter, that all lubrication points money, get service via their smart- are connected one single lubrica- phones and – not least – tion block, saves the contractor a develop their businesses. lot of time and money. All our expertise and innovation The new tiltrotators EC204*, are gathered together in our latest EC206, EC209, EC214, EC219 tiltrotators. and EC226 span the range of exca- vators from 2 tonnes to 26 tonnes and have a number of advantages

The first rotor tilt. Many which further increase profitability of its functions can be found in the tiltrotators and excavator flexibility. of today, but it goes without saying that we’ve added lots of innovations as well.

* The EC204 for 2 to 4-tonne excavators will be launched in late 2015. The EC30 is available for the biggest excavators, up to 32 tonnes. TO GENERATION 2 engcon is setting a new standard with the Generation 2 series. Among the features are a 45 de- gree tilt angle, increased service ac- cess, increased bushing sizes, hy- draulic motor on the left-hand side and integrated central lubrication. The latter, that all lubrication points are connected one single lubrica- tion block, saves the contractor a lot of time and money. The new tiltrotators EC204*, EC206, EC209, EC214, EC219 and EC226 span the range of exca- vators from 2 tonnes to 26 tonnes and have a number of advantages which further increase profitability and excavator flexibility. SAFER, FASTER SWITCHES WITH

THE SAFEST AND QUICK COUPLER IN THE WORLD!

EC-Oil allows you to connect hydraulic attach- The EC-Oil can be mounted on both the excava- ments automatically in seconds. You can connect tor hitch and the tiltrotator’s hitch during manufac- hydraulics, electrics and central lubrication with- ture, or it can be retrofitted. out leaving the cab! Q-SAFE. REALLY, REALLY, REALLY SAFE This means you can hitch your tiltrotator easily QUICK COUPLER and more or less instantly before then connecting The Q-Safe is our newly developed quick cou- a hydraulic hammer or attaching a deep bucket di- pler for excavators and an accessory for EC-Oil. rectly to the machine hitch for a day’s heavy exca- With a fully equipped Q-Safe fitted to the excava- vation or when you want to save weight in general. tor, the bucket or attachment selected must have ground contact that exerts a given pressure. In The EC-Oil hydraulic connection is mounted on other words, buckets and attachments cannot engcon’s Q-Safe* quick coupler and is designed be removed while up in the air. Q-Safe™ has triple for maximum reliability in demanding environ- safety and forms part of engcon’s ”Non Accident ments. The proprietary oil and electrical connec- Generation” initiative in which safety awareness tions are designed to withstand tough conditions, permeates the entire product range.* and these are the most hardwearing connections on the market as they are capable of connecting Would you like to find out more? hydraulic attachments with full system pressure. Type engcon.com/ecoil – quickly!

*Q-Safe, the world’s safest quick coupler, is available as both an excavator hitch and a quick coupler under engcon tiltrotators, and it comes prepared for EC-Oil attachment when supplied. Q-Safe is available in hitch sizes S45, S50, S60, S70 and S80. SAFER,

As soon as the Q-Safe quick coupler makes contact with the bucket or attach- ment’s first axle, the surrounding area is FASTER alerted by loud audible and bright visual signals. The excavator’s slew function is SWITCHES restricted at the same time.

The audible and visual warnings continue WITH as long as the bucket or attachment is not properly locked on both axles. The turning block also continues to be activated.

THE SAFEST When both axles have full contact, the QUICK COUPLER audible/visual alerts are cancelled and the slew restriction is released. The machine is ready to work with the bucket or attach- IN THE WORLD! ment fully connected. The attachment can now only be removed when it is resting on the ground at a given pressure. SAVE TIME AND MONEY WITH REMOTE SUPPORT ON YOUR MOBILE

engcon’s DC2 control system fits all excavators and is the Our new, safe proportional control system – approved in only product on the market which allows users to access accordance with the new safety standard ISO 13849-1 remote support on their smartphones via an easy-to-use – ensures simple and precise control of all attachments free app. and can be adapted for track and wheel control and boom control. The specially designed MIG2 levers, with This is a huge time-saver for customers when it comes hand supports ensuring maximum ergonomics and func- to troubleshooting, calibration and servicing. In turn, this tion, permit control with up to six rollers. means minimal amounts of downtime and increased prof- itability.

SMARTPHONE Connect your Smartphone to the DC2 via Bluetooth and switch between differ- ent operator profiles and attachments or enter speed settings. Call the support desk and get remote support via the mobile phone network.

REMOTE SUPPORT DC2 troubleshooting and calibration via the mobile phone network.

DC2 PROPORTIONAL CONTROL SYSTEM The DC2 proportional control system for tiltrotators fits all excavators. Available with wheel and track steering, as well as boom control FULL FUNCTIONALITY via the machine’s joysticks. The ergonomic MIG2 joystick is optimised for demanding use and can, when combined with the DC2, be used with up to six rollers and 14 buttons on two joysticks. EXPERIENCE ERGONOMICS, MAKE EXCAVATION EASIER

The MIG2 is a newly developed lever for excavators which DC2 control system (providing the option of operating prioritises ergonomics and function. With the built-in hand three rollers simultaneously), but it’s also compatible with support (fitted as standard), it’s possible to completely let other control systems on the market (although no more go of the handle and operate the three rollers and some of than two rollers can be operated simultaneously in that the seven buttons which can be fitted on each lever. The case). MIG2 is adapted to achieve full function together with the

Can be fitted with Meets requirements in ac- Hand support three rollers/handles cordance with the Machine supplied as and seven buttons, or Directive 2006/42/EC and standard at no six buttons and FNR SS-EN ISO 13849-1 extra cost (Forwards Neutral Reverse) Can be adapt- Up to seven Easy to ed to all control buttons per adjust the systems on the lever angle of market the hand Can be retrofitted with optional functions Up to three rollers per lever

Monitoring with double breaker functions for maximum safety

Ergonomic design

New bracket means incredi- bly easy fitting It’s clearly impossible to wear out an engcon machine, according to machine operator Arne Paby, who’s keen to hold on to his old, tried and tested equipment. With enthusiastic stubbornness he operates a 1992-model BM 6300 wheeled loader fitted with an EC10 tiltrotator, probably dating back to 1992. JUST HOW OLD COULD A TILTROTATOR BE?

Arne Paby with Devil, his dog. The two of them travel all over Sweden working on rails with Arne’s Volvo BM 6300, fitted with a 23-year-old engcon EC10. ”It’s the best thing you can use for this kind of job,” reckons Arne. hy is he using such old products, GREAT SERVICE you might wonder. ”Because He also applies this opinion to engcon’s tiltro- they work so well,” he replies tator. He doesn’t really know exactly how old it quickly! is, but this EC10 model was probably made in ArneW works for his brothers’ company, Paby & 1992. It’s been owned by Paby & Sons since Son AB, and specialises in rail work. In sum- 1992, and it’s been slightly modified and very mer he and his machine work for companies well maintained. that maintain the Swedish railways. He ends ‘‘I’ve switched from 25 to 30 mm piston up working on railway embankments and rods. I’ve also machined off the carrier which tramways all over the country. holds the worm wheel together in order to get In 2014, one of the places he ended up in rid of a small gap. Otherwise I’ve done hardly was Västergötland. His job there was to use anything. his machine to help replace sleepers and rails ‘‘It’s probably impossible to wear out the on the Kinnekullebanan line between Hova EC10. If you maintain it well, it just keeps on and Mariestad. going,” he says, praising engcon’s staff and engineers. NOTHING BETTER ‘‘I phone up when I need spare parts, and There are functional reasons as to why Paby & the people I speak to are always very friend- Son have never invested in a newer machine. ly and helpful. People at engcon know what Arne explains it all. they’re doing even though my EC10 is so old,” ‘‘When it comes to what we do, there’s concludes Arne. nothing better. BM machines of this vintage are rigid around the middle, which makes them much more stable on rails than machines which swing in the middle. It also has a con- FACTS verter, not a hydrostat. This is a definite advan- Arne Paby’s Volvo BM 6300, 1992 model tage when you often switch between forward and reverse movement, which is something Engine (replaced)...... Cummins 5.9 l Engine output...... 130 hp you do all the time when you’re working on Tiltrotator...... engcon EC10 ≈1992 rails. Time on the hour meter, 2014.. > 23000 hours ‘‘Thirdly, the entire machine and all its equip- Rail solution, front...... rail bogie ment are of high quality. Everything works, and Rail solution, rear...... track followers for support legs Drive...... 4 x 4 the attachments are robust.” Weight with full equipment...... approx. 15 tonnes

JUST HOW OLD COULD A TILTROTATOR BE? Saltwater and large rocks take their toll on hydraulics and machinery. But even so, the oldest tiltrotator in use in Denmark has survived for 17 years. DENMARK’S OLDEST COPES WITHSALTWATER AND STONE

ustav Svendsen has been a contractor for his NEVER ANY PROBLEMS whole life. He bought a coastal protection ‘‘Of course, I was nervous about whether it’d be able to company 30 years ago, and since then this has cope with the harsh environment, with saltwater, sand been his main job. He works mainly with munic- from the beach and rocks, but I have to say I’ve never had Gipalities and coastal protection associations. any problems with it. There have been leaks, of course, but ‘‘I work mainly with coastal protection, but because that’s always been the case with hoses or wear parts. I there’s not much demand in summer – nobody wants to think it’s really great,” he says, adding that the tiltrotator disturb visitors on the beach – I’ve done a few other jobs helps to protect the undercarriage as the machine doesn’t for the last few years. Initially, the tiltrotator made it easier to have to be moved so often. hire out the machine to the large contracting companies. ‘‘I work together with a partner who has a raft. I drive Nobody else had anything like it,” says Gustav Svendsen. the machine out onto the raft and then we can head out for shallow waters where we set out rocks to protect the TILTROTATOR MEANS PRECISION coastline. I get the rocks from a grapple bucket on a fair- ‘‘I had a rotator on my machine initially. I bought it sec- ly large boat, and I can use the tiltrotator to turn the rock ond-hand and it worked well, but when I found out it was bucket so that he can place the rocks directly in my bucket possible to have the tilt function as well, I didn’t hesitate. before I position them,” explains Gustav Svendsen. When doing coastal protection work, it’s very important to be able to pack the rocks properly. The tiltrotator allows PARTNERSHIP you to place them very precisely,” he explains. Gustav Svendsen originally bought the tiltrotator for a He bought his tiltrotator from a machine company in 20-tonne Case excavator. This was replaced later by a Hillerød that acted as a reseller for engcon. Fiat-Hitachi 210, and more recently by a Fiat-Kobelco ‘‘My bucket didn’t actually fit properly in the hitch when EX215. the tiltrotator was supplied, so a member of staff from the ‘‘These are 20 to 22-tonne machines which are best company in Hillerød drove up to the factory in Stockholm suited to working here on the beach in North Zealand. At to adjust it.” certain points, there’s not much space for us to get down A tiltrotator that works under incredibly tough conditions! Particularly stringent demands are made of equipment and servicing here.

to the beach. Although a large machine with a longer reach would be an advantage at times, we stick with the 20 to Gustav Svendsen demands a lot from 22-tonne machines.” his tiltrotator. And with 30 years in the industry, he knows exactly what GS Kystsikring used to employ staff and at one time works. had both wheel loaders and tippers, but nowadays Gustav Svendsen works in partnership with Tonny Svendsen, who runs his own transport company and has a loader, as well as driving for Gustav Svendsen. NEW TILTROTATOR ‘‘The plan is for Tonny Svendsen to take over GS Kyst- sikring, and when he does he’ll be the one who decides whether to switch to a new tiltrotator. Although it works well, it is starting to wear out a bit, and if I’d been ten years younger I’d have swapped it. ‘‘It can certainly be refurbished, but there’s also been a fair bit of new development in the field and the new mod- els are both faster and more powerful, so of course it’d be good to make the most of those advances,” says Gustav Svendsen. THE TALE OF THE FIRST TILTROTATOR

Degeberga machine operator Joakim Lindh operate’s the company’s wheeled loader. He’s doing some landscaping work here on a housing plot near Degeberga. When Degeberga Grus & Schakt in Skåne invested in a tilt- rotator in early 1994, this was the very first EC10 in series production supplied by engcon. Bertil Andersson, owner of Degeberga, welcomed Stig Engström and Håkan Wiik, and together they assembled the machine and commissioned it.

ertil Andersson is a well-known contractor trotators on excavators, mini excavators and wheeled from Degeberga in Skåne. He’s been running loaders, and they’re used for everything from regular his father’s company since the 1970s, with excavation to taking down problematic trees, and for his enormous interest in technology and a reed cutting using long excavators, for example. Bkeen eye for what the market requires. The company has developed from his father’s days of working in a 17 TILTROTATORS gravel pit to today’s successful contracting company The company no longer owns the very first EC10. It based on versatility and an excellent reputation. De- was sold to another contractor later on. Over the years, geberga Grus & Schakt now employs around 25 staff Degeberga has invested in 25 or 30 tiltrotators from and has a varied machine fleet which includes around engcon. The company still owns 17 of them. 50 machines and vehicles. ‘‘They’re built to last, and that reflects very positively ‘‘The right machine for the right job’ has always been on engcon products,” says Bertil Andersson. our motto, and it’s always worked for us. Investing in new technology is part of that approach. The fact that we were early adopters of the tiltrotator is an example of this,” he says. THE FIRST CUSTOMER Bertil Andersson had already tried out a tiltrota- tor of a different make in 1993. ‘‘But it didn’t last, so I phoned up Stig Engström in Strömsund and had a chat with him. I ended up placing an order!” Stig Engström and Håkan Wiik of engcon loaded the tiltrotator onto a pickup in early 1994 and drove it more than 1000 kilometres from Strömsund to Dege- berga. The tiltrotator was assembled and tested on one of the Degeberga excavators, and the deal was done. Bertil Andersson’s company was the first to use the engcon EC10. ENGCON WORKS BEST! ‘‘We’ve always stuck with engcon tiltrotators since then. We’ve tried other makes as well, but in our experi- FACTS ence engcon works best. What’s more, they’ve always The very first tiltrotator supplied to Degeberga Grus & helped us out in Strömsund whenever we’ve had ques- Schakt in early 1994 was actually sold twice. Degeber- tions, or if anything has broken or caused problems,” ga was supplied with the tiltrotator ordered by another company while the first company waited for the excava- he says. tion season to start. Have a look at engcon.se for more Today, in 2015, Degeberga Grus & Schakt uses til- information on this tale of deliveries and payments. FIRST AND BIGGEST IN FINLAND Veli Hyyryläinen from Kouvola is a renowned railway contractor in Finland. He wondered back in the 1980s why the bucket couldn’t rotate.

he machine entrepreneur who started off with one machine more than 30 years ago has made progress over the years and is now head of a company employing more than 250 people. The successfulT company was sold almost a decade ago to Destia, resulting in the formation of Destia Rail Oy, a unit specialising in track construction. Some of the machines sold to Destia at that time have returned to Hyyryläinen’s new company, together with their associated engcon units. Seeing the machinery and attachments that helped him to achieve success still gives him a warm glow. HYYRYLÄINEN WORKED ON TRACKS BACK IN 1976 The levelling of railway embankments and advanced switch installations meant that more and more work had to be done on the railways. The wheel loader was soon joined by excavators fitted with engcon tiltrotators. This was an innovation in track work, and the company under- went a growth spurt. ‘‘The machines were old initially, and a lot of mainte- nance and repairs were required. The customer, at that time VR-Rata, liked practical tricks and applications. Our new work procedures increased our popularity in track- building circles, and our reputation grew. We also started using more attachments: an ice scraper, a grading bucket with groups and spikes with quick couplers. These were quite simply efficient in those days,” remembers Veli Hyy- ryläinen. TELEPHONE CALL TO ENGCON ‘‘I’d seen a tiltrotator somewhere, probably one of the first bucket rotators imported to Finland. The idea took root, I got in touch via ARP-telefon and Håkan Wiik came to visit

Veli Hyyryläinen built up the success of his company mainly by improving work proce- dures. Sturdy base machines and application of new tiltrotator innovation, as well as self-manufacturing attachments and further development of complete attachments gave the company a growth which competitors attempted to achieve. FIRST AND BIGGEST IN

me at my workplace in Anjalankoski. That was in the early THE BEST MACHINES IN THE BEST YEARS 1990s. We’d already been working on contracts for about When Veli Hyyryläinen sold his company to Destia in FINLAND 15 years. As a result of Håkan’s visit, our first tiltrotator was 2005 and the handover took place in 2006, it was time for mounted on the first Åkerman manufactured for track use. him to do something completely different. So he started a And when the bucket started rotating on the track, we got new business by buying a company. Elementit-E-företaget the job done in a completely new way. This in turn resulted had produced mobile schools on a small scale. When Veli in more jobs and new opportunities for development.” started as an entrepreneur, the company moved to larg- The company’s growing engcon range also led to con- er premises and now produces schools, nurseries and tact with engcon’s product development team, and the care-related premises. All buildings will be made mobile in observations made in the workplace eventually became future, manufactured indoors at the factory under dry con- suggestions for improvements, and some were even im- ditions and be fitted out as far as possible, and only pipe- plemented for the products. work and cabling will be installed on site. Veli is still contin- uing to manufacture wheel loaders and works machinery MORE TRACK WORK, MORE ENGCON UNITS in a separate workshop. Veli has older machines which he ‘‘Our new way of doing trackwork led to a massive in- once sold to Destia, but which have returned to him via crease in the number of wheel loaders, all of which were buyouts. Veli continues to own six machines equipped fitted with engcon tiltrotators. We must’ve bought more with engcon tiltrotators. These machines are used to test than 60 of them over the years, so in those days we had the new attachments manufactured before handing them the highest number of engcon units in use in Finland. We over to the customer. might still hold that record!” laughs Hyyryläinen. ‘‘We often do the groundwork ourselves for our con- Maansiirto Veli Hyyryläinen bought its engcon units struction projects, and for that we still need engcon. We directly from the factory in Sweden through Håkan Wiik. also hire out these wheel loaders to help meet customers’ Alongside a number of other units, there was a significant needs. And the great thing about this is that spare parts innovation among Veli Hyyryläinen’s engcon applications. are available even for the oldest engcon units.” The company had its own ”standard” with regard to how the engcon units were mounted on the machines, al- ways with hose connections and power sockets fitted in the same way so that all accessories could be used on all machines. If anything was damaged, it was possible to borrow an engcon unit or other attachment from an- other machine. Operators also found that controlling the attachments was consistent and easy to understand in all machines. This allowed the men to operate any of the machines without having to train on each one first, and above all the risk of injury and accidents was considerably reduced. ENGCON UNITS NO LONGER PURCHASED ONE AT A TIME ‘‘When it became clear that engcon units were being used and the prices were already at the right level, when orders were placed people simply told the factory which size class and how many units were required. These transac- tions were always based on trust. This was control system 5,” remembers Veli Hyyryläinen. The engcon tiltrotator has become a part of everyday life, according to manager Knut Sørlundsengen. FASCINATING AND NECESSARY

‘‘Initially, I probably chose the tiltro- tator because I thought it was fas- cinating. And now we can’t get by without them. engcon has been our supplier for almost 20 years. I really don’t think we’ll be changing that situation in a hurry.” nut Sørlundsengen at Sørlundsengen Maskin AS is a pretty quiet man. When he’s not working with one of his construction machines, he’s out in the mountains. He’ an enthusiastic hunter and Kenjoys hunting elk and other animals. But his everyday life involves his two biggest machines; his CAT 320 and 329 fitted with engcon tiltrotators.

QUALITY AND FOLLOW-UP ‘‘I got to know Stig Engström, the founder of engcon, fair- ly early on. And he was the person I phoned to complain when anything wasn’t right,” he says with a grin.

So have you made many phone calls to him over the years? ‘‘Not as many as I’d like to make, in a way. This equipment simply doesn’t break. It’s really easy to mount, with a few simple quick connections, and then you’re up and running. Although this equipment wears out like everything else, it really is a pleasure to sit in the machines day in, day out and really feel that you’re working with a good attachment. I simply switch from one size of machine to the other, and there are no problems in terms of either manoeuvrability or day-to-day use. ‘‘Nowadays it’s all in the wrist, as they say, so it’s all a matter of being used to what you’re doing. But that ap- proach doesn’t work if anything goes wrong with the equipment. That’s why I find it hard to imagine changing to another supplier. More competitors have turned up since, but I’m really pleased with engcon,” smiles Sørlundsen- gen.

EFFICIENCY SINCE 1994 ‘‘The efficiency is what’s made these tiltrotators such a success. Especially the claws. I remember how we fitted an old timber claw on the first one we bought. It looked a bit peculiar, but it worked really well. Since then we’ve tak- Doing this kind of job is all in the wrist, en a lot of efficiency-enhancing tiltrotators from engcon, reckons Knut Sørlundsengen. and as I said we’ll probably end up buying more. ‘‘All the hard work that was exhausting and irritating and disrupted our procedures has now been eliminated. We get everything done with the help of the machine. And that has become a really massive part of my work,” he sighs. really is a dream for a machine operator,” he says with a But then he brightens. ”And that’s why it’s really great to slight smile. have equipment which is efficient and helps to get the job done according to the customer’s wishes.” What’s changed since you started your business? ‘‘First off, I don’t really know when I actually started the Which bit of your job do you enjoy most? business. I’ve been doing this job since I was little. But ‘‘I probably like the variation best. And with equipment from there has been some rapid development since this com- engcon, we can take on most things. We had a turnover of pany was founded almost 20 years ago, that’s for sure. 8 million last year, but there are three of us now so this ‘‘If I had to name one thing, I’d probably mention pa- year we’ll probably do more than that. I feel fully equipped perwork. You have to document absolutely everything, to deal with all kinds of challenges,” he concludes with a and the amount of paperwork in the folders just goes on smile. growing. Of course, there’s not much you can do about it – and certainly, much of that documentation is necessary as well”. ‘‘But even so, it regularly feels as though the paperwork

engcon International | Box 111, SE-833 22 Strömsund | [email protected] | engcon.com