Bomag showcased product portfolio and new technologies at “Innovation Days”

Bomag has held its exclusive event for customers, the “Innovation Days”, at its headquarters in Boppard. Some 1,200 guests from about 60 countries, including several Brazilians, participated during the two-day event.

Approximately 1,200 guests from about 60 countries, from Ireland via Rwanda, China and Brazil to far-away New Zealand, attended Bomag’s third Innovation Days. In two-day workshops and presentations they experienced the company’s products in action, learned about new and key technologies from the compaction experts in Boppard and witnessed manufacturing first-hand in factory tours.

 

This year’s Innovation Days were the first conducted in the newly erected demonstration and training centre. It is equipped with five training rooms as well as three service workshops. The adjacent demonstration grounds, as large as a football field and including a roofed hall, holds about 400 seats and offers ideal conditions to exhibit Bomag products in a real-life construction environment as well as sufficient space to train customers on the machines. From Brazil, 25 businessmen from 11 companies from the north to south of the country traveled to Germany exclusively to confer the event.

 

Releases and Innovations

In line with the motto, “Building tomorrow with 60 years of experience”, Bomag presented its extensive product portfolio including a few novelties at the Innovation Days. New introductions were the BW 154 APO and the 174 APO with split drums which are now available. The rollers combine tangential oscillation technology with a split drum, a world first in the compaction sector. With this combination, two advantages come to full fruition: a soft compaction of the surface due to the oscillation and a reduction of the shear forces due to the split drum. Perfect surfaces, even in narrow curves and radii. Furthermore, the drum without belts is entirely maintenance-free. Another new development is the BW 138, which will be equipped with dual amplitudes starting January 2018. In addition to the standard 0.5 mm amplitude it will feature second, 0.2 mm amplitude. The second amplitude will reduce vibration, allowing the flexible use of the roller in cities, on very thin asphalt layers or in connection works.

 

Digitalising construction sites: the example of the Istanbul airport

A key topic during the Innovation Days was the digitalisation of construction sites. This was illustrated in the example of the Istanbul Airport, currently the world’s largest airport construction site. The project managers Christian Holtz and Rukiye Demiral gave a presentation on the mega-project. There are 136 Bomag rollers deployed in the airport project spanning 78 million m^². 40 of those, of the type BW 226 DH-4, are equipped with an integrated automatic compaction control system (BCM). The combination of BCM, BTM and GPS facilitates effective compaction and reduces the number of conventional tests by 80 percent. To accomplish this, six rollers advance in line and exchange data. This yields more exact results and a better compaction performance than conventional systems can deliver.

 

Brazilian entrepreneurs searching for new technologies

A large group of Brazilian entrepreneurs, 25 in total, were invited by BOMAG MARINI Latin America and they were able to check all the activities that included equipment in action, training and seminars. A BOMAG MARINI Latin America team, based in Cachoeirinha, RS, traveled together with the 25 customers and business partners during the Innovation Days. “The success of this event and the presence of a large Group of Brazilian Contractors sinalizes  that our economy is on the tracks of recovery and that Brazilian companies are looking for the most advanced technologies.”  Said alter Rauen, president of BOMAG MARINI Latin America.

“For us, our biennial Innovation Days are the most important Bomag event because they give our customers the opportunity to tangibly experience our products. In our new demonstration facility we are able to show our new ideas and technologies in a realistic construction site environment”, said Ralf Junker, President of Bomag. “Our strength lies in our engineering expertise, our production range and our quality standards. We are convinced that close partnership and co-creation with our customers are the key element to meeting market demands successfully. Our credo is always, “Customer first!”.

 

Smart Machines continues to have high priority

“Smart Machines”, “Operational Safety” as well as “Services 4.0 and Digitalisation” are the three cornerstones of Bomag’s product generations. Some of these technologies guests were able to experience live in product demonstrations. Among them were TanGo 4.0, the Economizer, the Asphalt Manager or gas-powered hand-held machines with minimal hand-arm-vibration. The Bomag Service App for instance combines the company’s service orientation with the opportunities digitalisation offers. Thanks to a QR code, the Bomag Service App facilitates access to a lot of information about the respective machine, directly onsite in the construction field. This includes product data and operation manuals. The suitable service kit for the product can also be ordered via the App. Bomag service technicians also use this technology in the field to communicate with the engineers via smart phone. Together with other digital services such as Bomag Telematic and BCM, Bomag products today are already equipped for the digital construction sites of tomorrow. For Bomag, digitalisation is not a dream of the future, but lived reality.

 

 

Bomag 1957-2017

 

1957:       Foundation of Bopparder Maschinenbaugesellschaft MbH in Boppard am Rhein
Launch of the first double vibratory roller in the world featuring all drum drive – the BW 60

1961:       First overseas branch in Austria

1962:       First self-propelled double vibratory roller: model BW 200

1968:       First international subsidiaries – Bomag Nippon and Canada

1969:       Moved to current headquarters in the Hellerwald industrial park

1973:       First research and development centre

1983:       Development of the first compaction control system – the Terrameter BTM 01

1986:       First contract in China

1998:       Sales of DM 500 million exceeded for the first time

2001:       Introduction of the Asphalt manager – the first control system with automatic compaction control

2003:       New powder coating and paint shop with first driverless transport system

2005:       Acquisition by Fayat

2006:       Takes over the paver and milling machine business

2008:       Selected as one of the “Top 100” most innovative German medium-sized companies

2014:       “Top Job” award as one of the best employers amongst German medium-sized companies

2017:       New customer and training centre in Boppard