Driving innovative change Poclain Hydraulics

DRIVING INNOVATIVE CHANGE

Poclain Hydraulics has launched several strategic programmes to enhance its range of products and systems and is keeping business strong despite post-pandemic challenges. Romana Moares reports.

Poclain Hydraulics – a division of the Poclain group - specialises in the design, manufacture and marketing of hydrostatic transmissions and their related engineering services, to vehicle performance, energy savings and safety.

The company has become the world leader in hydrostatic transmissions based on cam-lobe radial-piston motors. Over the years, Poclain Hydraulics has diversified beyond its off-road vehicle market expertise into new sectors and applications and its innovative solutions are used in agriculture, building and construction, materials handling, the industrial and highways-related sectors, the environment and many others. Technology for zero emissions

As countries worldwide are legislating for net-zero emissions goals, a rapidly growing demand has emerged for zero-emission machines and vehicles.

Poclain Hydraulics made the decision to take an active role in the green transition. Since 2018, the company has been developing a brand-new power transmitter based on electro-hydrostatic technology for compact agricultural, material handling, and construction machines.

Validated and fully functional for over a year now, the transmitter is undergoing tests at Poclain’s in-house test facility and functions

as a zero-emission demonstration machine. It is intended for small or compact two-, three- and four-wheel drive machines operating at a low voltage (48V to 96V), with an operational weight below 2.5 tonnes and a global power below 25 kW. These are typically wheel loaders, truck-mounted forklifts, site dumpers, tandem rollers and other machines with similar characteristics.

Poclain’s system has been designed and sized to enable zeroemission machines to reach the same level of ruggedness and performance as the equivalent diesel machines, to enable OEMs to maintain the key advantages of reliable, robust and compact wheel motors.

The company has been globally recognised for staying at the forefront of product development. Recently introduced solutions include the hydraulic dual-line breaking system to meet the EU 2015/68 Regulation, and the Diamond option special surface treatment to boost durability and motor life. Transformative year

Although as affected by the pandemic as most, the company has managed to leverage its resilience and innovation focus to transform the challenges into opportunities for progress.

“In many ways, 2020 was a year of transformation as it marked the beginning of our new global strategy, Shift-Up Engage 2025 that will enable Poclain to become more industrial, technological, and entrepreneurial,” said CEO Frederic Michelland, in his year-in-review message.

“Our new roadmap will enable us to deploy new high-performing, stand-out products and services, while improving the range and quality of our solutions. The company is also driving the development of major forward-looking projects to meet current and future needs such as electro-hydraulic systems, innovative solutions for autonomous and connected applications, and Big Data and IoT based services.”

He mentioned the three trends that will significantly affect the business environment - a shift in the usage of off-road machinery towards greater autonomy; an increasing pressure on the environmental footprint; and partial or even complete electrification, with the example of hybrid electrohydraulic systems.

Digitisation will play a decisive role in the upcoming scenarios, and this role has already become evident during the pandemic. Examples include Poclain’s deployment of remote assistance thanks to augmented reality, fast-track exploration of new technologies with its FAB’LAB 58 and virtual classroom training modules.

The post-pandemic markets

During the course of 2020, the first wave of the pandemic hit Poclain’s nine manufacturing facilities at different times. China came first, then Italy and France; then India followed in July-August. The second wave in the autumn impacted the US and eastern Europe, where strict lockdown measures were enforced. In terms of sales, uncertainty prevailed until August 2020 but then orders started to pick up. They have been on the rise ever since and sales are expected to surge at a record rate in 2021.

That surge is not without its challenges, though. It may be difficult to increase throughput as some production lines are already working 24/7, and suppliers, particularly in India and the Czech Republic, have extended their lead times to 2022.

Given the latest developments, 2021 seems to represent a unique situation, where developed countries are increasing their spending, while shortages in the workforce and supplies slow supply chains down. At the beginning of the second quarter, this makes it a challenge for Poclain Hydraulics teams to satisfy their soaring order book while strained suppliers and shop floors work with the limited resources at hand.

“We’re doing more than extinguishing fires,” says Pascal Bartek, Supply Chain and IT Director. “We have certified new suppliers and invested in new machines in our facilities. Backstage, our global ERP enables us to adjust production levels between locations and with our suppliers continuously. Other digital tools are enabling us to install or troubleshoot machines between locations within a few hours, something that could take a week in the past.”

He reflects that 2021 will be remembered as a year of opposing forces – a robust twelve-month order backlog versus a seized-up global supply chain. Against these market developments, Poclain Hydraulics, backed by cutting-edge digital tools and its wideranging experience, is committed to serving its customers to the best possible extent. n