Exploration drilling Serbian style - Atlas Copco

on show at intermat 2012 >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Stage 3B New
Emission Standards Generate
Business Opportunities
Not just compliance: Atlas Copco’s Stage 3B XRHS366 compressor which will be on
show at Intermat 2012 in Paris.
One year into the interim Stage 3B, construction and mining professionals might be tempted to use
their existing portable compressors as long as possible. However, switching to Stage 3B-compliant
equipment can generate significant competitive benefits, says Nicolas Englebert, Product Manager
Large Compressors with Atlas Copco Portable Energy.
Stage 3B brought technological upheaval
and price increases, but there is also
an untold story of new business opportunities.
In January 2011, the Stage 3B emission
standards for 130–560 kW off-road diesel
engines went into effect throughout Europe.
The new legislation was bold in its goals
and its requirements: to improve air quality
through drastic decreases of particulate matter
and NOx emissions.
The consequences of Stage 3B for the
portable equipment industry have been significant,
affecting manufacturers, engine
suppliers and end users. The new standards
required significant changes to the design
of portable compressors. “To accommodate
for Stage 3B, we had to build in a new
engine, a new cooling system and a new
exhaust aftertreatment system into our portable
compressors,” says Nicolas Englebert,
Product Manager Large Compressors with
Atlas Copco.
“We knew how much our customers
didn’t want to change the Atlas Copco
equipment they know and trust. So we
worked hard to integrate these new technologies
into our existing equipment,
without affecting performance or footprint.
However, there is no working around the
cost of Stage 3B.” Throughout the industry,
prices across the affected compressor range
increased 35–45 percent.
Competitive advantage
It is not surprising then that construction
and mining professionals, as well as the
rental companies serving them, have not
been eager to switch to the new Stage 3B
compressors. Why not wait for Stage 4
“We have noticed that companies that
offer Stage 3B equipment increasingly
enjoy a real competitive advantage,” says
Englebert. Environmentally forward
Companies that offer
Stage 3B equipment enjoy
a real competitive advantage.
Nicolas Englebert Product Manager, Atlas Copco Portable Energy
countries such as Switzerland, made the
use of Stage 3B-compliant equipment
mandatory a couple of years ago. In other
countries, projects in urban or environmentally
sensitive areas also require or prefer
low-emission equipment.
The Stockholm subway extension offers a
telling example. Low-emission Atlas Copco
compressors are used for the foundation
work, meeting the project managers’ request
to minimize pollution in this heavily populated
area. “As it turns out, Stage 3B compressors
are not just an investment to achieve
compliance, but to gain a real competitive
advantage,” concludes Englebert.
16 Mining & Construction – 1 / 2012