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CONSTRUCTION EUROPE
OCTOBER 2013
BREAKERS
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brands,” he said. “For the Chicago Pneumatic
line, we target customers who have a sporadic
use for the breaker.
“For the Atlas Copco line, we target
professionals using breakers 24 hours a day.”
He added, “The Europeans and North
Americans tend to go more for the Atlas
Copco brand hydraulic breakers, rather than
the Chicago Pneumatic design.
“But elsewhere in the world, certainly we
see an increasing trend on the market for the
Chicago Pneumatic breakers.”
Hambach insisted that the differences
between the two lines did not hinge on
quality.
“Both product lines follow our general
quality policy, but the materials used to make
the breakers differ – breakers which will be
used two or three times a month are built
differently to breakers that are intended for
use around the clock.”
PREMIUM
For its premium line, a key focus for Atlas
Copco has been improving power to weight
ratios.
Hambach explained that the manufacturer’s
aim was to allow its customers to complete
the same type of job – but by using a smaller
breaker.
“This means that customers can use
smaller carriers, which leads to lower fuel
consumption.
“They can decrease the input needed
but still achieve the same results,” said
Hambach.
The manufacturer showcased its new SB702
breaker at the Bauma show in Munich earlier
maintenance, but that is not possible,” he
admitted.
However, he added, “We aim to reduce
further the intervals between maintenance
and make it much easier and faster for the
operator.”
Andrew Cope, vice president business for
development at Chicago Pneumatic, had
a slightly different take on the situation,
however.
He said that Chicago Pneumatic offered the
same diverse range of high quality, durable
and easy-to-maintain hydraulic breakers in all
regions of the world, and that the company
was then able to adapt to meet the specific
conditions that might prevail in different
countries around the world.
His view is that the global market for
hydraulic breakers has continued to recover
since the start of 2010, which is something
he views as encouraging.
“Since the third quarter of 2012, the
market has been relatively flat, although
we have experienced significant demand
from Latin and North America, while sales in
Scandinavia, Northern Europe, the UK, France
and Germany remain positive,” he added.
The drivers behind the developments in
breaker technology can be seen to have been
changing over this period.
Cope said, “In the past, we saw demand
from professional demolition users. Today,”
he added, “hydraulic breakers have become
commodity products.
“For instance, it is now possible for
individuals to rent mini excavators with
breaker attachments fromtheir local hardware
store to carry out small scale construction and
gardening jobs,” he said.
“For this reason, Chicago Pneumatic
is focused on providing hydraulic breaker
solutions, whether small scale or heavy duty,
to customers in both segments.”
He said this included both occasional
commodity product users and traditional
professional demolition users who demanded
productivity, fuel efficiency and low total
cost of ownership when purchasing breaker
products.
POTENTIAL FOR GROWTH
Mark Talbot is Volvo Construction Equipment
product marketing manager for breakers, and
he also said there was potential for growth in
breaker sales in developing countries.
However, he felt that competition was often
fierce.
He explained that while main features
on his company’s breakers did not differ
greatly between regions, there were some
differences.
“I am not sure I would like to split it by ‘basic’
or any other term, because the breakers are
specified to a high standard in line with local
market expectations and harmonised with
what the Volvo CE brand represents,” he said.
“But it’s smart to give customers what
they want within the limits of what they can
afford,” he added.
“The aim is not just to supply two products
Designed for backhoe loaders, the latest
breaker models from Ramtec are the Robi
BH32, BH40 and BH52
Gordon Hambach, “Customers can use
smaller carriers, which leads to lower fuel
consumption”
this year. This breaker is a 700kg tool with a
one-piece, solid body housing.
It features an energy recovery system, which
is a key part of its power-to-weight focus
that aims to provide a higher percussive
performance and increased hydraulic
efficiency.
Hambach added that next area of focus
for Atlas Copco would be to look into
maintenance.
“The optimum would be to eliminate all
