Our Electric Mini Loader Interview
Our Electric Mini Loader Interview
Our Domestic Production Electric Mini Loader Interview
Mr. Ahmet, can we get to know you first?
Born in 1982, I am married and have 2 children. After graduating from Industrial Vocational High School Machinery Department in 1997, I graduated from Karadeniz Technical University Machinery Department with Honor Certificate in 2002. As soon as I graduated from university, I started my career in hydraulic system engineering in a private institution. I have done many projects and studies especially on mobile hydraulic systems. Since our subject is mobile hydraulics, I have worked on hydraulic systems of work and construction machines for many years. I participated as a speaker in the Symposiums organized by 9 Eylül University and Ege University on hydraulic systems. I have patents in 18 subjects, Utility Models in 2 subjects and Industrial Design Registration in 5 subjects on hydraulic systems. I am currently working on the integration of hydraulic systems into the digital system and mobile hydraulic systems.
When was Hidroman founded and what are its fields of activity?
We established Hidroman Hydraulic in 2018 with my wife Tuğba İpek. Hidroman is an organization that provides hydraulic system engineering and support to machinery manufacturers and manufacturers with hydraulic equipment and engineering studies. As Hidroman, we produce and export hydraulic equipment to world-renowned OEM construction equipment manufacturers.
Many issues are going digital today. I think that in the future, the transition to digital life will become even more common and an indispensable part of our lives. This is the main purpose of the establishment of Hidroman. With this approach, we are doing a lot of work on the digital transformation of hydraulic system equipment. As Hidroman, we support machine manufacturers with digital hydraulic system equipment to keep their machines up-to-date in the changing world conditions and to be one step ahead of their competitors.
Can you tell us about your productions under the roof of Hidroman?
We have many brands and organizations under the body of Hidroman. I would like to briefly talk about these brands and their fields of activity.
We produce hydraulic hose and hydraulic pipe manufacturing machines with the Seide brand. For this activity, Seide Makina A.Ş. We started a company called
With the Hydraulic Market brand, we created a platform that allows online sales of hydraulic system equipment in the country.
With the Hydraulic Store brand, we are about to create a platform that allows online sales of hydraulic system equipment abroad.
With the brand of Pnomatik Market, we are about to create a platform that allows online sales of pneumatic system equipment in the country.
We started to produce technological hydraulic system driven construction machines with the Heben brand. We are currently working on 4 different machine prototypes. For these machines, we received the final report approvals of the Ministry of Industry R&D Innovation projects. Our preparations to enter mass production for at least 2 models in 2022 continue.
You carry out productions at many different points with the brands you own. You also produced unmanned mobile construction equipment with the Heben brand. First of all, can we learn the details of this project?
Heben EDI 2009 is a fully electric construction machine. Thanks to its infrastructure, it does more than one job with a single machine. It allows use for Loader, Forklift and Backhoe purposes.
The Working Weight of the Mini Loader prototype we have produced is 3 Tons. With its telescopic boom structure, it has the opportunity to do more work with less maneuvering. We continue to work on the production of models with an operating weight of 1 ton to 20 tons in mass production. In addition, we continue our R&D studies on semi-autonomous and fully autonomous driving modules for this model.
While the height of the machine is 75 cm, the height at which it can be loaded is 350 cm. Heben EDI 2009 It can operate the machine by remote control with radio control method without entering the operator's work area in areas that will risk human safety. In addition, thanks to its low height, it provides the opportunity to be used in closed and low working areas.
When and how did the idea of unmanned mobile construction equipment production come about?
During our conversation with a customer who works in underground mining abroad, he shared the information that he could not find a loader to work in an area with a height of 100 cm. When we did a little research, we saw that our customer was right. Based on this idea, we started working with our R&D team in 2019. We also produced prototypes in 2021.
How many people do you have for the prototype of robotic construction equipment production? Can you tell us about the work of this team?
We put a lot of effort into this project. We have completed our work by spending long hours with 4 Mechanical Engineers, 1 Agricultural Machinery Engineer, 1 Electronics and Communication Engineer and 5 technicians. We carried out all design and prototype work in-house.
What are the technical and technological features of the unmanned mobile work machine?
Heben EDI 2009 model pallet walking system provides optimum driving with instantaneously variable speed and torque values thanks to its servo electric motor drive. The hydraulic pump, with its servo motor driven structure, provides variable flow and variable pressure control instantly according to your needs. Thanks to the proportional valve control system, all hydraulic movements can be precisely controlled. All these servo motor feeds are made with batteries. With optional battery options, the machine's continuous working time reaches 10 hours. The battery charging time provides 80% fullness in 30 minutes.
During the design of this machine, we made product selections to allow the production of the next model. Our next model will be semi-autonomous.
Companies with routine work thanks to semi-autonomous driving, for example; In cases where the same excavation is constantly taken from the same place and transferred to the same place, our machine will first scan the area, then the machine will do these things on its own without any operator intervention until the conditions we have specified are fulfilled, and it will be in a structure to go to the charging station and charge itself.
When will the machine go into mass production and start working in the field?
Before the machine goes into mass production, it has to be subjected to many tests. We have a very sensitive approach to this issue. We have already done laboratory tests, but field studies are very different as you know, we are planning for field tests for a long time. After the field tests, we will sit down with our design team and start the P&D studies. Our mass production plan for this machine will be 2023.
What will be the usage areas of the machine and what benefits will it provide to its users?
Heben EDI 2009 provides the opportunity to use in areas that will risk human safety and in closed and low working areas thanks to its low height.
While designing, we developed the remote-controlled construction equipment for underground and surface mining operations and the iron and steel industry for quarry evacuation and in-pit cleaning works, but we started to receive requests for tunnel and municipal works for this product. After the product prototype was finished, we saw that many industries needed such a machine.
What will be your targets in Turkey and abroad with the unmanned mobile construction machine?
Even when Heben EDI 2009 was being designed, our target was completely abroad. However, now we see that there are also domestic demands. I think that with the acceleration of the production of electrical construction equipment in the world, the demand for this type of machinery will increase even more in the future. Machines and other vehicles with internal combustion engines are bothering us all about environmental pollution from this day forward. In the near future, the demand for such machines will be quite high. For this reason, we have a goal of producing thousands of units in a few years after our decision to mass production.
How do you see the future of robotic construction equipment in Turkey and in the world?
We all live in a rapidly digitizing world. In previous years, our country was in a position to import such technological products, but now we have companies such as Hidroman, which are working on Hydraulic Robot construction equipment. I think that these studies in our country will accelerate in the coming years. In the world, the global construction equipment manufacturers that we all know have already started to work on such products. I think that in the near future, global construction equipment manufacturers and companies that produce in our country will begin to be mentioned in this field.
What do you want to add?
In the past 20 years, our competitor was companies located in the same city, but now our competitor is a company located at the other end of the world. We think that we need to produce innovations nationally in order to get ahead of our competitors, and even if we cannot produce innovations, we should at least keep up with the new technologies produced, and we take care to work in this direction.