14 Oct 22
Synergy’s mission is to provide the most technologically advanced products and services within the equipment hire industry, and delivering safety solutions for its customers is very much part of Synergy’s remit.
It was Synergy’s commitment to safety that led the company to Xwatch Safety Solutions, Garry Orr Synergy Hire’s Director of Operations explains, “I first met Dan and was introduced to the Xwatch product in May 2019, soon after we adopted the Xwatch system for height and slew as standard.
Our customers and operators like the ease of use associated with Xwatch and the feedback we receive from operators are that you can’t match the simplicity and ease of use of the on-board computer systems. The partnership that we have with Dan and Xwatch will continue to grow in the coming years as we continue to expand our fleet.”
Dean Hardy, Head of Business Development, Synergy Hire commented, “Synergy hire was one of the very first hire companies to choose Xwatch to be their sole supplier for digital height and slew systems. This decision was due to the Xwatch system being so operator friendly and that the XW suite of products are also capable of interfacing with other systems to offer additional safety. We also get great technical support and reliable service and installations.
Many of our large infrastructure clients require us to fit our excavators with a dedicated slew and height restriction system for their projects. We have tried several manufacturers' systems and have found that the Xwatch products are by far the best available.”
Dean concluded, “We currently have 130 systems in our fleet and there are a further 27 to be fitted on new machines arriving before Christmas.”
The Synergy Hitachi machines are all working on high-profile infrastructure projects around the country which includes HS2. The fleet is supplied through Hitachi in the North East, the Xwatch systems are fitted at the dealer’s Port of Tyne facility by specialist Xwatch-trained engineers.
Xwatch Sales and Operations Director Dan Leaney said, “We have worked with Synergy Hire since our launch to market. The company was the first plant hirer to specify Xwatch as standard on its Hitachi fleet. We are delighted that Synergy continues to support Xwatch and would like to thank them for their ongoing commitment to us and the safety of its customers.”
Dan also commented on Synergy’s observations that ‘a key feature of Xwatch’s technology is ensuring it is easy to use for operators. Dan said, “ We have designed our systems to be very simple with just a few pushes of buttons necessary – we hope that combining improved comfort with ease of use will better encourage operators to utilize the safety technology on a regular basis.”
Disruptive safety protection
Graham Black, Editor of Earthmovers magazine paid a visit to Synergy Hire’s depot in Sittingbourne, Kent to see the Xwatch product firsthand on one of Synergy’s many hundreds of high-tech excavators.
Graham said, “Xwatch seems to be disrupting the international market for machine safety systems such as excavator height and slew limiters. The common feedback from the operators is that Xwatch systems are easy to use, while the feedback from owners typically includes the phrase ‘cost-effective.’ Sounds too good to be true? An early adopter of the system was Synergy Hire.
When designing the Xwatch system, ease of use was at the top of their (Xwatch) wish list, not as a mere marketing ploy, but to help to encourage operators to actually use this increasingly common tool of the trade. It was this ‘ease of use’ that ultimately sealed the deal with Synergy Hire.”
Graham added, “The currently strong demand for hire excavators equipped with height and slew limiter is driven by those working on major roads projects, both to prevent the risk of slewing into an adjacent lane and for use when working under bridges or other overhead obstructions. The same technology is ideally suited for use in the house-building sector, particularly with the addition of Xwatch’s rated capacity indicator (RCI) into the mix.”
Hardware
Xwatch’s strategy is to source top-end industrial components all of which come with a strong warranty of five years! TFT displays and controllers are sourced from tried and trusted German electronics manufacturers. The compact angle sensors feature a gyro therefore, no need for vulnerable mechanical linkages to measure the working equipment’s position.
A 135US excavator in Synergy’s yard was equipped with an Xwatch slew and height limiting system which had been fitted by Hitachi UK. At the heart of the system is proportional control of the excavator’s relevant hydraulic circuits. It results in the movement being slowed down as a limit is approached, followed by a soft stop not bringing the working equipment to a sudden halt.
This is achieved by plumbing and digitally controlled hydraulic valve manifold into the return-to-tank end of the appropriate circuits.
Software is key
Graham reported, “Without wanting to be shown how to use the system. And with very little experience, I started playing with a simple Xwatch controller couple of button presses quickly got me to the point of scrolling the maximum height limit up. It was as simple as that. I was then shown how the system is usually used: by raising the working equipment up to the desired ceiling height, then pressing the set button. The screen provides a clear indication of the remaining distance to the digital ceiling together with confirmation of what part of the working equipment is currently the highest point of the excavator.”
Connectivity
“This latest generation technology has far more tricks up its sleeve starting with how the system is programmed. It's the same system that global equipment manufacturers use for the automation of such engineering processes. In practice, this is a mini CanBus network linking all the Xwatch components.
One advantage of this is that the system is easily expandable. For example, it is possible to trigger the system from inputs from the likes of anti-collision systems, RFID personal warning systems, and the latest generation of smart cameras, together providing a data feed of working equipment and slew positions into a machine guidance system.
Graham concluded, “I found the Xwatch height and slew limiting system incredibly easy to use and was impressed by the technology. Not just by what I saw on the day but also by the opportunities to further expand the system in the future. British technology at its best.”