engcon magazine 2005 edition

Mikko Lyytinen – a well-known name in Finland“I bought a Rolls Royce” – engcon visits Varbergs Schakt

Swedish Machine Operating Champion – 25 and already a veteran A whole work team in a single cab – a Danish sensation

A genuine Stradivarius – Björn Viken from Trondheim waxes lyrical

2 | engcon

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Page 9 Swedish champion – 25 years old and already at the top

Page 11 Computer-controlled working speed – proportional control adapts implement functions

Page 12 The perfect couple – EC20 + engcon SK stone and scrap handling grab

Page 13 Grab gets praise in Finland

Page 14 A genuine Stradivarius – dulcet tonesfrom Trondheim

Page 15 Three Gazelle companies – with engcon as a common denominator

engcon nordic ab Box 111 SE-833 22 Strömsund, Sweden Tel +46 670-178 00 Fax +46 670-178 28 info@engcon.se www.engcon.se Official publisher:

Sten Strömgren. Production: Syre Reklambyrå. Photography: Sten Strömgren, Ellen Kirkevold, Hydrex and Jocke Prager. Printing: PA Group 2005.

Page 4 Mikko Lyytinen – a well-known name in Finland

Page 6 A Rolls Royce in Varberg – Roger Serholt made his choice back in 1995

Page 7 engcon expands – renovations for 6 million SEK

Page 8 Putting operational safety first – EAGEntreprenad – one of Jämtland’s leaders

Page 9 Success in Norway – another Volvo on its way

Page 10 A whole work team in a single cab – an unusual sight in Munke Bjergby of Denmark

engcon | 3

We are embarking on a new, exciting year. Demand for ourproducts continues to increase, while the expansion of ourassembly lines and the modernisation of our welding and pro-cessing department will lead to shorter delivery times, betterservice and higher product quality.

In 2004, we won the Dagens Industri newspaper’s Gazelleof the Year award for the fifth year running–a feat that only fiveSwedish companies have previously matched.

We also gained ISO 9001 quality certification, whichassures the quality of the products we produce and sell. This

will help us achieve our goal of ensuring that customers arealways satisfied with us.

engcon aims to constantly improve its product quality, inc-rease delivery reliability and improve our market and aftermar-ket services. Customer feedback is vital in this context, and isthe strongest driving force behind our constant development.

Please contact one of our capable and friendly staff mem-bers for information on excavator accessories.

Örjan Westerlund, CEO

A NEW EXCITING YEAR

LEA

DIN

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RTI

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4 | engcon

Mikko Lyytinen is chairman of the Finnish Central Association of Earth

Moving Contractors (SML). His name is sure to be familiar to most

Finnish contractors.

During his first four years as a local chairman of SML,Mikko Lyytinen has helped promote several central issuesthat will have benefited many Finnish contractors.

“The issue we have pressed the hardest was the set-ting up of a discussion forum with the city of Kuopio todiscuss technical issues and problems once or twice ayear. We now have the same forum in both Isalmi and

Varkaus,” states Mikko matter-of-factly.

Perhaps this level-headed,humble attitude has contributedto Mikko’s success as a privateenterpriser alongside his suc-cessful work as chairman.

PRIVATE ENTERPRISERAlongside his work as chairman,Mikko Lyytinen runs his own con-struction company,Maanrakennuspalvelu MikkoLyytinen Oy. Since 1980, thebusiness has grown from a one-

man enterprise to a company with 30 employees. 90% ofMikko’s jobs are turnkey contracts in the Kuopio area,where all the company’s activities are based. The compa-ny’s machinery stock comprises eight excavators, all ofthem fitted with an engcon tiltrotator.

“I began my career with an Åkerman H12,” says Mikkoproudly. He is standing with two of his excavators at the

renovation site of Kuopio’s sports arena, which is beingthoroughly revamped with new spectator stands and chan-ging rooms.

Arto Leppänen operates one of Mikko’s excavators atthe site – a Volvo EW230 fitted with an engcon EC20tiltrotator.

FITTED WITH A TILTROTATOR“Because my machines have tiltrotators, we save plenty ofour own material when refilling the foundation area,” saysMikko. He points out how smoothly Arto manoeuvres thebucket along the ground and distributes the shingle inexactly the right places without unnecessary spillage.

We go into town for a coffee, and see another of hisexcavators right beside the café. The operator, SamiMakkonen, is using a Hitachi Zaxis EW160W for excava-tion and insulation work at the entrance of a large housingarea. The rotating, tiling motion of engcon’s tiltrotatorenables Sami to use the excavator to transport supportingbearings around the wells and up to the steps.

INCREASED PROFITABILITYThe two workers shovelling the gravel over the last stretchhave an easy task. They cheerfully tell us that there will beno excavators without tiltrotators at their workplaces in thefuture. Mikko is also pleased. He points out how the wor-kers are saving material, automatically raising the profitabi-lity of the overall project.

Mikko Lyytinen

“Because my machines have tiltrotators, we save plenty of our ownmaterial when refilling the foundation area,” says Mikko.

engcon | 5

Kuopio’s sports arena is being thoroughly revamped with new spectator stands and changing rooms.Arto Leppänen operates one of Mikko’s excavators at the site.

Excavation and insulation work at the entrance of one of Kuopio’s major housing areas.Sami Makkonen, one of Mikko’s employees, is operating a Hitachi Zaxis EW160W.

6 | engcon

Roger founded the company in 1978, after previously wor-king as a wheel loader operator at Horreds Bygg. He star-ted off with a Poclain 60P wheeled excavators. Today, hismachinery stock includes three CAT wheeled excavators(312, 313 & 315) and a CAT 303 crawler excavator, all fit-ted with engcon tiltrotators. He also has a Case 850 bull-dozer, a Volvo L30 wheel loader and 2 Scania tippers.

THE PERFECT CHOICE“When I bought my first engcon tiltrotator in 1995, I chosea Rolls Royce. I’ve never used anything but engcon since.Engcon’s equipment was the perfect choice, and hasnever given us any problems,” says Roger, who also hasan engcon compactor pulse.

Varbergs Schakt is well known for solving any type oftask, and a quick glance behind the office shows you why.Screeding beams, plough blades, several types of profiledbucket, a rotary cultivator, single-arm saw blades, a cableplough, a levelling bucket with two openings and count-

less “ordinary” buckets are all collected here. All themachines have the engcon RF20 hitch, which is compatib-le with all wheeled excavators.

PROVIDING COMPLETE SOLUTIONS“This machinery is our greatest strength, along with ourcapable operators. We don’t just sell a pit – we providecustomers with complete solutions. When we’ve comple-ted a contract, we’ve done the job from beginning to end,”says Roger.

“We have a fabulous, highly dedicated team, andsometimes arrange surprise events to show our apprecia-tion. One of the most popular events was a visit to theCAT demo centre in Malaga,” says Roger.

The phones ring constantly during engcon’s visit inVarberg. As we leave, Roger is loading a CAT wheel exca-vator onto a trailer destined for a new project that’s justcome in.

Roger Serholt owns and runs the family company Varbergs Schakt AB

along with his wife Margareta and their children Henrik, Rickard and

Frida. They do all types of earth moving operations. Major customers

include PEAB and the Swedish National Road Administration

(Vägverket).

“I BOUGHT A ROLLS ROYCE”

“This machinery is our gre-atest strength, along withour capable operators.”

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engcon | 7

EC05 3–6 tonnes EC10 6–12 tonnes EC15 12–16 tonnes EC20 16–22 tonnes EC30 22–32 tonnes

RotatorEC–R 3–32 tonnes

RotatorEC20–RI 16–22 tonnes

Optional grabber 05 For EC05

Optional grabber 10 For EC10, EC15

Optional grabber 20 For EC15, EC20, EC30

Tilt coupler TF10–322–32 tonnes

Tilt coupler TF20–27 18–32 tonnes

Quick hitchRF10–32 2–32 tonnes

Quick hitchRF20–27 18–32 tonnes

Vibrator platePulse 6–32 tonnesPP350, PP600, PP950

Scrap handlinggrab G10–322–32 tonnes

Scrap handlinggrab G20–2718–32 tonnes

Hit

ches

Acc

esso

ries

Tilt

rota

tor

Stone/Scraphandling grabSK05ST, SK10ST, SK15ST,SK20ST, SK30ST

Like a wrist engcon’s tiltrotator is compatible with all the market’s excavators and

backhoe loaders weighing between 3 and 32 tonnes. The tiltrotator

can be described as a wrist connecting the excavator to the bucket.

An integrated control system offers benefits including unlimited rota-

tion and tilting of up to 40° in two directions. Standard features inclu-

de extra outlets and hydraulic, adaptable couplers for buckets, grabs

and other attachments, which can be quickly and simply replaced

straight from the operator cab.

Customer-adaptedThe tiltrotator’s couplers – both the upper coupler on the stick and

the lower attachment coupler – are manufactured and adapted for all

machines on the market today.

The tiltrotator comes in several models. engcon also offers a

broad selection of customer-adapted quick hitches and other attach-

ments. The tiltrotator has become a standard product in the

Scandinavian construction and installation industry. Today, almost no

excavators and backhoe loaders weighing less than 30 tonnes are

sold in Scandinavia without a tiltrotator

UNLIMITED ROTATION

TILTS UP TO 40° IN TWO DIRECTIONS

MACHINE-ADAPTEDATTACHMENT COUPLERS

EXTRA HYDRAULIC OUTLET

Over the last year, engcon has expan-

ded both its size and its sales.

To provide the necessary capacity

for its planned growth, the company’s

premises, which currently cover 3,800

m2, will be extended by a further

1,500 m2. The whole welding and

processing department will move to

separate premises, and the assembly

lines in the existing facilities will be

significantly extended.

“These initiatives are part of our

expansion, which shows no signs of

slowing down despite last year’s suc-

cesses,” says Örjan Westerlund, eng-

con’s CEO.

“The renovations will cost almost

6 million SEK, and are expected to

provide sufficient capacity for our bud-

geted expansion,” continues

Westerlund.

The renovation will also lead to

increased delivery reliability and higher

quality.

The company has been awarded

the Dagens Industri newspaper’s

Gazelle of the Year Prize for the fifth

consecutive year – a feat that only five

Swedish companies have matched in

the past. Engcon’s expansion rate has

averaged 48.3% per year since 1998.

engcon’s rapid expansion– a six million SEK renovation project

engcon multifunctional tiltrotator

Our core line includes EC5–EC30 tiltrotators for basic machines of 3 –32 tonnes,

EC5R–EC3OR rotators, and integrated grabs for both tiltrotators and rotators.

Besides quick hitches in several dimensions and models for various attachments,

we also supply tilt couplers, stone grabs, scrap handling grabs and various adap-

tor brackets and vibrator plates – all adapted to customer requirements.

Broad, extensive range

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8 | engcon

Today, EAG is one of the largest private companies in Jämtland Municipality providing machinery andtransport services combined with construction services. The company specialises in all types of earthmoving. Major customers include the Swedish National Road Administration (Vägverket), Skanska,NCC and the Swedish National Railway Administration (Banverket). Today, EAG has roughly 25employees and sales of approximately SEK 16 m. Besides trucks and wheel loaders, the companyhas seven excavators in various sizes, several of them equipped with engcon tiltrotators.

STABLE AND RELIABLE“We’re delighted with engcon’s products,” says Mats from the cab of his Hitachi Zaxis 110, which heis starting up for the day. “They’ve never given us any problems and are really stable and reliable.”

He is busy making slopes around the roundabout at the Odenskog traffic interchange, which isbeing renovated with flatter slopes, plant beds and better lighting.

“These changes are mainly aimed at improving traffic safety. The tiltrotator is especially useful forthis type of job – building slopes and installing earth around poles and other objects,” smiles Mats,smoothing the ground around a lamp post.

EAG – a well-respected company

“We’re delighted with engcon’sproducts,” says Mats from the cabof his Hitachi Zaxis 110, which heis starting up for the day. “They’venever given us any problems andare really stable and reliable.”

Mats Götesson is a partner in EAG Entreprenad AB together with his brother

Mikael and father Rolf. EAG is a well-respected company headquartered in

Östersund in central Sweden. The company was founded in 1989 through a

merger between two companies that had been operating for 25 and 40 years,

respectively.

engcon | 9

Tom chooses engcon for his new Volvo.A brand new Volvo EC 140 BLC with an engcon EC15 stands ready for delivery on Volvo

A/S’s yard in Oslo. One of Volvo’s dealers, Albert Krosby, has sold the machine to T.

Sauthon Bygg A/S, a family company in Oslo owned by Terje Sauthon and his son Tom

Sauthon.

COULD SELL MOREBecause Albert is away for Easter, I speak to his colleague Ellen Kirkevold, who is single-

handedly selling Volvo construction machines with engcon tiltrotators like hotcakes.

“I don’t have much time right now,” says Ellen over the phone, sounding slightly stres-

sed. She says the Norwegian market is booming right now, with many new investments

following a sharp upswing in housing and road construction.

“If I could produce more machines, we would sell even more,” says Ellen, holding the

handset by her ear as she photographs the EC 140 for us.

BIGGER EARTH MOVING PROJECTSThe customer, Tom Sauthon, tells us that this is the first Volvo excavator he has bought,

but that his company has wide experience of excavators.

“We are a long-established construction company with our own earth moving depart-

ment,” says Tom, adding that the company’s five excavators are all equipped with tiltrota-

tors.

“We had sales of over 50 million NOK last year, mainly from construction projects. But

our earth moving activities are steadily growing because we do earth moving contracts for

other construction companies,” says Tom.

The company has some 30 employees. Its next contract is an excavation project for a

housing area. This will entail moving approximately 6,000 m3 of earth. engcon’s tiltrotators

are sure to come in handy for water and sewage excavation, levelling and other operations

requiring precision and flexibility.

A Swedishchampion

Trade fairs where engcon will participateDate Event Place

17–19 May SED Milton Keynes, England26–28 May Maskin-Expo Täby, Sweden26– 28 May NordCon Jönköping, Sweden3–5 June Mefa -05 Trondheim, Norway21–23 June Hillhead Pennine Hills, Manchester, UK1–4 Sept. Maxpo Helsinki, Finland7–9 Oct. Steinexpo Germany8–13 Sept. NordBau Germany

At 25, Tomas Klasson is already an acclaimed machi-

ne operator. He has won the Swedish Machine

Operating Championships and ranked among the

winners of the prestigious international Caterpillar

Operators Challenge in Malaga. Despite his age, this

quiet young man is famed for his skilful mastery of

virtually any machine.

“It was incredibly fun to go and compete in

Malaga,” says Tomas, whose everyday job is to ope-

rate excavators and crawler tractors for Varbergs

Schakt. When engcon visited Tomas in late

November, he was busy building an anti-noise barrier

in central Varberg using the company’s bulldozer

Case 850. Tomas usually operates the company’s

CAT 313 wheel excavator fitted with an engcon

EC20 tiltrotator.

“I really love my job and always feel that Roger

acknowledges my efforts,” says Tomas who is one of

Varberg’s most popular machine operators.

“My customers often ring and ask me to send

Tomas,” says Roger, while quickly adding that all his

employees are excellent workers.

Tomas and Roger will also compete in a compa-

ny go-carting cup match, and aim to win the final.

10 | engcon

Certifierat ISO 9001 av

Claus Larsen fits his whole company into his mobile Volvo excavator with a tipper and variousaccessories.

A whole work team in a single cabIt’s a common sight in Sweden. But in Denmark, Claus Larsen

Maskinudlejning from Munke Bjergby in central Zealand turns heads

when driving in his mobile Volvo excavator with a tipper. He is a one-

man team working on contract for a major construction company.

Claus upgraded almost the whole of his company’s machinery stock by buying a Volvo

EW160B mobile excavator with an engcon tiltrotator, pallet forks and a crane arm and

an 11-tonne earth moving truck with a three-way tip. The machine and its accessories

are from Volvo Entreprenørmaskiner A/S.

PERFORMING MORE TASKS ALONE

“In many cases, using a mobile excavator combined with an earth moving truck saves

extra machinery and manpower. When I excavate on a site, I can load surplus earth onto

the truck and drive it away myself, or fetch gravel for the filling work,” explains Claus

Larsen.

“I’ve used a crawler excavator before, but it’s clumsier and far more costly to trans-

port from site to site. With this mobile machine, I can take all my equipment with me

and easily move between building sites.”

PORTABLE EQUIPMENT

Claus Larsen works for a construction company that has many building sites in Zealand.

He often moves between sites.

“The excavator drives at 40 km an hour, so transport is no problem. The machine

works well as a “tractor” for the dumper truck, and it’s practical to take all your equip-

ment along. I can do an incredible number of tasks at a site using the equipment on the

machine. With an engcon tiltrotator and pallet forks, I can move pallets to where the

material is needed and do all types of demolition,” says Claus Larsen.

Certification for engcon

engcon is now certified according to ISO

9001:2000. To gain this certification, we have gradu-

ally changed our ordering and manufacturing proces-

ses in recent years.

The quality certification demonstrates that the

company produces and sells quality-assured pro-

ducts and constantly promotes customer satisfac-

tion. The elements involved in ISO 9001:2000 certifi-

cation are: quality management system, management

responsibility, resource handling, product develop-

ment, and measurement, analysis and improvement.

“engcon has always prioritised quality, but now

our customers have proof that they have chosen the

right supplier,” explains CEO Örjan Westerlund. “The

company needs quality management to deal with its

continued expansion. Many of our customers require

this, since they want suppliers to guarantee their own

quality according to the required standards,” says

Örjan Westerlund.

Quality award forequal opportunitiesIn late 2004, engcon won the EQ-Z-län, Equal

Opportunities Award for well-documented efforts to

improve its personnel policy and create better work-

ing conditions for women and men.

The award was designed by the Jämtland County

Administrative Board as part of the project Know

How – equality, profitability and health in Jämtland

Municipality (Know How – jämställdhet, lönsamhetoch hälsa i Jämtlands län).

News on the webEngcon’s new website will soon be launched. Ourvisitors have often praised our informative, user-friendly site. We will build on these qualities, keepingthe good features while adding new ones.

Among other things, we will introduce a webshop selling our popular clothes, accessories andother goodies. We will set up a discussion forumwhere users of engcon’s products can exchangeopinions. There will also be a wide selection of pic-tures and films.

You will soon find this and much more atwww.engcon.com

www.engcon.com

engcon | 11

Just over a year ago, engcon exhibited

at the Bauma construction fair in

Munich, Germany. We had our own

trade stand, almost 20 of our own

staff plus extra hired staff.

The fair takes place every three

years, alternating with Conexpo in Las

Vegas, USA and Intermat in Paris,

France. These are regarded as the

world’s three biggest construction

fairs.

Bauma attracted a staggering

416,000 visitors. engcon’s stand was

strategically located beside the entran-

ce, and was constantly busy as

crowds flocked to see what you can

do with a tiltrotator.

Engcon’s machine operator, Jocke

Prager, wowed spectators with a

Cat308 fitted with aN EC10 tiltrotator

and integrated grab. Many onlookers

stayed for almost an hour, watching

again and again as engcon’s tiltrotator

performed seemingly impossible tasks.

The trade fair generated countless

enquiries, leading to actual deals as

well as contacts that could well lead

to future collaboration and contracts.

Next on the agenda is Intermat in

Paris, where visitors will have a

second chance to see the “Swedish

miracle”.

Hydrex uses engcon tiltrotators on its railway machinery. Hydrex, which hasbranches throughout the UK, uses engcon to make its machines extra flexible.

The tiltrotators are used for jobs inclu-ding railway work and clearing of vege-tation.Rob Brown manages the railwaydepartment at the Sheffield railway divi-sion.“We’ve been using tiltrotators for over ayear. They’ve proved an extremely reli-

able and popular addition to our machinery stock in Sheffield,” he reports. “Onceour customers see them in action, they ask for them again and again.”

Computer-controlledworking speedengcon recently introduced proportional control in

connection with the supply of a Hitachi excavator.

Proportional control of an excavator’s implements

increases efficiency and opens many new possibili-

ties. For the first time in Denmark, engcon has sup-

plied a tiltrotator with built-in proportional control

valves.Proportional control means that the driver uses a roll on the joy-

stick to regulate the speed of the tiltrotator’s functions. The tiltro-

tator is installed on a Hitachi ZX210 supplied by H.P

Entreprenørmaskiner to Jan Larsen, a contractor in Skælskør,

Denmark.

“I exclusively work for MJ. Eriksson constructing golf courses.

Several layers must be installed with high precision when con-

structing greens, tee places and bunkers. The tiltrotator allows the

material to be pushed and pulled into place instead of moving the

machine,” explains Jan Larsen.

ADAPTED FUNCTIONS

Before proportional control can be installed on a tiltrotator, the

machine’s control system must be adapted for it.

“We collaborate with the supplier during the installation.

Other joysticks are installed and a computer controls the func-

tions. The computer can be programmed so that the two joysticks’

functions are adapted to the individual operators. What’s more,

the functions can be programmed with separate working speeds

for individual operators using the same machine,” says engcon’s

Danish sales rep Henrik Bolting.

“The proportional control can also be connected to other

implements used by the tiltrotator. The machines do not automati-

cally come equipped for proportional control. It’s vital to collabo-

rate closely with the supplier so that the machine’s computer is

programmed correctly,” continues Henrik Bolting.

THINKING AHEAD

Jan Larsen has gained an entirely new machine.

“I bought a Hitachi machine because I believe it’s the most

economical option in the long term, with less operating and main-

tenance costs and lower fuel consumption. I decided to have the

new tiltrotator installed as an investment for the future. It doesn’t

leave me more time for working, but I can work more efficiently

and do the same job for longer,” says Jan Larsen.

Hydrex uses engcon

engcon at the world’s largest trade fair

12 | engcon

After passing Åre, the sky clouded over. Near theSwedish-Norwegian border, a snow storm broke out withdriving snow and zero visibility.

As I rolled down the hills towards Stjördal, the weathercleared. The temperature was minus two degrees, andbrilliant sunshine greeted me in Trondheim, where there

was virtually no snow.The first warm smile of the day

came from Arve Öksnäs, an aftermarket sales rep at the Komatsuimporter Hesselberg, who was

there to help me find the contrac-tors I was to visit during the day.

TOWARDS CENTRAL TRONDHEIM After a quick coffee break, we visited a building site nearcentral Trondheim, where we had an appointment withHans Skogaas. Hans operates a Zaxis 200 LC fitted witha proportionally controlled EC20 and an engcon SK stoneand scrap handling grab for his employer, Ole P Bakken.

Ole P Bakken is a 40 year-old company with its owngravel pit. One of its major clients is the local waterworks.

Ole P Bakken has five employees, and its machinery stockalso includes an engcon-equipped Hitachi ZX 225, twotrucks and two wheel loaders.

EASE AND PRECISIONAlthough Hans is not using his machine and the site today,he swings up into the cab to show how pleased he is withhis well-equipped machine.

Hans starts picking up large blocks of stone from apile beside the building area. He quickly places the stonesin a row, deftly manoeuvring his tiltrotator and grab withgentle, precise movements.

“I’m absolutely delighted with this combination. It’sunbeatable in many situations. The proportional controlsystem means I can operate with precision,” says Hans,who mainly works with excavators in the company.

I ask if engcon’s products come in handy in other situ-ations.

“All the time! There’s actually no job I would do withouta tiltrotator. They’re fabulous for everything,” says Hans,who has worked for the company for four years.

For Hans Skogaas, engcon’s proportionally controlledtiltrotator and engcon’s stone and scrap handling grab are a perfect combination.

The perfect coupleWhen engcon’s reporter began his journey to Trondheim from our

main office and factory in Strömsund at 4:30 a.m. on a cold March

morning, the sky was blue and the temperature was -22 °C.

engcon | 13

Counting on better profits

“I can’t imagine being without my stone and scrap handling grab for a singleday,” says Vesa-Matti Koivunen, who operates the company’s M318.

Thanks to engcon's tiltrotator, Mario Kevekordes can count on improved profits.

Finnish praise forengcon’s SK grabsJari Björkskog runs the construction company J Björkskog

Jordbyggnad in Vasa, Finland with his wife Lise-Lot. They mainly per-

form ground moving operations using four of their own excavators.

Jari operates one of them.

The excavators, which are fitted with engcon tiltrotators and an

SK20 grab, have recently begun operation. The company also has a

Scania 143, operated by Jari’s wife, plus two other trucks. The com-

pany has 3–7 employees, and had sales of EUR 380,000 in 2003.

IMPOSSIBLE WITHOUT A TILTROTATOR

Korsholm Municipality is one of Jari’s many customers. When engcon

visited one of the company’s sites on the outskirts of Vasa, we spoke

to machine operator Vesa-Matti. He is currently doing a refill opera-

tion for a row of garages in a housing estate currently sprouting out

of the Finnish ground.

“We are at the refilling and adjustment stage. engcon’s tiltrotator

really comes in handy here,” says Vesa-Matti. “Without the tiltrotator,

it would be really hard, perhaps even impossible, to do the adjust-

ments without having extra staff with shovels and rakes working

round the machine.”

NEW GRAB A GREAT INVESTMENT

“Since Vesa-Matti got his new SK20 stone and scrap handling grab

with a tiltrotator, he can hardly imagine life without this combination,”

says Jari, adding that engcon’s new grab is a great investment.

Thanks to the tiltrotator, he can operate the stone and scrap hand-

ling grab with millimetre precision, only picking up exactly what’s

necessary. J Björkskog Jordbyggnad also uses the grab for waste

handling and sorting work at Vasa Municipality’s dumping facilities.

Mario Kevekordes is already counting

up the profits as he climbs out of his

CAT 325 BLN. Mario owns and runs

Ilmo, a German company with nine

employees. He always participates in

the work at his sites, and is a real vir-

tuoso at using all his excavators’

implements.

Mario supervises the work and

operates the machines himself. This

has given him important insight into

the financial benefits of having a large

programme of attachments for his

machines.

ENORMOUS BENEFITS

Mario bought his first engcon tiltrota-

tor two years ago. At the time, he saw

great benefits in buying implements

for his excavators engaged in channel

construction. This purchase proved a

vital step in the company’s develop-

ment by making his excavator far

more versatile, while enabling it to dig

in places that were previously inac-

cessible. What’s more, the company

saved enormously on manual work.

“Our costs have dropped signifi-

cantly since we bought engcon’s

tiltrotator,” says Mario. He climbs into

a Cat 130 and demonstrates how

easily he can pick a large stone off

the road with his engcon stone and

scrap handling grab.

Among other things, the company

uses engcon's grab for demolition

and sorting of rubble from brick walls.

Mario Kevekordes also has demolition

crushers and hydraulic hammers, and

has realised the benefits of making full

use of the excavator.

NO LIMITS

“The tiltrotator has lead to huge

savings in terms of both time and fuel.

It’s also reduced wear on the excava-

tor by eliminating the need for unne-

cessary moving around,” says Mario.

“There’s almost no limit to an eng-

con tiltrotator’s uses,” he adds.

“What’s more, engcon is very custo-

mer-oriented. My suggestions for

improvements were passed straight to

the design department and applied

when engcon’s tiltrotators were furt-

her developed. It’s important to choo-

se a good partner like engcon,” con-

cludes Mario Kevekordes.

14 | engcon

Roger is excavating and filling in a cable channel along aside street outside the construction site. Roger owns themachine with his father Henrik, his brothers Terje andBjörn and his mother Astrid. They jointly run Henrik VikenAS, a respected family company whose main clientsinclude the large Norwegian construction companies

Renertsen Anlegg and Sörbestad.

MINIMUM SPILLAGERoger spreads a protective layer of

sand over the cable in the narrow lane.The excavator without an overhang com-bined with the tiltrotator is a handy com-bination. Roger can rotate the bucketand distribute the material exactly wherehe wants it, thus minimising wastage.

“We have seen how important it isfor the bucket roof to have the correct angle,” says Roger.When the brothers order their new buckets, they makesure the bucket angle fits their engcon tiltrotators.

“If the angle is too steep, the bucket angle is com-pletely wrong for certain jobs, making it hard to fully utilisethe tiltrotator’s properties,” says Roger. Terje tells us thatthey build their tools around the tiltrotator.

HIGH OPERATIONAL RELIABILITYThe EC20 attached to the machine has 7,600 operation

hours behind it, and Roger is delighted with its reliability.“A few thousand hours ago, we had to tighten a nut on thetilt cylinder,” he reports, smiling broadly.

Henrik Viken AS was started in 1952 by Henrik Viken,who previously transported timber with his Fergusson.Besides the FK E 200 that Roger is using, the companynow has a Volvo EW140 with an EC20. Despite havingdone 8,500 operation hours, the swivel seals and tilt axleshave only had to be replaced once. They also have aHitachi EX60 fitted with an EC10, purchased last year, anEX60 with an old rotator model, and a Volvo 3-axle tipper.

“Operating the EX60 with an EC10 is like playing aStradivarius.”

The three brothers repeatedly stress how pleased theyare with Uddeholm, where they bought all their engconproducts.

“Uddeholm has enormous expertise and a great after-market organisation,” the three brothers agree in chorus.Uddeholm also supplied the company’s vibratory soil com-pactor, an engcon PP600.

“We have used our PP600 a lot. I remember when wedrove it a bit too close to a building on a construction site.The windows broke!” recalls Terje over a cup of coffee athis parents’ farm at the end of the day.

The farm also provides the company with a base and aplace to store the machinery.

A genuine StradivariusAt the hospital construction site in Trondheim, we find Roger Viken

manoeuvring a Fiat Kobelco E 200 SR fitted with an EC20 and an

engcon RF20 implement coupler.

Bröderna Björn, Terje och Roger Viken är helnöjda med sin EC20 och redskapsfäste RF20 som nu gått 7600 problemfria timmar. Här utförs grävning och återfyllning av kabel längs en sidogata utanför sjukhusbygget i Trondheim.The Viken brothers, Björn, Terje and Roger, are delighted with their EC20 and the RF20 implement coupler, which has 7,600 trouble-free ope-ration hours behind it. Here they dig and fill in a cable channel in a side street outside the hospital building site in Trondheim.

engcon | 15

Toréns in Östersund, Markentreprenader in

Offerdal and engcon in Strömsund are

three of the five companies awarded the

title Gazelle of the Year in Jämtland Muni-

cipality. All three are construction con-

tractors with engcon as a

common denominator.

Toréns has roughly

50 employees and turned

over about SEK 80 milli-

on in 2004. Håkan

Torén radiates optimism

and energy while telling us how he

struggled to achieve his current position.

“It hasn’t all been plain sailing. About

eight years ago, the business was very lac-

klustre with low profitability. Then I landed a

major contract and everything changed,”

recalls Håkan Torén.

“Everyone has their setbacks. But if you’-

re determined to succeed and believe in

yourself and your goods or services, you’ll

get there sooner or later,”

says Stig Engström,

CEO of engcon Holding

AB, who has built up

engcon since its birth in

1990. “I think most suc-

cessful contractors have

suffered various setbacks. But as we know,

fighting makes you tough,” says Stig with a

twinkle.

Stig Engström has been named Gazelle

of the Year five years running, something

only five companies in Sweden have ever

achieved.

The third gazelle is Ulf Nilsson, CEO of

Markentreprenader, a company based in

Änge, Offerdal. He has built up the busi-

ness over many years

with the help of his father

Kalle, his brother Tomas

and the company’s

employees.

The company has

annual sales of about

35–40 million SEK and employs about 20

people. They work the company’s 20

machines, which include 13 excavators –

many fitted with engcon tiltrotators.

“We have always focused on taking all-in

contracts. Many of these are railway pro-

jects requiring special expertise and qualifi-

cations that we have in our workforce,” says

Ulf. This is one of the keys to the compa-

ny’s success.

One of the company’s larger projects

was the mainline railway between Krokom

and Sundsvall, which generated work for

about 18 months. Earlier big projects have

included work for Åreliftarna and various

road construction contracts.

Another thing these three gazelles have

in common is low staff turnover. They are all

popular employers and well-respected ent-

repreneurs.

“And I’ve never seen an elite league

sports team win for 15 consecutive years

with the same team members,” says Håkan

Torén with a hearty laugh.

Three Gazelles with engconas a common denominator

Constantdevelopment “We are constantly developing our products,” says

engcon’s chief designer John Lundqvist, who took

over from Johan Johansson in 2004 when Johan

went to work for our parent company engcon

Holding AB.

John is partly referring to the ongoing feedback

we receive from customers, which helps us constant-

ly raise our technical and quality standards.

Among other things, this feedback led to a thor-

ough upgrade of our bestseller, the EC20.

The EC20 has been upgraded as follows:

Stronger frame, lockable tilt axle lever, 5-valve blockand 6-channel swivel as standard, option of upgrad-ing to a high-flow version, improved maintenanceaccess, better adapted for proportional control.

What’s more, the EC05 has been upgraded with

an improved tubing system and better protection for

the cable and connectors.

“Most of our customers don’t notice the

upgrades because they usually consist of small

ongoing changes,” says John. Today, he employs four

design engineers and two staff members who do

the practical construction.

engcon’s design engineers

draw everything in 3D and have

been using the Inventor design pro-

gramme for two years.

Besides this, they also pre-

pare drawing changes and

exploded drawings for

workshop manuals.

Stig Engström, engcon, Ulf Nilsson, Markentreprenader and Håkan Torén, Toréns prove you can run aprofitable construction business in inland Norrland.

Dagens Industri chooses the Gazelle of the Year. Winners must meet certain criteria. These includedoubled sales over the past three years, increased organic growth and healthy finances.

Certifierat ISO 9001 av

engcon Swedenengcon Finland

engcon UKengcon Deutschland

engcon Denmark

engcon in Europe

engcon nordic ab, tel: +46 (670) 178 00, fax: +46 (670) 178 28engcon Finland, tel: +358 (50) 553 09 82, +358 (40) 554 8735 fax: +358 (63) 222 905engcon Denmark, tel +45 (20) 20 35 84, fax: +45 (64) 79 21 10engcon Germany, tel +49 (33) 75 218 833, +49 (176) 212 589 06, fax: +49 (33) 75 218 835engcon UK, tel +44–2476 456 401, +44 (797) 191 2546, fax: +44–2476 651 461

Our products are also available in Norway, The Netherlands, Belgium, Italy and Ireland through our importers.

For further information on our outlets, visit www.engcon.comEngcon’s products are sold by most brand retailers selling excavators and many implement dealers.

engcon guarantees quali-ty for your machinery.

engcon Nordic ab • Box 111, SE-833 22 Strömsund, Sweden • Tel: +46 (670) 178 00 • Fax: +46 (670) 178 28info@engcon.se • www.engcon.se