A job needs a work tool, and a work tool needs an excavator - not the other way around
Published 6/3, 2023 at 10:05Karl Serneberg is VP sales & marketing at Steelwrist and shares his more than 20years of experience. He previously worked for Volvo Construction Equipment as marketing director for the EMEA sales region and director for Volvo Construction Equipment’s Global Attachment business.
Today he is responsible for developing relationships and sales with major excavator OEM’s as well as Steelwrist’s marketing.
“A job needs a work tool, and a work tool needs an excavator - not the other way around. That’s the starting point when we think about how to increase your excavator efficiency,” says Serneberg. “Let’s focus on quick couplers. What is first and foremost crucial with a quick coupler is that you can change the work tool in a safe manner. With the demand for productivity constantly rising and in many applications the need for quick change of work tool is almost continuous means the importance of quick couplers is just increasing.
“All Steelwrist quick couplers are based on the S-Type (symmetrical) standard. There are many reasons for this, but the compact design, light weight and robustness of the S-type couplers are reasons for this. Add the fact that it is based on an open standard,” says Serneberg. He continues: “That compared to called ‘pin-grabber’ there is no risk of picking up a work tool which is not designed for the specific coupler, which leads to increased safety. Add to this that the total height of the S-Type coupler is significantly lower than the pin-grabber.
“During the last years we can see that the requirement to be able to change hydraulic powered work tools without leaving the cab is increasing. This is why the demand for fully automatic quick couplers is increasing fast. With Steelwrist SQ technology you can change between hydraulic powered work tools such as breaker, crusher, shear, and grapple as well as mechanical work tools in only seconds – all without leaving the cabin.”
Serneberg continues: “Steelwrist ‘Qplus’ is the label they have put on all the improvements Steelwrist has developed compared to competitor solutions. Higher flow, more uptime and improved serviceability are the main benefits for the operator. With Steelwrist Qplus the flow area measures up to 37% more compared to competitor products (depending on coupling size). Steelwrist Qplus sealing technology is completely new and significantly more durable compared to competitor products. This will give you more hours in operation before sealings have to be changed. Changing seals in Steelwrist Qplus couplings is done fast and easy without need for proprietary and complicated tools.”
Serneberg believes strongly in open standard interfaces and states that the Steelwrist SQ system is designed to be able to connect with other brands using the same type of oil connection systems, the Open-S standard. “With an open standard for quick couplers, machine operators and contractors can more easily choose quick couplers, tilt rotators and work tools from different manufacturers, and be confident that they will function together,” concludes Serneberg.
