Saving a quarter of fuel costs is an extremely beneficial proposition, especially in times of rocketing fuel prices. To accomplish this, RM hybrid crushers use an electric motor to drive the crusher rotor. The electric drive compensates for peaks in power demand during operation, allowing the diesel engine to run at a constant speed without fluctuations. The company says that this results in much lower fuel consumption of up to 25%, which is based on field data from RM crushers recorded by the new ‘RM XSmart’ fleet management and condition monitoring tool. Even if the RM hybrid machine is running on diesel 100% of the time, the company says it will still save up to 60% in annual operating costs compared to a hydraulic machine because in addition to lower fuel consumption, costs for hydraulic oil and servicing are also reduced.

Paul Donnelly, managing director of Red Knight 6, and Ian Burton, sales director of Taylor & Braithwaite, believe that low running costs have a massive impact on the total cost of ownership of the machine. That is why, despite the higher initial cost of hybrid systems, they often pay for themselves in just a few years. Both of the RM Group's UK sales partners were demonstrating and explaining the RM 100GO! hybrid to visitors at this year's Hillhead show. They added that if a hybrid crusher is combined with a hybrid screen, they believe that fuel savings of up to 30% may be achieved. The combination that was on display at RM Group's stand at Hillhead which  consisted of the RM 120X crusher and the RM MSC8500e hybrid screen.

Emission free crushing and screening with just one energy source

With a hybrid crusher or hybrid screen, it is also possible to operate purely electric and emission free. This opens up completely new application possibilities, such as working on tunnel construction sites, inside buildings and in city centres. RM crushers are said to now comply with the strictest legal requirements in terms of exhaust, dust, and noise emissions. For example, an RM customer in Latvia recently purchased an RM 100GO! hybrid - the same as the one displayed at Hillhead - to crush dolomite electrically and to be able to meet the high legal requirements for road construction. Thanks to the intelligent networking of the RM ‘Next Generation’ machines, a crusher such as the RM 120X hybrid can also power the RM MSC8500e, or both can be plugged into the mains power supply.

Effective fleet management with the RM ‘XSmart’ app

Whether it's fuel consumption, maintenance intervals, throughput, operating hours, or pinpointing the location of RM equipment, the RM XSmart is designed to be the digital assistant that keeps all this information available at any time using a smartphone, tablet or computer. This RM Group fleet management and condition monitoring tool uses real time machine data to simplify the everyday work of machine operators, workshop managers, rental fleet managers, deployment coordinators and owners. “We don't want our customers to waste time doing paperwork for their machines. We want our customers to make the highest profit, and we want to provide them with the best service. That's also why we are focusing on digitalisation,” says RM CEO Gerald Hanisch. With just a few clicks, the data can be broken down to a defined time period. Because the operating hours are recorded automatically, it is no longer necessary to manually log hours at regular intervals for invoicing or to provide evidence for authorities.