Technology built into Cat road construction equipment helps Russian company move into the construction business
A Cat® RM500 Rotary Mixer is busy at a Russian jobsite about 20 km (12 miles) northeast of Moscow. The work is changing the area dramatically; what once were 30 hectares (74 acres) of vacant land soon will be home to a new logistical facility for the Sunflower-M Group of Companies. The project includes the logistics terminal as well as offices, parking lots and roads that feed into larger national highway.
As impressive as the makeover of the site, in the city of Mytishchi, is the transformation of Sunflower-M Group. The company is building the facility and all roads leading to it—and doing so despite little experience in the construction industry. Instead of hiring another firm, Sunflower-M Construction Group (SFM) was created in 2010 to take on the construction.
SFM is planning to build more of the same type of facilities in the Moscow region, according to Sergey Ezhov, territory manager, Caterpillar Paving Products, Moscow. The work is essentially a pilot project for the company, said Ezhov, who consulted with Cat® Dealer Zeppelin Moscow during the sale of the machines to Sunflower. Eventually SFM will leverage the equipment and technology on many other projects, such as airport runways, seaport terminals, highways and building foundations.
Technology built into Cat road construction equipment also has helped the firm seamlessly move into construction. Proven, reliable Cat equipment and the 3D automatic leveling systems available through Cat dealerships are among the most helpful of these new technologies. SFM says that new road construction technology and modern equipment enable it to optimize costs at all stages of construction; complete jobs speedily; and provide world-class quality in road construction.
The company uses the automatic leveling systems on many machines, including its Cat 14M Motor Grader and D6N Track-type Tractor. The systems enable quick, efficient grading passes. The technology was so easy to use that it helped crews become productive from the first day and in multiple applications “Sunflower-M Construction Group has a full line of Cat road construction equipment for all stages of road construction from base leveling to the paving of wearing courses,” said the company.
The timing is right for SFM, Ezhov said, and now the equipment and associated technology are in place to help launch the construction division. “In addition to the federal road construction project, there is a big need in Russia for the construction of local roads,” Ezhov said. “For this Sunflower-M Construction Group has a very good set of equipment.”
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