Interview to Félix Dugo, manager of Agnano Investments
Do not float but work as if they did it.
From when commercialise the ‘amphibious excavator'?
In Agnano saw a lack in the market that looks for to give professional solutions to the needs of dragados of rivers, channels, lakes, ports, etc. With this premise look for the possibility to cooperate with skilled manufacturers in these equipment and finally decide us, in October of the past year, by WW-Planen, German company that has an experience in this sector that traces back to 1929.
In which countries/regions can commercialise already Agnano Investments this ‘amphibious excavator'?
In Europe, only in Spain and Portugal. In Africa, can commercialise it in Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Iraq, Saudi Arabia and other countries of the Gulf Pérsico, Mauritania and Senegal. And in America, in Argentina, Uruguay, Peru, Chile, Venezuela, Bolivia and the countries of the area of the Caribbean.
It could resumirnos in what consists technically the concept of ‘amphibious excavator'?
Is a traditional excavator instrumented with technical means and that has the development of a high technology to be able to work in means and situations where an excavator of standard cutting can not do it. They are machines, as its name suggests, whose standard is in the works with sediments in water, which realizar with total hygiene and with the maximum guarantees of success. The execution of these works does with performances that make possible economically surpass the difficulties of execution of works or the maintenance in these specific areas of work. They are machines qualified to realizar works with full hygiene and performance in courses of water, zones pantanosas, sediments, natural or artificial lakes, bays, accesses to ports…
Of all these applications that indicates us, is the dragado of rivers, marshes or lakes the main for this type of products?
The most known works for these machines or at least the first that have in mind, are the dragado in lower scale in courses of water, natural or artificial lakes, bays and accesses to ports, although it is true that also there are other applications as it can be the development of green spaces in zones or places with sediments no solid, with a lot of water, or in the minería in zones of rafts of drainage of solids by decantation, in which this solution offers a good exit.
For example, also can realizar a big work in works of emergencies, after some floods. In these applications, the amphibious excavator can collaborate of form very active and minimise in the time a natural misfortune of this type.
Which advantages offers this solution with regard to other alternatives that come employing traditionally for works of dragados?
WW-Planen Is a familiar company that has his origins in the year 1929 and whose responsible maximum at present is the gentleman Ralf Seifert. In his first times already devoted to realizar operations of drainage and cleaning of courses of water, what allowed them develop equipment and machines sustentadas really in the experience to work daily in these surroundings. In these 85 years has followed winning experience, what does that his products can not be equalised by any another similar team.
In the actuality exist in the market other solutions, some resembled ours and other very different as they can be the equipment with arms of long scope (L.R.) But, in any case, both solutions base in machines that only can work in means of drainage with limitations and in a lot of cases, without possibility to realizar works of normal cutting in an excavator.
By what have been able to appreciate, offer two solutions of agreement to the depth of the surface of the water. Until the 1,5 metres work incorporating to the structure of traction (caterpillars/chains) some pontoons. How they are?
These pontoons are realizar with steels of big resistance to the half in which it works . His characteristics go always in function of a personalised study, adapted to the place or places of work and to the machine portante, using always equipment and hydraulics systems of the manufacturer of the machine or of better provision of other marks. The result always is a machine studied painstakingly for special works, that allow us operate in zones that require a pressesure to the minimum terrain.
It can the customer/user of the machine remove he same these pontoons to work with the excavator in other applications of usual form? Can speak of a 2x1?
Have of two solutions, the traditional based in the construction of some pontoons of caterpillars that substitute to the trains of traction of the excavator and for whose setting and desmontaje use cranes; or the system 2x1 of WW-Planen, based in an useful especially designed and developed for such end, that connects the balancín of the excavator so that she same can take out the train of shooting and plant the pontoon of simple form. This operation allows that a standard excavator turn into amphibious in 1 hour, becoming a team with new possibilities of work. They optimise like this resources and investments.
It differs a lot the form to work of an operator of excavator with or without pontoons? It requires some special learning?
No, really does not require of a special learning. This yes, the operator has to be conscious that his work develops in a half different and special.
In the case to work in surfaces of more than 1,5 m, require some special supports. How they are?
Like this is, from 1,5 m require some special supports that ensure the good development of the works that effect with the machine. It treats of some supports that install in the pontona and that will allow us his utilisation until the 4,5 m. They vary as it schemes it portante.
The amphibious excavators can work in depths of until 4,5 metres.
It loses the excavator something of mobility with these supports?
Sure enough, with this system the mobility and the provision reduce .
I imagine that this is one of the questions that more do him. Which degree of hygiene have these amphibious excavators? There is risk of unsteadiness? It can affect them the currents of water, for example?
These machines are developed to work and realizar his functions in the rank of hygiene marked by each excavator portante jointly with the team WW-Planen: 1,5 m for the standard team and until 4,5 m with supports. Logically it is necessary to have very in account the situation, the place, the surroundings in which it situates schemes it… All know the strength of the nature.
Where realizar the installation? They have some European certification? I understand that Agnano Investments can instrument this solution in an excavator used that it already have previously the customer but that also offer Uds. The possibility to sell a new machine with the already incorporated pontoons, is not like this?
The installations realizar in the headquarters of WW-Planen in Germany and Holland and, of course, have certification CEE. We can offer machines portantes new or of occasion, and also mount this solution in a machine of the park of the customer.
In which type of excavator can incorporate this solution?
The rank of machines portantes covers from the 8 until the 26 tonnes. Therefore, we speak of midiexcavadoras and average excavators of chains and wheels.
Which maximum depths of excavation can reach with these amphibious equipment?
Depending on the arms and balancines portantes, as well as of the trains of shooting and pontoons, the depths of work go of the 2 m to the 6 m.
It could say us some notable work that already have tackled in Spain (or in the rest of Europe) with these amphibious excavators?
In Spain still do not have experience in this field. It is now when we launch the product but think that in brief will be able to include in our curriculum act and works that up to now did not tackle by his difficulty or by the ignorance of the products of WW-Planen.
In Germany, Holland, Belgium and other countries, the experience, as we already have commented, is long, of 85 years, and already are many the works and executions realizar in diverse municipalities, mancomunidades, dams, ports, sanitary ware services, etc.
They require these excavators a special road transport?
Really only needs the own transport of the machine portante, more another in which they can carry the equipment of WW-Planen.
When being a so new product in Spain, offer some type of advice to the customer?
Yes, from WW-Planen and Agnano offer to the customers a service of quality consultancy, advice and supervision in projects of minería and dragados in which the courses of water with sediments constitute the half in which they go to develop the works. Besides, we have of complete equipment with possibility for hire.
Which expectations have marked with these products?
These go through to offer a team for works in courses of water that allow to the customer his intensive utilisation (all the year) with the system 2x1, optimising like this investments and costs. It supposes a big opportunity for specialist in works of this type or for excavators and companies of machinery that look for to expand his services to the customers.
With the solution of WW-Planen, Agnano Investments presents a more productive alternative and profitable that the traditional methods used for works in water, as the one of the photo.
What other products offer through Agnano Investments? There is any so original like this?
In Agnano want to offer to customers and users of machinery of construction, public works, recycling, agricultural and maintenance, equipment that allow them develop his activity with the lower costs of acquisition and garantes of a good productivity. In this sense Agnano commercialises also the machacadoras compact of until 7 tonnes of Guidetti, some perfect equipment for the recycling in work of demolitions or of pertinent materials of excavation for his reuse on foot of work.
