Green Quest

Keestrack, the internationally renowned manufacturer of crushers and screeners, intends to be at the forefront of the construction industry’s drive toward a zero-emissions future.

On that journey, it will be paying close attention to developments at Cummins to see if it can build on a relationship which started around 10 years ago and introduce ever ‘greener’ machines powered by exciting new technologies currently at various stages of development, some of them well advanced.

As it stands today, Keestrack specifies engines from across Cummins’ entire Stage V-compliant suite – the F3.8, B4.5, B6.7, L9, X12 and X15.

The universal emissions approval of the Cummins Performance Series engines is a huge advantage to the family-run business, Keestrack’s R5e impact crusher was one of the big hits of Bauma 2022 in Munich which has more than 1,000 employees and operates manufacturing facilities in the Czech Republic, Italy, China and India. There is an international network of more than 116 dealers and service partners in more than 100 countries.

Keestrack’s range of mobile machines includes screens and classifiers, impact crushers, jaw crushers, cone crushers, reversible impact crushers, stackers, tracked apron feeders, tracked power units and dust suppression systems.

Almost every part of a Keestrack machine is manufactured in-house using high-grade steel for the optimum balance of strength and power-to-weight operating efficiency. They are famously reliable and easy to maintain.

Marcel Kerkhofs, Marketing Manager at the Belgian headquarters of the Keestrack Group, said Cummins is a strategic partner and he is excited at the potential for technologies such as fuel cells, battery-electric and hydrogen internal combustion.

"Ever since Keestrack was formed in 1996 by Kees Hoogendoorn and his wife Annet Schoenmaker, the company has been an innovator," said Mr Kerkhofs. "We invented the world's first direct feed screener on tracks, which is now an industry standard, we launched load-sensing hydraulics which dramatically reduced fuel consumption, and we started to electrify our equipment early, back in 2012.

"Now, a decade later, we are focussing on mobile electric plug-in and hybrid-driven crushers and screeners to further reduce emissions and operating costs. It's what our customers want to see, and we know Cummins shares our vision of clean power."

At Bauma 2022, Keestrack showcased its M5, one of three tracked engine units powered by Cummins, in this case the X12. The M5 serves Keestrack's new R5e impact crusher but can also power other electric driven equipment.

The ZERO drive equipment and the tracked engine unit, which serve as a back-up in case there is no plug-in via the grid available, were very well received by visitors to the show in Munich as potential users immediately saw the advantages.

The other tracked engine units introduced by Keestrack are the M4 (Cummins L9) which serves Keestrack’s B7e jaw crusher and its newly launched I4e reversible impact crusher, and the M7 (Cummins X15) which can power the H7e cone crusher.

With the exception of the H7e, the drop-off engines can be placed into the frame of the equipment. "This is only possible because of the compactness of the Cummins engine architecture and aftertreatment set-up," said Mr Kerkhofs.

There are a number of advantages in using drop-off engines, he added, including reduced dust and vibrations for the engine and easier and less maintenance for the owner.

If one engine unit powers, for example, three electric machines, the maintenance and filter replacement is needed for only one engine, reducing downtime, lowering costs and creating more flexibility.

Partners in power

Keestrack's involvement with Cummins started with the supply of Tier 3 engines. The relationship was paused in 2016 as Keestrack was taking stock of engine developments and future emissions requirements.

"We restarted conversations around our Stage V solutions," said Pawel Stolecki, Cummins' global account manager for the Keestrack business. "Keestrack was impressed that while many manufacturers were just talking about Stage V, we actually had Stage V engines out there in the field, not just concepts in a brochure."

Another major factor in Keestrack's decision-making was Cummins' ability to support its products around the world, with dedicated teams of skilled application engineers. Under the terms of their agreement, Keestrack stocks and sells Cummins replacement parts, ensuring swift supply to dealers.

"The reason why the co-operation between our two companies is so good is that our approach to the market is very similar," said Pawel Stolecki. "We are both highly customer-oriented and ready to look at modifications and solutions that better suit the end user."

Mr Kerkhofs agreed, adding: "It is difficult for a global network like ours to please everybody. Certain customers want certain engines, and they will want certain power solutions.

"We just look for the best solution and the best partner possible. Cummins has lots of advantages for us, not least because our equipment fits so well together.

“Also, we know Cummins, like us, is a relentless innovator, always searching for the most efficient and reliable solution to drive machinery.

"We both want to make a contribution to a better world and we do not take current solutions for granted. We have to keep on searching for the best, most innovative solutions and manufacture high standard quality products which are profitable and sustainable.

“We are a company that’s on the move and we can see Cummins is too.”

This article is the lead feature in the Spring 2023 edition of the Cummins Magazine: