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The loader market turns electric

April 3, 2024/in News, Press Release/by Lucy Nicholls

The loader market turns electric: The electrification of the non-road machinery market starts most strongly in the compact machine sector. Finnish loader manufacturer Avant Tecno Oy responds to the change by taking another significant step as a pioneer in the loader world. The new third-generation fully electric Avant loaders have batteries that are manufactured at […]

One Kubota Tractor extends to full partnership deal

April 3, 2024/in News, Press Release/by Elena Cossar

One Kubota Tractor extends to full partnership deal: What began as one Kubota tractor at one football complex in Eastleigh is blossoming into a prolific partnership between dealers Rod Gaskin Ltd and Hampshire FA (HFA). In his day job as HFA Facility Operations Manager, Pete Hussey puts their Kubota L2501 to task maintaining the five […]

The loader market turns electric

April 3, 2024/in News, Press Release/by Lucy Nicholls

One Kubota Tractor extends to full partnership deal

April 3, 2024/in News, Press Release/by Elena Cossar

Full Sized Blog Element (Big Preview Pic)

The loader market turns electric

April 3, 2024/in News, Press Release/by Lucy Nicholls

The loader market turns electric: The electrification of the non-road machinery market starts most strongly in the compact machine sector. Finnish loader manufacturer Avant Tecno Oy responds to the change by taking another significant step as a pioneer in the loader world.

The new third-generation fully electric Avant loaders have batteries that are manufactured at Avant Power’s new battery factory in Ylöjärvi, Finland. Full investments have been made to develop the unique battery technology. “In five years, half of the loaders we sell may be electric,” says Jani Käkelä, CEO of Avant Tecno and Avant Power.

The loader market turns electric

The compact machine market has been growing rapidly in recent years, especially in developed countries. Problems with the availability of labour and constantly tightening occupational safety regulations create more demand, to which multi-purpose compact loaders respond well.

Compact loaders can be used to work efficiently all year round, and their versatility is enhanced by a wide range of attachments. Another megatrend related to compact machines is zero emissions, which is becoming more and more prominent. This is due to the pressure created by general national and international emission targets to reduce coal use. In addition, small machines are often used partly or entirely indoors, and the work is naturally best-done emission-free for health reasons alone.

Avant Tecno has been developing electric loaders for four decades, and the company is now responding to the change with a huge development step. Avant Power, the newest subsidiary of the Avant Group, designs and manufactures batteries optimized for Avant compact loaders at the Avant factory site in Ylöjärvi, Finland. The new third-generation electric loaders have just entered production, and their lithium-ion batteries are the best on the compact loader market.

“Our own battery production gives us a unique head start in the electric loader market now and in the future. According to the fastest scenario, up to half of the loaders we sell could be electric in as little as five years. However, diesel loaders will still be needed for a long time, as some market areas will switch to electric loaders on a much slower schedule,” says Jani Käkelä, CEO of Avant Tecno and Avant Power.

The loader market turns electric

The world’s only loader manufacturer with its own battery factory

Avant made the decision to start its own battery development because there was not yet a good enough battery in the world that would be a perfect fit for Avant loaders. Under Avant’s roof, there were people with the expertise required for the bold project, and eventually, these experts formed the core team of the new subsidiary.

“Now, a solid foundation for battery production has been built through hard work. We have invested heavily in product development, and we also have partners with world-class expertise. The exceptional solutions in our battery technology bring many benefits to our customers, and we will be able to respond to strong international growth in the future,” says Mikko Piepponen, COO of Avant Power, who is also responsible for creating the new technology.

Avant Power’s current facilities have served as a production development laboratory, where battery testing and manufacturing technology have been fine-tuned. Both the new battery technology and the battery factory production line have been designed by Avant Power. The same goes for most of the production equipment, which is exceptional on a global scale. Since production and the product have been designed at the same time, the whole is as simple and uncompromising as possible.

“We have used the most modern possibilities in automation and developed the production line solutions ourselves. We started production at a moderate pace, and towards the end of the year we will increase it to full speed. Next year we will manufacture 700 to 800 batteries.

“The self-designed and implemented production line enables, above all, agility, and scalability. At the same time, all expertise related to batteries and loaders is under the same roof,” says Santu Tyynelä, Chief Design Officer at Avant Power.

Currently, batteries are manufactured on one production line, but another production line has already been ordered and its installation is awaited.

The best battery on the loader market

Avant Power’s globally unique Avant OptiTemp® battery technology further improves the working time, capacity, pricing, safety, durability, and lifespan of electric loaders.

The loader market turns electric

Thanks to immersion cooling technology, the batteries have excellent thermal management, which has long been one of the biggest challenges in battery technology, especially in mobile machines and equipment exposed to fluctuations in outdoor temperature. Avant OptiTemp® battery technology makes the operation of an electric loader more efficient than ever before, both in severe frosts and hot working conditions. In addition, the batteries have multi-level protection, which makes them very safe.

The operating time of electric loaders has now reached a completely new level. The new fully electric Avant e527 loader has a working time of 6 hours in optimal conditions, which is up to double compared to the previous Avant e6 electric loader. On a single charge, you can drive the new e-loader for 21 kilometres. The range is more than 60% longer than the range of the previous Avant e6.

Due to Avant’s own battery production, the new electric loaders are very competitively priced. “The loader battery is the largest single price component of the machine, and the price of battery cells is the most significant price component of batteries. With our own battery manufacturing and efficient procurement of battery cells directly from the cell manufacturer, we can significantly reduce the price of the loader. With our own company focusing on battery technology, we can also develop the battery for future needs in the best possible way,” says CEO Jani Käkelä.

New Avant e series available now

The fully electric loaders from Avant’s renewed e series – the Avant e513 (battery capacity 13 kWh) and Avant e527 (battery capacity 27 kWh) – are now in production. The domestic delivery time is about 10 weeks from the order. In export countries, the delivery time varies from country to country. More detailed information on delivery times is provided by importers.

For more information, please visit www.avanttecno.com/uk

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One Kubota Tractor extends to full partnership deal

April 3, 2024/in News, Press Release/by Elena Cossar

One Kubota Tractor extends to full partnership deal: What began as one Kubota tractor at one football complex in Eastleigh is blossoming into a prolific partnership between dealers Rod Gaskin Ltd and Hampshire FA (HFA).

In his day job as HFA Facility Operations Manager, Pete Hussey puts their Kubota L2501 to task maintaining the five natural pitches at the Stoneham Lane Complex. This positive first-hand experience puts Pete in good stead when in his other guise – conducting Pitch Power surveys to provide valuable advice and machinery recommendations to benefit hundreds of grassroots facilities in the county.

One Kubota Tractor extends to full partnership deal

“Hampshire FA acquired the Stoneham Lane facility in 2020, and while I already had two other venues under my remit, this was the first with natural turf pitches to look after” explains Pete. “I started from square one, understanding what equipment we needed and working with local dealers to find the best fit for our site and our requirements. The first priority was finding the right tractor that would give us versatility, reliability and become the heart of our maintenance programme. For this, we opted for Kubota.”

Specifically, the facility purchased a 50hp Kubota L2501 with full cab and a range of additional features including cruise control and air conditioning for optimal operator comfort. “Most of the jobs we do will take a number of hours to complete so it was very important for us not just to find a tractor powerful and durable enough to use with a wide range of implements, but that would also make for a positive all-round experience for the driver.”

“In addition, we have enjoyed outstanding reliability with this tractor which is testament to the Kubota build quality and the regular servicing and maintenance conducted by the team at Rod Gaskin.”

With the successes of this partnership bearing fruit for both parties, the tie-up became official in September 2023 with Rod Gaskin Ltd announced as Hampshire FA’s official supplier of grounds machinery. Pete explains, “This gives hundreds of grassroots football clubs and now schools and local councils as well, access to a fantastic range of quality machinery from brands like Kubota with an abundance of grants and funding available via the Football Foundation. The possibilities of this scheme are very exciting and can be the difference between bringing core, basic pitches up to a good or advanced level to benefit clubs and communities alike.”

Tom Merritt-Smith, Groundcare Sales Specialist at Rod Gaskin Ltd adds, “We have a great relationship with Pete and the team at Hampshire FA and are delighted to be working in partnership with them to support the growth of grassroots football. Being sports orientated, I know the importance of maintaining football pitches to the highest possible standards. We look forward to supporting Pete, Hampshire FA and clubs in the area with quality groundcare equipment and our aftersales facility for many years to come.”

For the latest industry news visit turfmatters.co.uk/news

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Follow us on Twitter and Instagram for fun, fresh and engaging content.

You can also find us on Facebook for more of your must-see news, features, videos and pictures from Turf Matters.

Half Sized Blog Element (Single Author Style)

Half Sized Blog Element (Multi Author Style)

The loader market turns electric

One Kubota Tractor extends to full partnership deal

The loader market turns electric

One Kubota Tractor extends to full partnership deal

Full Sized Blog Element (Big Preview Pic)

The loader market turns electric

The loader market turns electric: The electrification of the non-road machinery market starts most strongly in the compact machine sector. Finnish loader manufacturer Avant Tecno Oy responds to the change by taking another significant step as a pioneer in the loader world.

One Kubota Tractor extends to full partnership deal

One Kubota Tractor extends to full partnership deal: What began as one Kubota tractor at one football complex in Eastleigh is blossoming into a prolific partnership between dealers Rod Gaskin Ltd and Hampshire FA (HFA).

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