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Kobelco Construction Machinery Co., Ltd. |
October 9, 2008
Kobelco Excavators Win the 2008 Good Design Award
The KOBELCO SK70SR (7-ton class) and SK125SR/SK135SRLC (13-ton class) hydraulic excavators have won the 2008 Good Design Award presented by the Japan Industrial Design Promotion Organization.
The winning excavators feature a body design with a short rear swing radius, which means that the back of the upper carriage extends only very slightly past the crawlers at the back. This design improves operating efficiency in tight work spaces and helps to reduce accidents. The machines also feature low fuel consumption and KOBELCO's exclusive, newly developed iNDr*1 cooling system, which reduces operating noise to unprecedentedly low levels.
Members of the Good Design Award selection committee especially praised the machines' "achievement of a significant reduction in fuel consumption and operating noise, resulting in superiority from the perspectives of the environment and safety." The awards ceremony was held in Tokyo Midtown Hall on November 6.
The Good Design Award was initiated as part of the Good Design Selection System (commonly called the G-Mark System), which was established in 1957 by what was then the Ministry of International Trade and Industry. It is the only comprehensive system in Japan dedicated to the evaluation and recommendation of product design. The award is not presented solely on the basis of aesthetic appeal, but through an evaluation of products that, through excellent design, enrich people's lives and promote industrial development.
「Acera Geospec」SK70SR-2
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「Acera Geospec」SK135SR-2
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Published Comment of the Selection Committee
- The designers of these hydraulic excavators placed top priority on quite operation, which reduces the number of complaints from people living close to worksites and, by making it easier for workers to hear each other, promotes safety. The design incorporates various ingenious means of creating well-balanced, fuel-efficient compactness.
- Another excellent feature is technology that, by enhancing basic functions, makes it possible to greatly increase the volume of dirt shifted per unit time when the machines are operated in fuel-saving mode. It is design that responds to a market background characterized by increased demand for rental machines, and careful thought has also been given to ease of maintenance.
*1 iNDr (Integrated Noise and Dust Reduction Cooling System)
Developed exclusively by KOBELCO, this advanced cooling system combines the two functions of noise reduction and dust removal in a single, sophisticated design. A single duct connects the intake and output ports, with the engine room located inside the duct itself in a new structure that minimizes leakage of engine noise outside the machine. |
