1972-2022: 50 years MOBA – a reason to celebrate

by Frank SchneeAbout MOBA, BlogPosted on Comments are Disabled

1972-2022: 50 years MOBA – a reason to celebrate

2022 is a significant year for MOBA – we celebrate the 50th birthday of this impressive company.
50 years – that are 5 decades with powerful innovations, exciting developments and a lot of new solutions for machine automation. 50 years ago Paul G. Harms founded the company in the garage of his house – today MOBA is one of the most important machine automation experts worldwide. But some things did not change during this long time: As it was in the beginning, also nowadays it is the people that take the center stage – staff, customers and fans. Their passion for machines, technology and innovation is what links all of them.

The roots

It was in 1972 that Paul G. Harms founded an engineering office for machine automation in Steinbach, which is 10 km north of Limburg, where MOBA’s headquarters is located today.
An interesting fact is the registration fee, which was 50 Pfennige, roundabout 25 Euro-Cents.

Manifold successes

MOBA’s success story had its beginning with the levelling controller of series Grade Line G 176 & S276, followed by the worldwide known MOBA-matic Controller and some integrated systems for OEMs. Also MOBA’s Big Sonic-Ski is a success story that started long ago and lasts until today. It works reliably on many machines and helps to improve roads all over the world. Another important branch in the first years was weighing technology for agriculture followed by weighing systems for cranes and lifters.

Some of the most sophisticated technologies on the market are made by MOBA, for example DMS-systems for weight control in waste disposal, precise ultrasonic technology for distance control, laser receiver and sender for levelling systems, grade and slope sensors for different applications and systems for asphalt quality control and layer thickness measurement.
All these products and systems are not only working on road construction machines, but also many MOBA products and solutions for crane and lifters, earthmoving and the waste industry help to improve processes and results.

Worldwide expansion

In parallel with technologies and solutions, MOBA grew as a company with more and more people working for MOBA. With many subsidiaries in Germany, Europe and worldwide, a growing global network of distributors and a deep market penetration MOBA gained more and more importance on the markets worldwide. MOBA still develops its technologies in-house as well as in local development departments in its branches in the US, China, India, Italy and Spain. Furthermore, the high manufacturing depth guarantees high quality products. 

So the company developed from a small “one-man-show” to an important global player. And many people – customers, partners and also staff accompanied MOBA for many years, as did Vice President (Development) Alfons Horn, who works with high engagement since almost 40 years for MOBA now and who contributed to many path-breaking ideas and products.

 

What are the drivers of mobile automation?

by Alexander WahlmannAbout MOBA, Blog, StudiesPosted on Comments are Disabled

What are the drivers of mobile automation?

There is a common understanding among some people that (mobile) automation is taking away the jobs of our human workforce. Workers are being replaced by machines because companies and respective clients need to work more efficiently to ensure ever-shrinking global margins in the construction industry. However, when shedding light on this interesting topic, there are more factors that drive global (mobile) automation. One important factor is the lack of a human workforce. Let’s look at one of the leading countries in mobile automation and robotization: Japan.

Japan’s population has been declining since 2009. In 2009, the population was 128.56 million and since has decreased to 124 million today in 2022. The population is expected to fall below 100 million by 2058. The main cause of Japan’s population decline is the rapidly decreasing number of births, which is currently at the lowest it has been since data started being collected in 1899. The fertility rate in Japan is 1.4 births per woman – far below the population replacement of 2.1. (Source)

Already 6 years ago, Japanese leaders decided to tackle their population growth challenge and subsequent loss of workforce in their earthmoving sector by introducing ICT – Intelligent construction technology. The Sectors include planning, construction & maintenance related to Railways & Roads, Airports & Harbors, Flood control & daily infra (Energy & Utilities etc) Without the support of mobile automation, Japan would already face a severe shortfall in qualified workers and human resources

If you remember the first Terminator movie, Sarah Connor gets chased by a robot- Arni, the terminator, sent from the future to kill her and consequently her son John Connor. In fact, the leading countries of mobile automation have a different problem. They don’t have enough workforce to literally do the job. E.g. looking back at “The Terminator” – Sarah Connor did not make enough John Connors to cover for future jobs. We need Arni to help us dig foundations, pave our roads and survey our farming fields. (Inspired by Source) 

Next to the challenges of having less (qualified) workers to, JETRO – Japan’s External Trade Organisation has identified that” people’s activities are expected to move from physical space to cyberspace”. That means qualified people will be expected to work their job remotely and with increasing investment in augmented and virtual reality, this outlook in the working environment of tomorrow is closer to reach than ever before.

Mobile Automation and remote technology appliances will ensure that future work safety standards will raise to a new level. If Humans can work in hazardous environments without actually being there, the risk of Injuries and death can be completely avoided. It also enables to centrally support of decentralized locations. If physical appearances of service & product experts are no longer needed, humans have the chance to develop places that are yet in no physical reach.

Summarizing the findings above, we can identify 3 main factors that drive global automation; increasing efficiency, lack of qualified staff & change of the workplace.

Finally, let’s all hope the future of mobile automation is more positive than painted by James Cameron’s original Terminator.

MOBA AG awarded with German Brand Award 2020

by Thomas BraunAbout MOBA, BlogPosted on Comments are Disabled

MOBA AG Awarded German Design Award 2020

MOBA is proud to announce today that it has been awarded the German Design Award for Excellent Architecture Fair and Exhibition for the design of our 2019 BAUMA trade fair booth.

“The consistently-recognisable implementation of the corporate design of the brand in terms of form, colour and architecture is quite impressive. In addition, interactive exhibits and contemporary multimedia technology make for a perfect brand experiences,” read a statement from the selection jury.

At BAUMA 2019, the new MOBA AG trade fair design was launched for the first time. It was characterised by striking shapes and a clear colour scheme. Among the highlights were the Innovation Wall, which perfectly staged the display concept for 2020, the LED Wall with gripping visuals and the semi-automatic excavator, which ensured visitor interaction at the trade fair stand. “We are proud of our team’s work in designing this incredible booth that speaks directly to the innovation and creative mindset we value here at MOBA,” said MOBA CEO Volker Harms.

The extraordinary design and the clear CI implementation also impressed the jury of the German Design Award and awarded the first Bauma stand ever with the coveted design prize.

The Key to More Process Safety and Road Quality – MOBA Paving Technologies

by Frank SchneeAbout MOBA, Blog, Exhibition, Road ConstructionPosted on Comments are Disabled

The Key to More Process Safety and Road Quality - MOBA Paving Technologies

MOBA Mobile Automation has set itself the goal of continuously improving the quality of road construction. Today, precision systems such as the MOBA-matic for automatic levelling at the paver are an integral part of modern construction sites. In addition to MOBA’s proven, market-leading systems, the technology company will be presenting its new developments at bauma 2019 in Hall A2, Stand No. 237.

The Sonic-Ski sensor revolution has established the non-contact, wear-free and particularly durable scanning method on the market. The ultrasonic sensor, which is known throughout the world and is constantly being further developed, has been proving its worth in international road construction for over 25 years. As an extension with 4 sensors to the Big Sonic-Ski it convinces with an absolutely even result over long and tricky distances.

The Innovative Power of new Technologies

The PAVE-TM and PAVE-IR systems, which have won several innovation awards, take asphalt paving to the next level. The PAVE-TM layer thickness measuring system is one of the three finalists of the bauma Innovation Award 2019. Contractors can look forward to a new sensor technology specializing in layer thickness which, combined with continuous display of layer thickness, screed width and path, makes the job site measurably more profitable.

Whether temperature recording and evaluation of the paved material or layer thickness measurement on the paver, both technologies play a decisive role in process optimization in road construction. Clients, contractors, end users and the environment all benefit equally from the efficient use of resources and particularly durable roads.

Setting New Standards in Road Construction With 3D

Presented for the first time as a world premiere at bauma 2019, the MOBA 3D Paving System is a particularly quality-oriented technology for road construction. Thanks to 3D design files, complex surfaces with rapidly changing inclinations are easy to implement. Particularly precise work on given models – even closer to the thinnest layer thickness – provides the foreman with the necessary process reliability to concentrate on other tasks for road quality assurance. The entire team thus benefits from considerable material and time savings. Visitors to bauma 2019 can see what the system looks like on the paver at the MOBA outdoor booth between hall A2 and A3.

Compaction in Teamwork - When a Roller Fleet Consists of Different Machine Types

Optimum compaction of the asphalt pavement is a key quality factor in road construction. The MCA-3000 roller assistance system proves its strengths in a universal use on all machines from all manufacturers.

The system is convincing in its seamless documentation of compaction work, which is available to all fleet operators across all machines – in real time. This means that the entire team can immediately see the progress of the work and the rolling strategy can be adapted accordingly.

The decisive advantage of this fleet management system is therefore not only seamless cooperation, but also direct data transfer to the MOBA cloud server. There, the compaction data is available for further analyses, reports and findings on the optimization potential of the paving operation, even after the paving process has been completed.

The Connected Construction Site - With Foresight Into the Future

Thanks to the highly scalable MOBA Cloud, the connectivity of the construction site will become standard in the future. With the real-time acquisition and transmission of measured values to the high-performance servers of the technology company, all data is ready for further analysis. This gives the foreman access to the information on each individual project at any time and from anywhere. In addition to significant time savings, the construction site also benefits from comprehensive knowledge of the optimization potential.

New Technological Developments From MOBA Equip Aerial Work Platforms With State-of-the-art Safety

by Sebastian SchlesiesAbout MOBA, Blog, Crane & LifterPosted on Comments are Disabled

New Technological Developments From MOBA Equip Aerial Work Platforms With State-of-the-art Safety

MOBA Mobile Automation continuously gets new ideas for safety-relevant further developments of its systems from constructive market feedback. Visitors to bauma 2019 can now get to know the successful applications of the technology company at its booth no. 237 in hall A2.

On Safety Specialized Technologies

The new joystick assist system offers even more safety for the operator of the control panel. By taking into account the force acting on the joystick during deflection, accidents can be prevented, such as trapping the operator between the console and an obstacle.

With the invention of the hybrid tilt sensor, not only do measured values become more stable, but the robustness of the component increases substantially. Thanks to the fusion of the measured values of three sensor elements, the hybrid always determines the correct value – under any environmental condition. This effect even doubles in safety applications.

Future-proof Updates Tailored to the User

A special user-friendliness was the focus of the keyboard module update as part of the modular HMImc concept. Thanks to perfected haptics and backlit optics, the keys can be easily operated at any time with gloves on and under all weather and time of day conditions.

The module has also been optimized for easier handling in the event of service. Configurations of the transmission rate and node ID can be set in the shortest possible time using an easy-to-use rotary switch.

MOBA MOBILE AUTOMATION

With its future-oriented concepts for aerial work platforms and mobile cranes, MOBA Mobile Automation makes a clear statement in the market. With their modular design, the MOBA safety applications are highly customizable and focused on maximum safety at the same time.

MAWIS U2 New Feature Release V3.9

by Thomas BraunAbout MOBA, Blog, Waste ManagementPosted on Comments are Disabled

MAWIS U2 New Feature Release V3.9

MOBA Mobile Automation starts the month of November with a new version of the intelligent waste disposal software MAWIS U2. Version 3.9 contains brand new functions for even faster order processing and greater user-friendliness. The newly designed user login not only looks smart, but also enables faster login and meets the new security requirements.

Enhanced Security and User Experience in MAWIS U2 Version 3.9

Thanks to a digital SSL certificate and data transfer via https, all communication complies with the latest security standards. MAWIS U2 customers can therefore always be sure that their data is protected. For improved user-friendliness, a new web service is available for external data access and the option to customize tables.
The focus of further development was on particularly user-friendly features and compatibility with third-party databases. New functions such as blacklist and whitelist management save time during disposal. This makes it possible to exclude individual containers from disposal. This can be done either semi-automatically or fully automatically. Thanks to the CG-1 gateway, previously defined routes are automatically opened or closed as soon as a new shift begins.

New Features for Optimized Waste Collection and Processing

MAWIS U2 in combination with MAWIS Pocket also offers new functionalities. New default values for containers and the automatic selection of categories further improve user-friendliness. In addition, the ability to update the status of waste locks directly via the MAWIS Pocket app and new processing methods on all devices significantly speed up order processing.
MAWIS U2 Release 3.9 thus meets important customer requirements and offers added value for both waste disposal companies and citizens. Improved usability, security and access options make waste disposal more efficient and transparent. Daily use of the constantly evolving MAWIS U2 platform thus proves to be a future-oriented investment in modern waste disposal.