FR

The history dates to a December 1880 meeting in Cleveland, Ohio, and the Bucyrus Foundry and Manufacturing Company, located in Bucyrus, Ohio, was founded shortly thereafter. By 1889, the company was manufacturing large excavators, steam shovels, and dredges.

Between 1889 – 1894, the company had branch offices in New York and Chicago, with distributors established in Denver, San Francisco, Houston, and Boston. This resulted in heavy demands on the plant in Bucyrus, so manufacturing operations moved in 1893 to vastly improved production facilities in South Milwaukee, Wisconsin. This helped to increase the manufacturing efficiency of the company’s core large machinery – steam shovels and dredges. 

In August 1893, the company officially incorporated in Wisconsin as the Bucyrus Steam Shovel and Dredge Company of Wisconsin. 
 

WO

In those early years, what were some of the contributions these machines made to global infrastructure projects?
 

FR

The equipment significantly contributed to some of the most monumental excavation projects of the era. In the early 20th century, Bucyrus built placer dredges for the California gold fields and steam shovels for the vast Mesabi Iron Ranges in Minnesota. The largest earthmoving project in the US between 1902 – 1912, the New York State Barge Canal enlargement project, also used Bucyrus dredges.

The South Milwaukee facility produced 77 steam-powered shovels in the 40 – 50 t range used in the building of the Panama Canal. Bucyrus can lay claim to 101 of the 102 steam shovels used on the project when combined with its heritage company, the Marion Steam Shovel Company. Building the canal required moving 177.4 million m3 of material, equivalent to digging a 4.3 m diameter hole through the centre of the Earth.

During World War II, the demand for excavators in Europe soared to unprecedented levels. Virtually all of the company’s output from 1942 – 1945 was devoted to the war effort.
 

WO

How do the early rope shovel designs differ from today’s models?
 

FR

The early models were railroad shovels. I recently saw a picture of one from 1882 with a 0.96 m3 dipper, which was big for that time but small by today’s standards.

Also, by today’s standards, they were not very mobile. They were either pushed on rails or rollers, which did not meet the efficiency needs for the mining industry.

Several innovations originating from our South Milwaukee facility in the 1920s and 1930s improved both machine efficiency and durability. First, the shovels adopted track-style rotating belts to significantly increase mobility, borrowing from Caterpillar’s technology of that era. Additionally, 100% of the machine’s structure was riveted prior to the 1930s, and welding replaced the rivets to enhance durability.

WO

The original rope shovels were powered by steam, correct? When did the transition to electric power take place?

FR

That is correct. From the early 1880s to the 1930s, roughly 50 years, steam was the dominant power preference for these shovels. However, as early as 1917, Bucyrus started to pioneer the use of electricity as a power source.

The advent of a new DC electrical power system in 1919 ushered in the genesis of today’s modern electric rope shovel design. The transition from steam power to electric was complete by the end of the 1930s.

Today, the mining industry has increased its focus on equipment electrification to reduce carbon emissions and boost efficiency. These shovels have been electric powered for more than 80 years, with the earliest electric shovel designs emerging more than 100 years ago. Caterpillar is proud to be the leader in a product that has been electrified for decades. 

WO

What contributions did AC drive motors make to ERS design?

FR

Caterpillar acquired Bucyrus International, Inc., in 2011. It was a strategic fit for the company in terms of product, services, and global footprint, and the acquisition gave Caterpillar the opportunity to participate in mining industry growth more fully.

Since the acquisition, Caterpillar has taken the ERS product to the next level of productivity by making the machines safer, easier to access and maintain, perform better under extreme conditions, efficiently integrate technology, and deliver higher availability.

For example, Caterpillar introduced a liquid cooled motion regulator cabinet to more efficiently dissipate the heat generated by electrical components. This enabled these shovels to reliably operate in temperature extremes from -40°C – 50°C, and at altitudes reaching 5250 m, without derating.

Additionally, the introduction of a faster propel transfer switch cut lag time by 75%, improving productivity. This reliable system also eliminated contaminants and lengthened service intervals to lower costs and improve uptime. 

WO

How has Caterpillar integrated technology in the design and how has that helped to improve operator efficiency and machine durability?
 

One of the two technology packages introduced this year is the Integrated Technology Package (ITP). Today, more efficiency-improving ERS technologies are being introduced at a faster pace than ever before, and this can lead to the cab being cluttered with additional displays. ITP and its modules serve as the foundation for launching current and future technologies, eliminating the need for additional in-cab displays from one-off tech packages. It also seamlessly integrates Cat® MineStar™ Solutions’ operational technologies that help track, monitor, and manage the shovel.

The Cat Operator Assist Package (OA), introduced with ITP, provides more advanced machine protection and operating simplicity. One of its biggest features, OA automatically detects and avoids collisions between the dipper, crawler, boom bumper, and cable management systems.

It integrates LiDAR technology, like the technology found on Cat autonomous mining trucks, to scan the area to the front of the shovel and help avoid accidental collisions between the dipper and machine. This reduces unplanned downtime, extends component life, and improves total cost of ownership.

OA also features the second generation of EMC, encompassing all of the improvements of the first generation. A new feature protects the rotating undercarriage by alerting the operator when the turning angle exceeds 20°. 

WO

Any parting thoughts about the ERS line or the 130th anniversary of being in South Milwaukee?

FR

Caterpillar is proud of its long heritage in South Milwaukee. We value the impact the equipment produced at this location has made on the global market, as well as the talented and dedicated team continuing the tradition of excellence in the production and support of Cat ERS models.

The reliable Cat 7495 ERS offers a 20-yr average lifespan, and Caterpillar has produced approximately 75 machines since acquiring Bucyrus. These shovels are working in some of the most demanding conditions around the world – from the subfreezing Canadian oil sands to the Chilean deserts that average less than 24.5 mm of annual rainfall.

Here is an interesting fact to close. From 1990 – 2022, roughly 237 Bucyrus 495 and Cat 7495 shovels moved more than 105 billion t of material. Putting this into perspective, hauling this material in the 364 t Cat 797 mining truck would have filled 290.1 million trucks and taken over 13.9 million hrs to move, using a 2.88 min. cycle and truck spotting time.