Safety first with Cat® Command for Eggers

Cat® Command Remote Control Technologies are reshaping jobsites worldwide. For particularly dangerous projects, it’s no longer essential for operators to be in a machine while they control it. This means businesses can protect their employees from potentially hazardous applications, while allowing them to stay productive, day after day.

One business that is using Cat Command to operate safely is Eggers Kampfmittelbergung, one of the leading explosive ordinance disposal (EOD) companies in Germany. Eggers Kampfmittelbergung specialise in unexploded ordinance (UXO) clearance in jobsites that are being regenerated for new uses.

Looking for a safe way forward
In 2017, Eggers Kampfmittelbergung Founder and Managing Director, Leif Niebel began a search for a remote-controlled machine system that met their unique needs. That’s when he discovered Cat Command. “We talked to our local Cat dealer Zeppelin, who offers Cat Command. We started to develop a whole system that would work in our business,” says Leif.

From explosives site to solar energy farm
With the help of Cat Command, Eggers Kampfmittelbergung is now working on one the biggest renewable energy projects in Germany. It’s clearing up to 300 hectares of contaminated land to make way for a new solar farm.

The Cat Command safety advantage
Safety is everything for Eggers Kampfmittelbergung. As Lief explains, “if we have an accident, we have a fatal accident.” Eggers Project Manager and EOD Technician, Frederic McEwen-Read is thankful for the safety of Cat Command. “It gives us the unique opportunity to take the operator out of the machine and sit them in a container far away,” says Fred. Where previously Eggers, had to manually survey large areas before introducing a machine; they can now use the machine from the start of the job.

Operators are on board
Of course, operators love being in their machines. However, Fred’s operators have taken to the technology with enthusiasm.. “Our operators are happy to use Cat Command. They are satisfied about the possibilities to use the remote-controlled machine,” says Fred. After a very short time of introducing the system, the operators are able to use all the functionalities like they would in the cab such as Cat Grade and the other assist features”

One operator in particular, Matthias Drexler, was apprehensive about controlling his Cat D5 Dozer from afar. But he was soon converted. “I got the grip of it relatively quickly, the controls are very easy to use and the system is currently working flawlessly for us,” he says.

Technology for the company’s future
Eggers Kampfmittelbergung is excited about what Cat Command means for the company and the sustainability projects it supports. As Lief says, “we have once again found what we were looking for at Zeppelin and Caterpillar with a technology that shows us the way to the future.”

“We are sure that Cat Command will bring us a lot of opportunities in the future, because distance won’t be a challenge”

Looking to enhance operator safety? Contact your Cat dealer to discuss Cat Command for your business, or find out more at www.cat.com/commandtechnology