Demolition News
Annual NDA showcase gives attendees the opportunity to see the latest demolition technology, operate equipment
Celebrating its 50th anniversary, the National Demolition Association’s (NDA) annual demolition show at San Antonio’s Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center featured a wide range of products and innovative technology. With more than 1,400 industry professionals in attendance, manufacturers such as Komatsu introduced new machines, and during the outdoor demonstration day, attendees could put machines through their paces.
After years of success in Europe, Komatsu introduced its PC490HRD-11 high-reach demolition excavator to the North American market at the event. The PC490HRD-11 has an extended reach of up to 105 feet and features a K100 boom change system that allows the operator to quickly change the configuration conveniently, from within the cab and without manually disconnecting either the hydraulic or electrical lines.
“We think that the PC490 high-reach excavator with the K100 system can be an excellent machine for a variety of applications; it’s capable of doing most demolition work that comes along,” said Simon Saunders, Product Marketing Manager for Working Gear Machines and Special Products, Komatsu. “We had a couple of demonstrations with it in North America before the show, and the feedback from users was that it was very impressive. The customers who tried it, and those who have used it in Europe, have called it a game-changer.”
Komatsu also showcased a PC360LC-11 with a straight boom, part of a lineup of new demolition-focused excavators that will be available in the near future. Those excavators will feature more reach than most standard excavators and have added guarding on the front and top windows and around the revolving frame. The machine has programmable flow and pressure control in the monitor for up to 15 attachments, and the excavators come with factory-installed plus-two hydraulic attachment piping.
At the event, the PC360LC-11 was equipped with a Lehnhoff (a Komatsu-owned company) SQ80V fully automatic symmetric quick coupler that allowed the user to quickly switch among several Montabert (also a Komatsu-owned company) hydraulic demolition attachments without leaving the cab.
All attachments are distributed by the Komatsu Attachments Group.
Customer feedback
Attendee Rodney Loftis, President of Rodney Loftis & Son Contracting, currently runs more than a dozen Komatsu machines and was excited to test out the PC360LC-11.
“I have been looking forward to this machine coming to North America for a long time,” said Loftis, who has seen similar machines running in Europe on social media. “The extra reach will give us the capability to take down taller buildings. Having almost 10 feet of extra reach over our standard PC360 is going to mean a lot.”
Neil Edwards, the owner of RENDCO Inc., currently uses several Komatsu excavators in his operations and came to the show to see how he could expand his business.
“I want to see the new technology and gain knowledge about what’s out there in the field now with demolition attachments,” said Edwards. “I attended some education sessions. It’s a great event.”
Committed to the industry
According to Komatsu personnel, the annual demolition show is a very unique event.
“There are not many like this where attendees can see and operate a wide variety of equipment and attachments and compare them at the same time,” said Matt Buerstetta, North American Product Manager for Demolition Machines, Komatsu. “NDA was a great success for us. It really gave us an opportunity to demonstrate that Komatsu is committed to the demolition industry.”
Komatsu Product Marketing Manager Scott Ruderman said Komatsu is already looking ahead to next year’s show, which is scheduled to be held in New Orleans on March 5-8, 2025.
“Komatsu is focused on the demolition industry, and we have a wide range of products to help facilitate customers’ success in going after jobs and being competitive in the industry,” Ruderman emphasized. “You need the right tools and the right machine for the application, and Komatsu’s here with machines that can fit your needs. The NDA live demo event is a perfect opportunity to showcase machine and attachment performance in close to real industry applications, giving customers the opportunity to crush concrete, pick rebar and shear I-beams.”
To watch the video visit https://youtu.be/fVMkkHq0nKs.
