The Waste Business of Lafarge, a world leader in building materials, is to equip its mobile waste plant in the UK with Optronics 360 – the world’s first 360 degree surround view camera system for industrial and commercial vehicles. The new camera system from Spillard Safety Systems will be used by Lafarge Waste on waste compactors and traxcavators, giving operators a real-time bird’s eye view of their entire vehicle and its surroundings.
“We’re very proud of our excellent health and safety record,” said David Wilson, National Waste Manager for Lafarge. “Historically we’ve always used a combination of reversing cameras and convex mirrors to ensure full all-round visibility. But at the same time our waste team is constantly reviewing the best available technology on the market. When we came across the new Optronics 360 camera system from Spillard we could see straightaway how it would take all-round visibility up to a new level.”
Optronics 360 has already been successfully proven in the high end passenger car market on the BMW 5 series and the Land Rover, Range Rover models. This enabled Lafarge waste plant operators to carry out trials where they observed it in action in conjunction with a 10 inch monitor from Spillard.
A key advantage of Optronics 360 over less advanced alternatives is that instead of the view being limited to a short fixed distance from the machine or vehicle, the view can be programmed to any shape or size to suit the machine or the environment – using image data taken from horizon to horizon in four quadrants. By covering a much wider area this makes it the most effective system on the market for reducing blind spots and improving all round visibility with seamless imaging.
The new system will be installed by Spillard engineers. Lafarge Waste expects it to significantly improve operators’ all round visibility both in public areas of high traffic and pedestrians. Spillard will provide continuing support through software updates and technical advice.
“Redland aggregates, now part of Lafarge, were the catalyst for our company’s direction some twenty years ago,” said Pete Spillard, MD. “We’ve maintained our strong relationship with them ever since, and it’s great to be working with them on this project. It’s also fitting for them to be the first major aggregate/waste company to install the most technologically advanced vision product on the market.”
