Liebherr tower cranes get new touch display with smart operating system

Liebherr is in the process of delivering its first tower cranes featuring a newly developed display. The 12-inch display with multi-touch technology and intuitive operation now comes as standard in EC-B and EC-H series tower crane cabins. For crane operators and assembly engineers, this fourth-generation Electronic Monitoring System (EMS) brings major improvements in operability and especially in terms of crane scaling.

The long-life EMS-4 display with the new Tower Cranes Operating System (TC-OS) user interface is the timely successor to the EMS-3. For its development, Liebherr enlisted the experienced support of the experts at User Interface Design GmbH. The focus for the development process was on eliminating distractions and displaying exactly the right elements required. The result is a streamlined menu structure with easily recognisable icons and symbols. Navigation is simple, intuitive and satisfying. Exceptional usability means that training and familiarisation times are reduced.

Increased operational efficiency for top slewing cranes

“We’re the first to use these displays as we test every new crane before delivery. I really like the new user interface: it’s easy to understand, logically structured and tailored to the needs of different users”, says Liebherr employee Viktor Zhezher. Together with his colleagues in Production, he sees the new display in action every day at the testing station, “Everything is much faster. Control via tapping and swiping is already totally familiar to me from tablet and smartphone use.”

Crane operators and assembly engineers have specific menus, a wide range of languages and relevant units of measurement (metric and Anglo-American systems) at their disposal. The clear menu structure ensures that they always have an overview, even during crane operations or crane scaling in difficult conditions. This offers extra safety and a more comfortable user experience. Even in difficult lighting conditions, which are often encountered in crane cabins, the anti-reflective and dirt-resistant touchscreen provides optimal readability. There are different viewing modes available for daytime and nighttime working. The display can also be tilted and rotated.

All essential information on one display

Personalised settings that are relevant to the job in question can be saved via crane operator profile and retrieved at the start of a shift. Display masks can be combined in various ways for this. An external screen for the hook camera is no longer necessary as the image can be integrated into the EMS-4. This means that all available data is visible to the crane operator on one device, enabling them to carry out lifts with even greater precision and safety.

The introduction of the new display also increases operator comfort in terms of crane cabin settings. For instance, the air-conditioning system and windshield wipers can be conveniently controlled via the multi-touch display. It is also possible to use the ergonomically positioned, easy-to-reach membrane keys for such purposes. Everything is networked together so that each control element displays the same information.