One of the examples of the design paradigm shift is the R 9XX, a Liebherr hybrid excavator displayed at the Bauma 2013 International Trade Fair for Construction Machinery. This cutting-edge machine combines a standard diesel engine with hydraulic and electrical energy storage devices, such as a hydraulic pressure accumulator and supercaps. The energy generated and stored in the hydraulic accumulator while lowering the boom of the excavator is then used to feed the hydraulic cylinders and lift the boom in the next digging cycle. Due to increased system complexity and component interdependence, this development project required close collaboration between several facilities within the Liebherr Group. In particular, Liebherr-France SAS (Colmar, France) was in charge of the system integration and the design of the whole machine. Liebherr Machines Bulle SA (Switzerland) supplied the hydraulic components.
It would have been very difficult to carry out such an important project successfully without a model-based system engineering approach, which was supported by the use of Simcenter Amesim™ software, the mechatronic system simulation platform from Siemens Digital Industries Software. The use of Simcenter Amesim allowed Liebherr to adapt to the hybrid product development process, which required strengthened collaboration to integrate each component .
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