Steelwrist and Rototilt call for global coupler standard

As the market for fully automatic quick couplers continues to grow, questions about interchangeability between different manufacturers has become an increasingly important topic. Steelwrist and Rototilt aim to achieve global interchangeability between work tools with integrated oil couplings within the Symmetrical Standard.

The drive behind the alliance is based on Symmetrical Quick Couplers (S-type), the open industry standard which is the world's fastest growing type of excavator quick coupler. The main goal of the Symmetrical Standard is to safeguard interchangeability between manufacturers of quick couplers, tiltrotators, buckets and work tools. One reason for its success is that it is open and not controlled by one specific manufacturer.

Reasons for forming an alliance include:

• Increased safety, flexibility and efficiency for excavator owners, excavator operators and ground personnel as work tool interchangeability is ensured between different manufacturers products.
• To strive for a competitive and open industry standard that is not controlled by a single producer.
• To make it cost efficient to retrofit adapter brackets to used and new buckets and work tools.

"We clearly see that there is a need for the Alliance, as our SQ range have been booming since we launched almost three years ago. The main reason why we have been working to create the alliance is that we do not believe in locking customers into proprietary solutions that they must live with forever," said Stefan Stockhaus, CEO of Steelwrist AB.