Test Develon

History has been made in Tuggen, in the canton of Schwyz in Switzerland. KIBAG, one of Switzerland’s leading companies in the building materials and construction sector, has become the first company in the world to put an autonomous Develon ‘Real-X’ crawler excavator – a joint development with Gravis Robotics – into practical use.

It may have been surprising to onlookers to see executives from leading companies in Switzerland, France, Germany and South Korea travelling to Tuggen for the handover of a crawler excavator and to watch it digging. However, a closer look would have revealed that there was no operator in the cab and that the machine was not being operated by remote control.

Open to New Technology

Founded in 1926, KIBAG is a family-run business, which employs more than 2000 people and operates primarily in three business areas: building materials, construction services and the environment and waste management. It operates 14 gravel pits, three quarries, 25 concrete plants and 17 construction companies specialising in road construction, civil engineering and specialist sectors. In addition, there are recycling and waste management companies as well as service providers in the leisure sector that form part of the business.