Ingersoll Rand held a blockbuster event to introduce its newest piece of equipment—-a pavement buster.
Actually, the Hollywood-style event on Tuesday in Shippensburg, Pa., announced the company’s re-entry into the milling machine marketplace. Ingersoll Rand originally had a line that was dissolved in 1995.
“This is a new entry in the marketplace and it is a response to our customers,” Gary Michel, president of Road Development at Ingersoll Rand, told Roads & Bridges in an exclusive interview. “Our customers asked us to get back in the business, and what we are introducing is really leap-frog technology.”
Ingersoll Rand unveiled the MW-500 and MT-2000 milling machines Tuesday. The MW-500 has a 20-in. drum width, a 7-in. cutting radius, innovative controls and diagnostic capabilities and superior traction control, according to the company. The MT-2000 is IR’s half-lane milling machine (79-in. drum width). It offers three drum-cutting speeds that can be adjusted on the go, five steering modes, including a circle steer, and the innovative controls and diagnostic capabilities of the MW-500.
“The big thing is were making steps to raise the bar,” Patrick Wakefield, product marketing manager, milling, for IR, told Roads & Bridges. “We are incorporating new technology, and we feel the market has been stagnant in that area. The advanced diagnostic capabilities are really the heart of these machines.”
Ingersoll Rand hopes to release four more milling machines in the next three years.
For more on the IR event, see the Product & Equipment Market section in the November issue of Roads & Bridges magazine.
