How cabins reflect evolution of working environment

Working environment has always been there. Driver cabins have become part of it, as an essential part of working environment.

One might say that the cabin is the working environment of the driver. Yes, it is, but one should also see it in a larger context. Working environment consists of several factors influencing not only the driver itself, but everything around the working process as well. A safe working environment must be facilitated for all around the process.

A short world history of the cabins starts from the machine, which needed to have some place for the operator – a seat. When one was working outdoors, a shelter was nice to have. To keep the operator alive, an overhead guard or a roll bar was found to be good. Today, the most sophisticated cabins fulfill much more requirements than the basic needs.

“The first cabins just matched the user’s basic needs. They were just protecting drivers from rain. Later, the roll bars came and made a giant leap in driver’s safety”, says Juha Juvonen, Technical Manager at Fortaco.

The new innovations and added features did not penetrate the entire market simultaneously. There are remarkable differences in the needs and timing, when it comes to cabins and their features in the different market sectors and user preferences.

According to Mr. Juvonen, all the latest developments are being implemented within a longer period of time, because there are a lot of different parameters. The influencing factors, which are depending on the working environment, are for example different daily routines, extreme weather conditions or uneven terrain, just a few to be mentioned.

Today the cabin is an extension of user’s arm. Many automatic features are installed in as standards, like rain sensors for wipers, operating/driving mode selector systems, automatic working lights, interactive control systems or automatic work cycle functions. It is easy to see that the autonomous procedures and features are being first tested on the roads in passenger cars and truck technology, and they come inevitably available for off-road vehicles as well.

The evolution of the cabin, with some automated features and processes, will never stop. When adding Artificial Intelligence (AI) to the processes, and an instrumentation of the cabin, the machine can take some role in the decision-making process, and learn about the options and selections. The machine is becoming more or less an autonomous entity.

In Fortaco, we constantly invest in the technological know-how and service to support our customers’ businesses, not just according to the latest needs, but also according to the coming needs. The well-designed cabins are benefitting our customers with increased productivity, low maintenance cost, additional safety, serviceability and superb ergonomics.