Project Minotaur units are going through high hour shakedowns before getting shipped off for customer testing.

During this shakedown period the machines are operated for a high number of hours. It’s more than just standard quality check run-throughs for software, hydraulics, engine performance, and operator comfort: since these build versions are in many ways handmade, the team is going through extra rounds of checks that include walk-arounds by technical specialists looking for the slightest indication of a problem or glitch (think pilots examining a plane before takeoff).

“We want to catch problems before they get to customers,” explained Brady Balensiefer, Product Validation Project Manager. “We don’t want a minor issue to distract from putting units through their performance paces.”

Since Project Minotaur is a practical innovation project at CASE, the units in shakedown include tweaks made as a result of the latest customer clinic. So not only do experts need to check for flaws but also confirm the modifications do exactly what they were supposed to do…without unanticipated tradeoffs. It’s critical for the team to stay actively engaged with customers for feedback during the entire development process.

Right now, one of the key deliverables is getting units to customers. But first comes a shakedown like no other.