Kai Ylä-Outinen: Future Lokotrack® – autonomous, electric and intelligent crushing

“The future of Lokotrack® is electric, autonomous and smart. Tomorrow’s Lokotrack crushers will run on emission-free electricity produced by fuel cells or rechargeable batteries. Advanced machine vision and comprehensive camera monitoring will move the operator from the quarry to a safe control room. The equipment will crush and adjust the process independently – and automatically share production data with the customer.” 

This is how Kai Ylä-Outinen, Master of Science in Engineering, envisions the future of Lokotrack. He started designing the very first Lokotrack models back in 1988 and has contributed to almost every model during his career. Today, he leads Metso’s project offering related to aggregates product development. 

“In the future, the crushing process will be managed even more precisely through automation and digitalization. Lokotrack will know exactly what type of material is being fed and learn to crush it in the most optimal way. Its self-diagnostics will become more accurate, and the machine will automatically send reminders about upcoming maintenance and spare part needs to remote monitoring,” Ylä-Outinen predicts. 

Modular design – The first challenge

Ylä-Outinen began his career as a trainee at Nordberg-Lokomo, the predecessor of Metso, in 1985 – the year Lokotrack was born. His thesis challenge was to create a modular structure for two existing models, Lokotrack LT100 and LT2011. 

“Modularization divided Lokotrack into smaller manufacturing units: the frame, feeder, crusher and engine. This was done to prepare for rapid serial production as volumes grew,” he recalls. 

“Next on my drawing board were the jaw crusher models LT80 and LT140, as well as the first impact crusher model, LT1313.” 

Work progressed at a fast pace and with youthful enthusiasm – often from eight in the morning until eight at night. “There weren’t many people back then, and developing a new model was largely a one-man show. The same person acted as project manager and equipment designer. Luckily, the first CAD workstations soon replaced the drawing board and sped up the process.”

Lokotrack LT105 revolutionized the market 

A groundbreaking model in terms of design was the Lokotrack LT105 jaw crusher, launched in 1997, which skyrocketed sales. “The machine was designed to be lightweight and compact, and for the first time, we added a PLC control that started the entire process with a single button. LT105, later LT106, was designed as pre-assembled modules, making it ideal for the new Speedline assembly line at the Tampere factory,” Ylä-Outinen explains. 

Alongside the jaw crusher for contracting work, Lokotrack LT1213 was developed – a true hit product for recycling concrete, bricks and asphalt. “Its special feature was the NP1213M impact crusher, designed at Metso’s Mâcon plant in France specifically for mobile use,” he adds.

Meeting customer needs with the EC series 

The latest major product development project resulted in the launch of the completely new Lokotrack EC series in 2024. “The starting point was to meet customer expectations and create a crusher where all processes run on electricity. This improves power transmission efficiency and enables operation using external power sources,” Ylä-Outinen says. 

Designing the new EC series was no longer a one-person task – about 50 top professionals were involved in the development. 

Supported by Tampere’s technology cluster 

Throughout Lokotrack’s 40-year development journey, Metso has received valuable support from Tampere’s technology cluster alongside its global manufacturing network. “Most of our design engineers have studied at Tampere University or Tampere University of Applied Sciences. In addition to these institutions, the region offers many high-quality subcontractors and component manufacturers – from hydraulics and gearboxes to process automation,” Ylä-Outinen summarizes.