From August 18 to 20, CASE Construction Equipment, a CNH brand, hosted customers, industry partners, and members of the media at its Construction Experience Center (CEC) in Sarzedo, Minas Gerais. The event offered attendees an opportunity to explore the company’s equipment lineup firsthand while learning about emerging technologies and industry developments that are expected to influence the future of construction.

The CEC, which opened slightly more than a year ago, served as the venue for the CASE Experience. One of the event’s notable attractions was the CASE 721E wheel loader powered by ethanol. The machine is currently a concept project undergoing testing and represents the company’s first equipment model designed to operate on ethanol.

Taking place at a facility focused on training, testing, and technological development, the event gave participants direct exposure to a range of CASE equipment and initiatives. The demonstrations covered several key areas, including productivity and operational efficiency, electrification, environmental sustainability, and technological innovation.

A major focus of the event was the ethanol-fueled CASE 721E wheel loader. Based on the existing 721E platform, the concept machine has been modified specifically for applications within Brazil’s sugar and ethanol sector. Although it remains under evaluation and there are currently no plans for commercial production, the loader has been engineered to use ethanol manufactured directly by sugar and ethanol mills. By replacing some of the industry’s reliance on diesel, the technology could offer a pathway toward lower greenhouse gas emissions while making use of an existing locally produced fuel source.

CASE Construction Equipment is rolling out two new automation technologies, Click&Dig and Perception, for its wheel loaders to boost efficiency and safety.

At CNH’s CASE plant in Lecce, Italy, a group of young engineers is pursuing the long-term vision of fully autonomous construction machinery. Led by Advanced Electronics Manager Andrea Gravili, the team has achieved a major milestone this year with the launch of these two key automated features.

Click&Dig introduces three automated functions for wheel loaders — AutoDig, AutoDump, and AutoMetering — streamlining repetitive tasks. Meanwhile, Perception is an AI-powered system that uses cameras and sensors to detect workers, vehicles, and obstacles around the machine, enhancing safety and assisting operators in making better decisions.

According to Gravili, Perception was trained with artificial intelligence to identify common construction-site hazards ranging from rock piles to moving equipment and people. The system combines visual and radar input for greater reliability: “If the camera view is blocked by dust, the radar still picks up the obstacle,” he explains. Once a hazard is detected, the operator receives a brake alert.

Importantly, the initiative isn’t about replacing operators, says Antonio Venezia, CNH’s Director of Electronics for Construction Equipment. “While I may not spend full days in my car, operators spend entire shifts in these machines,” he notes. “Our role is to make their work easier, safer, and more comfortable — not to take their place.”