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New Technology and Safety Features on Komatsu’s PC220LCi-12 Excavator

November 17, 2025

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Heavy Equipment Guide spotlights Komatsu’s next-generation PC220LCi-12 excavator, now available through SMS Equipment.

Designed to set a new benchmark in intelligent construction, the machine combines automation, safety innovation, and operator-focused design to deliver precision and performance on today’s job sites. Featuring insights from James Barr, Manager of Smart Construction Operations, the article explores how SMS Equipment is helping contractors across Canada and Alaska apply advanced technology to work smarter and more efficiently.

Intelligent machine control and safety tech are at the heart of Komatsu’s new PC220LCi-12 excavator

Komatsu’s PC220LCi-12 excavator, which the company bills as “the most advanced excavator ever designed,” has now arrived in Canada and is ready to deliver awesome accuracy and performance on Canadian job sites. The new PC220LCi-12 is front-loaded from the factory with features designed to make operators more proficient, confident, and productive — and includes the debut of Komatsu’s big machine control update.

Introducing IMC 3.0

Komatsu’s flagship technology offering, Intelligent Machine Control (IMC), has entered a new generation with the debut of the PC220LCi-12. IMC 3.0, the successor to IMC 2.0, gives operators the same experience of up to three centimeters of accuracy, but the system has become more responsive and has exciting new automation features.

According to James Barr, manager for Smart Construction Operations at SMS Equipment, the largest independent Canadian dealer for Komatsu’s full line of equipment, the transition from IMC 2.0 to 3.0 brings notable enhancements in speed and performance of the 3D system, along with expanded automation capabilities.

“With IMC 3.0, more functions are now automated,” says Barr. says Barr. “The operator only has to pull one joystick function, and the automation starts. The boom will go up and down, the bucket will hold its angle, and it will follow the target surface.”

Hitting grade and following a targeted plan isn’t the only excavator function that has received an automation update on the new model: the PC220LCi-12 also boasts a new auto swing function that simplifies the load and dump process.

The operator sets the swing range and heights. Then they fill the bucket, push two buttons on the joystick, and the machine takes care of automatically lifting the boom and swinging it to the dumping zone where the operator can dump the bucket into the hopper or a truck. Then the operator pushes the joystick buttons again to automatically return to the digging location.

The cyclical automation streamlines the operator’s inputs for efficient operations. And, when combined with the new factory-integrated advanced payload monitoring system, this excavator is ready to hit targets without under- or overloading.

Safety tech built in from the factory

Komatsu’s focus on technology extends far beyond efficiency and production features. The new PC220LCi-12 is packed with safety technology designed to keep operators, bystanders, and property safe. Leading the lineup of safety features is the camera system around the machine, which includes a forward-facing camera, giving the operator 360 degrees of job site awareness.

The excavator is also able to detect the difference between static objects and people and will issue internal and external alerts if someone is too close to the working machine. Komatsu’s object detection system can be set to stop the machine if a person or object enters the excavator’s line of travel and also activates if the operator starts to swing and something enters the avoidance zone.

These features can be turned on and off as needed, because, as Barr points out, sometimes the detection can’t be used.

“In some applications, such as trenching or pipeline work, operators may temporarily disable the boundary detection system to allow for material placement,” says Barr. “In those cases, material often needs to be placed directly behind or beside the work area, which would normally fall within a restricted zone. The flexibility to adjust these settings allows operators to work efficiently and safely, adapting the system to the conditions on site.”

The flexibility of these safety systems allows operators to assess their application and determine which safety features they need to use to operate as safely as possible. But these features aren’t just nice to have — they have been in demand.

“Some customers working near sensitive areas, such as working parallel to train tracks, have expressed the need for a permanent boundary that prevents the machine from swinging into restricted zones, regardless of its position,” explains Barr. “That capability wasn’t previously available but it is now. You can set a 3D boundary in your design file, and the machine will never be able to pass through the set boundary.”

Every new Komatsu LC-12 machine will come with these safety features standard from the factory.

A new cab designed for comfort and visibility

The cabs of today’s excavators are designed with care to keep operators comfortable and operation intuitive. If either of those standards aren’t met, the operators who run that machine won’t be happy.

To that end, customization is what operators want, and that’s what the new Komatsu cab delivers.

“It’s just like when I get in my car. I like my seat in a certain spot and when I push the button, it sets my seat and my steering wheel and now I’m ready to go. They’re doing that in construction machines too,” says Barr.

On the PC220LCi-12, the cab is 28% larger with 30% more leg room and 50% improved visibility compared to its predecessor, the PC210LC-11.

In this larger cab, the touchscreen is the command centre where the operator has access to their climate control, Bluetooth, and User ID, which ensures that each operator’s preferred settings are saved so when they switch machines they just need to push a button to be ready to get back to work. The PC220LCi-12 features EH controls which are also customizable via the touchscreen.

According to Barr, contractor interest in technology has increased a lot. Companies that had previously dismissed adding these advanced features to their equipment are recognizing that there is more competition in bidding and more of their peers are using this technology. And, as Barr notes, there are a lot of bids that contractors can’t win without technology on their machines.

“You’re seeing this turn in the industry where a lot of people are recognizing that they need technology on their fleet to maintain a competitive edge,” he says.

On Komatsu’s new PC220LCi-12, that technology is the standard, and it is designed to make the transition as seamless and intuitive as possible.

Barr adds that more customers are reaching out to SMS Equipment to start the conversation about integrating technology into their operations so that they can grow as an organization — and they’re ready to benefit from the dealer’s support on that journey.

New Technology and Safety Features on Komatsu’s PC220LCi-12 Excavator

Heavy Equipment Guide spotlights Komatsu’s next-generation PC220LCi-12 excavator, now available through SMS Equipment.

Intelligent machine control and safety tech are at the heart of Komatsu’s new PC220LCi-12 excavator

Introducing IMC 3.0

Safety tech built in from the factory

A new cab designed for comfort and visibility

Why select an excavator with advanced technology?