Going for gold at Avondale Environmental

Waste-management firm takes out a Volvo Gold service agreement on their new EC220D excavator

FALKIRK-based Avondale Environmental Ltd have opted for a Volvo Gold service agreement to support their latest machine acquisition – a Volvo EC220D excavator. The new 22-tonne machine has gone to work at the company’s Avondale landfill site, undertaking a variety of duties including: handling incoming material; loading cover material into dumptrucks; and digging trenches for the installation of methane extraction pipes.

‘We have operated Volvo loading shovels and dumptrucks on the Avondale site but this is our very first owned Volvo excavator,’ said David McCulloch, operations manager for Avondale Environmental. ‘The key reason for choosing it was down to the quality of the existing Volvo machines on site, coupled with the high level of service we get from a nearby Volvo support centre in Stirling.’

Taking out a Gold service agreement on the new EC220D means Volvo CE can take care of the total maintenance programme of the machine for a fixed monthly figure. The service agreement ensures the machine is inspected and serviced at regular intervals, delivering essential maintenance work at the right times and using genuine Volvo parts carried out by trained technicians. The Gold agreement also covers all repairs to major components but excludes repairs caused by site damage.

The EC220D excavator model is powered by a Volvo Stage IIIB D6 engine, delivering 175hp (129kW) and 849Nm of torque. The operator can select the best work mode for the task at hand, ensuring optimum performance and fuel efficiency.

Modes include: I (idle); F (fine); G (general); H (heavy); or P (power), with the machine automatically setting the appropriate engine speed for the work mode. There is also an Eco feature that works in G, H or P mode to provide better fuel efficiency without loss of performance in most operating conditions.

A ‘smart’ hydraulics system on the EC220D excavator has been designed to offer high productivity, high digging capacity, easy manoeuvrability and class-leading fuel economy. It features improvements that increase total flow and cycle times, with independent and simultaneous movements of the digging equipment controlled by an automatic sensing work mode.