Good backup and service prompts more orders from GBM Demolition
Lincolnshire-based company order six more Volvo excavators for their fleet of demolition and earthmoving equipment
Providing an efficient backup and service has prompted GBM Demolition of Louth, Lincolnshire to order six more excavators for their fleet of demolition and earthmoving equipment from Volvo Construction Equipment.
“We need to rely on suppliers who understand our business needs and can provide a fast responsive service and parts support when we need it,” said GBM’s managing director Simon Grantham as he took delivery of two 26-tonne Volvo ECR235C reduced swing excavators and an EC160CL, with two new EC380D’s and an EC290C on order for imminent delivery. “That’s why we’ve opted once again for Volvo equipment.”
Starting out as a muck-shifting contractor in 1988, Simon Grantham’s business altered course when the company was awarded the contract to demolish the old Butlin’s holiday camp in Skegness. Since then GBM Demolition have grown significantly covering demolition projects around the UK and more recently undertaking a four year contract working for the Environment Agency on flood defences throughout Lincolnshire. The company took delivery of their first Volvo back in 2000 and with these latest additions the GBM fleet is now predominantly made up of Volvo excavators and loading shovels.
Specifically, the two ECR235Cs were purchased for working on flood defence work although as Simon Grantham has discovered, they have been adept in tight working situations on demolition work.
“The combination of the dozer blade and two piece boom on the ECR235 saved us several days work on a recent demolition project where a conventional excavator would never have been able to gain access to a large part of the job,” said Simon.
“On its other duties, the steep batters we need to grade on river defence can be done with ease thanks to the boom’s geometry and stability of the machine itself.”
Powered by a Volvo six-cylinder Tier III engine developing 150hp, the ECR235C equipped with dozer blade and two piece boom weighs in at just over 26 tonnes. The machine has a forward reach of 10m and is capable of working on steep batters down to 5.5m. The 4.4m track length and 3m width in combination with the optional dozer blade make the ECR235C a stable machine, capable of larger lifting capacities over a conventional excavator.
The two new ECR235Cs and EC160C join a collection of other Volvo excavators including two EC700BLCs, one of which was converted two years ago by Kocurek into a 38m telescopic high-reach demolition rig, and two EC360C machines that are shortly to be replaced by two of the recently launched EC380D models. Each machine is assigned to a specific operator who, apart from routine servicing, is responsible for the upkeep and aesthetics of his charge.
