New Cat 6030 for Mountsorrel Quarry

Tarmac complete line-up of UK’s largest mining shovels at flagship granite quarry in Leicestershire

TARMAC have bolstered their fleet of plant machinery with the acquisition of a new prime mover at Mountsorrel Quarry, in Leicestershire.

Capable of moving more than 3 million tonnes of material per year, the company’s Caterpillar 6030 hydraulic mining shovel weighs approximately 300 tonnes, generates in excess of 1,500hp and completes the firm’s line-up of new equipment at Mountsorrel.

Ian Brown, manufacturing manager at Tarmac, said: ‘Our objective is to continue to provide high-quality construction materials to our customers, so it’s important we have the right plant and equipment to deliver maximum site productivity.

‘The 6030 excavator is our second here at Mountsorrel and the two are the largest of their kind in operation at a UK quarry. This new user-friendly machinery will undoubtedly enable us to run the quarry to its optimum output, safely and professionally.’

The machine was delivered in sections on 12 separate trucks and took a team of dedicated engineers from UK Caterpillar distributors Finning four weeks to assemble on site.

Now fully operational, the excavator is playing a fundamental role in sustaining ongoing output at what is one of the most productive and large-scale quarrying operations in the country.

To ensure the 6030 operates to its optimum capacity, Caterpillar have also introduced a number of technical management systems, with on-board computers providing real-time performance data to monitor the machine’s health and minimize breakdowns.

Safer, quieter and fitted with the latest modern emissions controls, the new model is also more efficient than its predecessor, reducing fuel consumption by around 20%.

John Vardy, strategic account general manager at Finning, commented: ‘The Cat 6030 FS hydraulic shovel leads the class in productivity, reliability and safety. It is the perfect production match for the Cat 777 trucks working in Mountsorrel Quarry.

‘With the machine remotely monitored by our Finsight engineering team at our Cannock head office, using the latest MineStar and Cat Product Link technology, we are able to ensure the Tarmac team has performance and productivity data at its fingertips.

‘Monitoring this information also allows us to help Tarmac maintain high levels of uptime, by spotting trends and alerts that can be used to schedule preventative maintenance.’