New Caterpillar machines for Loanhead Quarry
Malcolm Construction boost quarry operations with £1.1 million investment in Cat machinery
FINNING have supplied £1.1 million worth of Caterpillar machinery to one of the largest construction and contracting companies in Scotland, Malcolm Construction Ltd.
A division of The Malcolm Group, Malcolm Construction have invested in two Cat 745 three-axle articulated dumptrucks (ADTs) and one Cat 352 excavator from Finning UK & Ireland, the world’s largest dealer of Cat equipment, parts and aftermarket services. This purchase comes as part of the company’s continued investment in heavy machinery to further enhance the efficiency at its Loanhead Quarry.
Key to the investment was the productivity, efficiency, and financial benefits of both the Cat 745 ADTs and the Cat 352 excavator. To showcase the advantages of these machines, Finning provided a demonstration Cat 745 to the company for a week and the benefits were immediately clear.
Euan Malcolm, managing director of Loanhead Quarry, said: ‘Being able to demo the Cat 745 for a week was invaluable in validating the numerous benefits of this machine. Thanks to integrated VisionLink technology we were able to see the actual fuel burn figures of the machine, which came in at an average of 73.2 litres daily, and 586-litre total for the week – an impressive figure given the load and rigorous application.
‘With the machine’s higher payload capacity of up to 41 tonnes, you might expect higher average fuel burn, but we found the opposite. The machine’s Eco Mode undeniably helped to optimize our operating costs over the week, at no detriment to the performance of the machine.
‘Our machines endure the most demanding applications, which means durability, versatility, and stability are a high priority when we are investing in new equipment. The Cat 352 excavator is already proving it is just as efficient as our other Cat machines, and just as robust – handling large tools and heavy loads with ease.’
As one of the largest construction and contracting companies in Scotland, Malcolm Construction Ltd regularly assesses its fleet to ensure efficiency and reliability for all its applications.
Frank Tobin, territory account manager at Finning UK & Ireland, said: ‘We have worked closely with the team at Malcom Construction to ensure they receive maximum effectiveness from their machinery. To guarantee they were confident in the results we promised, we offered them a demo machine complete with VisionLink telematics to showcase the full extent of fuel savings and enhanced productivity on offer.
‘All of the new generation of Cat machines are engineered to deliver optimum efficiency and come with enhanced features such as auto idle shutdown and payload technology that directly reduces fuel consumption. With the addition of VisionLink telematics, even the larger machines can be closely monitored to enhance the overall efficiency of the fleet.
‘It has been great to see immediate, tangible results for our customer Malcolm Construction Ltd, and we are looking forward to continuing to work together to maximize efficiencies and enhance productivity in the future.’
