New Hitachi machine for Portuguese recycling firm

Leal & Soares SA purchase new ZX300LCN-6 excavator to help boost productivity 

RECYCLING specialists Leal & Soares have taken delivery of a new Hitachi ZX300LCN-6 excavator at their 12ha site in Mira, west Portugal, where the machine is moving around 100,000 cubic metres of compost material per week.

The company, which owns and runs the SIRO brand, develops the compost from forest residue – mainly from pine bark – for use in organic substrate and compost production. Leal & Soares’ broad range of products includes substrates, decorative bark and ornamental stones for reservoirs and lakes. 

Supplied by Portuguese dealers Moviter, the ZX300LCN-6 unit is equipped with a larger bucket than the standard version (3 cubic metre). This is due to the light density of the materials, which are stacked in numerous piles around the yard. 

Leal & Soares’ recent Hitachi investment is an extension to their equipment fleet, as housekeeping duties on the yard were previously carried out by a wheel loader. 

‘We considered other brands but after testing the Hitachi for a week, we were convinced that this was the best machine,’ commented Carlos Soares, chairman and director of SIRO. 

‘We chose the ZX300LCN-6; as we felt that the volume of work was suitable for this size of machine. After using a wheel loader for the same job, this was a natural and important step for us to take. The most important criterion was the capacity and the new Zaxis-6 excavator will be more productive and fuel-efficient. We are happy with our investment; it is doing exactly what it is supposed to and helping us to meet our objectives.’

Operator Vitor Santos said it is a very comfortable machine and is easy to operate. ‘We can go higher up the pile with the excavator than we did with the wheel loader, as it is stable and feels safe,’ he explained. ‘I now spend more time on top of the piles than anywhere else and this enables me to move larger volumes from one side to the other.

‘We needed a machine that was fast, precise and offered excellent visibility for the job on hand. It has already satisfied all of these requirements and, without doubt, the high swing speed is its most impressive feature.’