A number of Alemlube products has helped Melbourne concrete company Piave continuously meet its target of getting products out to clients quickly and efficiently.
Many Australian businesses seeking lubrication solutions will surely have used the products and services offered by Alemlube.
The family-owned and operated company represents and works closely with many of the world’s leading manufacturers and brands in the fields of lubrication and refuelling equipment, hose storage and retrieval solutions, spill containment products, vehicle hoists and wheel servicing equipment.
With its head office in Sydney, Alemlube delivers and supplies a complete portfolio of products and services inclusive of single and multi-point lubricators. It offers products relevant to the trucking and earthmoving industries, and everything in between: almost anything that has an engine, and any machinery that requires a workshop.
Boasting sales capabilities, technical advice and stock available from a branch network that includes offices and warehouses in Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne, Adelaide, Perth and Auckland, its focus is to provide sales, stock and after sales support in a timely, friendly and professional manner.
The three separate and yet integrated divisions provide:
- Off-the-shelf lubrication equipment, fluid transfer and metering and hose storage and retrieval products
- Design, supply, installation, commissioning and maintenance of automotive and commercial vehicle workshop solutions
- Design, supply, installation, commissioning and maintenance of mobile equipment and fixed plant automatic lubrication systems
The installation and maintenance programs are designed to maximise plant equipment and vehicle uptime, protect machinery and minimise maintenance and operating costs.
With a wealth of experience and expertise, both from within Alemlube and from its overseas manufacturing partners, the company’s knowledgeable and motivated teams understand the important role its equipment and services play over the lifetime of fixed plant, mobile equipment, agricultural machinery, trucks, buses, passenger vehicles and power generation facilities.
In good time
One company that knows full well the efficiency of Alemlube’s solutions is Piave, a Melbourne- based business which prides itself as being the most technical privately-owned concrete company in Australia and New Zealand.
Founded in 1993, it has set the solid foundations for thousands of Melbourne buildings and homes, being the first to bring European concrete technology to Victoria.
Backed by an extensive fleet of 30 concrete agitators, eight tippers, 10 trucks and dogs, and several cement tankers, Piave is committed to fast delivery of quality concrete and the utmost efficiency, investing in high-productivity solutions so that it can reduce costs and errors for customers.
Indeed, the strictest quality control measures have been implemented to ensure high standards are maintained at all times.
With concrete plants strategically located in Fairfield and Port Melbourne, the company is constantly evolving to meet customers’ needs, testing new innovations and processes that have the potential to make the product even better.
And it’s this no-compromise approach that first led Piave to using Alemlube products.
Alemlube Regional Manager for Victoria/ Tasmania, Vernon Goss, said the relationship between the two parties began about 10 years ago when, through common links with Kenworth trucks, Piave started fitting Alemlube auto lubrication systems to their cement agitators.
The automatic lubrication systems apply small amounts of grease, frequently minimising waste and maximising bearing protection, without missing any grease points.
“This expanded into fitting the auto lubrication systems to Piave’s front-end loaders, truck and trailers, saving time by eliminating manual greasing and protecting their investment, increasing the resale value,” he said.
The Alemlube ALS pump station is made of the latest engineering polymer materials, making it lighter, stronger and more durable for the harshest operating conditions and exposure to the elements.
The integrated system controller has every feature for control and monitoring built in. “Alemlube engineers the right volume of lubricant to each grease point and the precision machined progressive dividers ensure that each point receives the correct amount of grease,” Vernon said.
“Every component in the Alemlube system is designed for an industry best pressure of 280 bar (4,200psi).
“The ALS protects your investment and lets you know if any grease point won’t accept grease. Of course it uses NLGI#2 grease, as recommended by every manufacturer of vehicles and machinery.
“With very high operating pressure and the ability to have up to three pump outlets, the Alemlube ALS has the ability to reliably service almost any application, from a mini excavator to a long stick dredger.”
Vernon said the best time to grease machines is during operation.
With the ALS, small quantities of grease are measured and distributed to each point many times per day, ensuring hard working components are always perfectly lubricated and damaging contamination is kept out.
“Small doses of grease more frequently flushes out dirt and contamination. Likewise, on the cement trucks, a lot of dust is collected. The auto greasing systems flush out the dirt on a more frequent basis.
“Manual lubrication is eliminated, with no more time wasted on servicing grease points.
“As well, difficult or hard-to-reach points can’t be missed out and are kept perfectly greased regardless of servicing schedules.
“The ALS extends the working life of bucket pins, and articulation bearings are greatly improved, offering peace of mind.”
Then, knowing that Alemlube also provided a range of workshop equipment like truck and car hoists, Piave returned for RAV307H.4WS column lifts and RAV KPH370 two-post hoists — both of which raise the vehicles to a height that makes it easier for servicing to be carried out on the undercarriages and the chassis.
The electro-hydraulic mobile column lifts operate wirelessly (2.4 GHz), and have a lifting capacity of 7500kg each, enabling trucks, tankers and the like to be easily raised.
Sets of four, six and eight identical columns can be configured, catering for tyre diameters from 900mm to 1200mm with a minimum run diameter of 580mm.
“Each column is powered by two 12V maintenance-free 100A/h gel type batteries,” Vernon said.
They are easily adjustable thanks to control and display panels available on each column.
The KPH series of two-post hoists offers three-stage short arms for asymmetric lifting of cars, utes and smaller vehicles.
“The minimum pad height is 90 mm and the arms are suitable for quick drop-in extensions and other lifting accessories,” Vernon said.
“Mechanical safety latches with automatic engagement ensure maximum safety when the lift is in a standing position.”
For Piave diesel mechanic Dino Barbarossa, the hoists and columns have proven to be indispensable in the workshop.
“They are big time-savers,” he said.
“I can do services quicker, maybe two to three services in a day.
“I’d been a mechanic for a long time now, just laying there on the floor.
“These hoists make the job so much easier and lets me see everything. When it comes to inspections of the vehicles, I can go right over them and miss nothing. I can easily see anything that’s broken or cracked. I’ll find it and fix it.”
Vernon said that after-sales and parts services were a particularly strong point for Alemlube, with nine service technicians located in Victoria alone.
“We can respond to any service call within 24 hours of notification. We carry a wide range of spare parts here in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth. If we don’t have a part in Melbourne with can source/ship it from one of our other branches including New Zealand,” he said.
“We are proud to support Piave; it’s a major player in the industry and shows that Alemlube can deliver a first class service, not just to to Piave, but to all our other major customers in and around Victoria.
“Alemlube has so many different products and equipment to suit all types of workshop needs that I am sure Piave will be back for more.”
For his part, Piave General Manager Maurice Moffa couldn’t be happier.
“If there has been anything we needed or repaired, it has never been a problem for Alemlube,” he said. “They provide a great after-sale service which I consider to be very important.
“The equipment we use is vital as it reduces the man hours on maintaining and servicing our equipment: the column lifts for our trucks or trailers, two-post hoist for our cars and utes, automatic greasing systems on our trucks, trailers, loaders and even on our concrete plants.
“We also use their oil dispensing equipment in our workshop.”