Kobelco has developed and positioned its excavator range to meet the demands of quarry and earthmoving operations — environments where machines must endure abrasive rock, heavy cycles, long hours, and high production expectations.
Such work places different stresses on equipment compared with general construction, and Kobelco’s engineering and product planning reflect this reality across multiple fronts.
One of Kobelco’s priorities for quarry-oriented excavators is robust structural reinforcement.
Kobelco’s extra heavy-duty (XD) machines — such as the SK380XDLC-10 and SK500XDLC-10 — are engineered with thicker reinforcements across the boom, arm, underbody, and undercarriage to withstand mechanical stress and abrasive rock impacts.
Compared to standard Kobelco SK500LC models, the XD versions feature:
• Structural strength: Triple-plated, hardened steel on the boom-to-arm connection and a full-length rock guard on the dipper arm.
• Upgraded undercarriage: Reinforced guide frames, heavy-duty steel bolted underbody guards, and 600mm triple-grouser shoes for better durability on rocks.
• Engine simplicity: Powered by a 257 kW Hino engine that requires no DPF and no AdBlue, reducing maintenance downtime.
The design focus isn’t limited to one class. Even larger machines like the SK850LC are developed to withstand severe conditions, with heavy track guides and reinforced chassis elements to increase longevity.
This engineering emphasis ensures machines not only perform well in tough conditions, but also retain long service lives with lower downtime and repair costs — a vital consideration in production-focused quarry environments where equipment failure equates to lost tonnes and lost revenue.
The manufacturer also ensures high productivity through its power and hydraulic systems.
Quarry environments demand powerful digging force and quick cycle times to load trucks, extract material, and stockpile product. Kobelco ensures this by designing hydraulic mechanisms that reduce pressure loss while maintaining strong digging and lift capacity.
Its machines incorporate selectable work modes (for example, heavy, standard, ECO) to balance fuel efficiency with peak production, essential when machines may idle between truck rotations or work in sustained high-load cycles.
Tuning engines and hydraulics to deliver fast dig and swing cycles contributes to greater hourly output.
Then there’s Kobelco’s fuel efficiency and operating economy. Kobelco machines are engineered to deliver low fuel consumption without sacrificing power.
Advanced hydraulic systems, including mechanical regeneration features, lower fuel use during idle and work cycles.
Efficient engines and intelligent machine controls reduce waste, which in quarry applications can lower total fuel costs across a fleet.
A civil case
Queensland-based BWC Contracting is one business that needs no convincing of the class and qualities of Kobelco machines.
In the industry for more than four decades, the company specialises in bulk earthworks, quarrying, transport, mining, and boulder retaining wall construction across Brisbane’s south-eastern corner, with sporadic work in Sydney.
We chatted with BWC Managing Director Gavin Turner at one of its project sites to find out more about how Kobelco equipment has helped it efficiently win, process, load, and transport all types of raw materials.
But first, Gavin told us more about the origins of BWC.
“I am the sole director of the company, which I run collectively with my sons Jeff, who’s the Operations Manager, and Bradley, who’s the General Manager,” he said.
“BWC Contracting was founded to meet a defined need in the quarrying, transport and bulk earthworks sectors, evolving out of long-term industry experience.
“I started the business in 1984 and it’s had organic growth since then. I’ve built the business from doing predominantly builders’ work, recycling and small jobs up to a point now where we are doing quarry rehabilitation, materials transfer, and materials winning for large multinational companies.
“Over 42 years, the team at BWC brought together extensive experience across mining and quarrying operations, giving it a strong foundation in technical capability and practical knowledge of extractive industries. This experience was crucial in developing the company’s early services and credibility with industrial partners.
“I’m lucky to have both my sons involved in the business as well, hands-on in a full-time capacity, and I really couldn’t do it without them.
“We have a great relationship with all our suppliers, and with the people who we deal with. We have long-standing relationships with our clients, some of them we’ve worked for more than 35 years.”
Fleet expansion and operational growth over the decades enabled BWC to serve these clients with an end-to-end approach — from extraction to hauling — rather than just isolated services.
“Today we have about 80 staff including sub-contractors. We run all our own maintenance staff and fabricators, and operate out of our workshop 20 hours per day to keep gear serviced at night to reduce downtime,” Jeff said.
“Through the growth of the business, the needs for equipment and machinery have varied greatly. We have about 60 to 70 pieces of earthmoving plant and machinery: a fleet of 25 late model truck and dog combinations, equipped with modern fatigue management software.
“There’s a range of machinery of all shapes and sizes, from 1.8 tonne to 90t excavators, dozers, Moxy dump trucks, crushers, and screeners, to water carts, loaders, rollers, and stackers. We use a range of attachments, such as hammers, rock grabs, rippers, and heavy-duty reinforced buckets.
“We rely heavily on good relationships with our suppliers, so we get up-to-date information on the technological changes in the machines, and all the new advances that come with the new models, and with the industry as a whole.”
Of the diggers, BWC relies heavily on its Kobelco contingent: an SK350-8, a 35t class hydraulic excavator with a 1.6 m³ bucket capacity; three SK500XDLC-10 heavy-duty crawler excavators with an operating weight in the 50t class; and two SK210LC crawler excavators.
They were chugging merrily away at the project site at Keperra Quarry, which is being rehabilitated and transformed into a residential subdivision named The Quarry.
“BWC is focusing on the extraction of materials and the bulk earthworks component of the works,” Gavin said.
“On this site, the granite is extremely hard and wearing, and the Kobelcos just seem to handle it really well.
“They’re doing a great job, and they meet our KPIs for delivery of sections of the project and for the work we have to do really well.
“We use a range of crushing, screening, and loading equipment, along with the Kobelco excavators, to mine and sort boulders. We also have ancillary equipment such as graders and rollers to assist and get the other components of the works done.
“Of the Kobelcos, the SK500XDLC-10s are mainly used. They are all-quarry machines, used for a range of purposes such as ripping, rock grabbing, sorting, loading, crushing, screening, and hammering. They’re multi-faceted operations, so it’s great to have machines that are so versatile.
“This robustness also enables BWC to run the over-sized hammers that we need for our tasks.
“The 50t machines are perfect for what we do in our quarries, and in our applications. They have good lifting and breakout strength, and we get good production results for our crushing activities.
“We put our gear through hell with the granite boulders. It is hard on machinery and Kobelcos have been a long-time choice of ours because they perform in those conditions. Machinery from other manufacturers doesn’t last as long, or everything wears quicker.
“We use the SK350-8 as a utility mining machine for loading needs, and the SK210LCs are set up with rock grabs and used to build boulder walls full time.”
For Brad, working with the Kobelcos gives him the opportunity to be part of an industry he has enjoyed working in.
“I love the trucks, and I love the quarrying work. I think taking something from raw natural earth and carving it out to a final product is a pretty cool part of what we do,” he said.
“In our quarrying work, the Kobelco 50 tonners have been excellent. They’re the right size machine for our application.
“In our rock wall fleet, the 21t SK210LCs have been excellent. We’ve got two of them now, both fairly young, but we have previously had a 20t Kobelco and they’re perfect for what we do, with good lifting capacity.”
Brad expanded on the nature of the project, which involved transforming the end-of-life phase of an old granite quarry.
“We’re profiling the site for future civil and urban development use. So we’re taking these old style cut faces, conforming them and bringing them back to a suitable face so that they can be bolted and treated with various methods.
“We also carry out rock retaining for the faces that can’t be treated or need to be naturally built out.
“It’s all so easy with the Kobelcos.”
Brad said that apart from their durability, digging prowess, and fuel efficiencies, there were other reasons to like Kobelcos.
Operator comfort and productivity were key. While quarry jobs are tough, operators still spend long hours in excavator cabs.
“Kobelco recognises that operator comfort impacts safety and productivity,” Jeff said.
“Spacious, ergonomic cabs with noise and dust control help reduce operator fatigue, which in turn supports better performance and fewer mistakes over long shifts.
“Features such as air-suspended seats, climate control, and intuitive multi-display interfaces make extended operation less fatiguing and more efficient.”
Brad also valued how Kobelco designed its excavators to be serviceable and supported.
“There is easy access to filters and maintenance points, which reduce downtime during high-use periods,” he said.
“Diagnostic systems and remote telematics support help identify issues early, keeping machines operating and lowering unscheduled repairs.”
Jeff was just as enthusiastic about the quarry business.
“I’ve been involved for about 18 years. Growing up around all of this, it was inevitable that I was never going to do anything else,” he said.
“I feel lucky to be a part of it all. Every day is different. We have a lot of different projects that come and go.
“At the end of it, you can see the difference that you made. You might start from a plain block of dirt, and by the end of it, it’s retained, pretty, landscaped, and you feel like you’re a bigger part of something that went on there.”
Jeff echoed Gavin’s sentiments about the Kobelco performance.
“This site is very challenging. We’re faced with granite rock, one of the hardest rocks on earth: extremely dense and hard to be extracted.
“We rely on the Kobelcos, especially the 50 tonners, to do it easily and effortlessly, and in a timely fashion because at the end of the day, everything’s on time and budget, and we need the big gear to do the big jobs.
“What separates BWC from other companies is that we have quite a young fleet.
“We need good brands like Kobelco to align ourselves with, because staff want good machinery to operate, and we need a result.
“And at the end of the day, you’re aligned with brands that get results. So that’s why we’re sticking with Kobelco.”
BrisVegas business
Gavin said BWC bought its Kobelcos from Brisbane dealer BrisVegas Machinery, liaising mainly with its sales representative Marco Marabini and Managing Director Kane Bennett.
“We had been dealing with Chesterfield Equipment, who were the original Kobelco dealers in Queensland,” he said.
“When BrisVegas took over the franchise, we established relationships with Kane and Marco and the team over there.
“At last count, I think we’re up to about 23 machines that we’ve bought since about 2001.
“We’re very happy with the service. There’s no arguments when something needs to be done: it’s sorted without any fuss.
“We’re happy with the warranties and packages.
“We find that resale is exceptionally good. We’ve sold a few machines and can’t complain about the outcomes in a retail space.”
Gavin said availability of machines was exceptional. “It seems the team at BrisVegas always are in a position to be able to source a machine or to get us what we need at the time,” he said.
“A strong dealer network cannot be underestimated. It ensures parts and technical support are available when quarries need them most.
“This emphasis on serviceability fits workflows where quick turnaround on maintenance is critical to preserving production rates.
“The support from Kane and Marco, whether it’s parts, repairs, warranties, or general discussion, has been exceptional. Nothing is ever an issue. They have guaranteed that BWC will surely be back for more Kobelcos in the future.
“Kobelco is a great product, backed by great service. I can see us moving forward, being in a position to replace machines, and to purchase whatever we need for our upcoming jobs.”
Marco said he valued the association with BWC, which he reckoned had bought about 15 excavators since initial contact.
“They enjoy the bigger gear such as the 50t machines. It’s exciting to see them doing a bit of different work rather than more common civil site-based stuff,” he said.
“Personally, I’ve been doing business with them for about seven years, and it’s always a pleasure with them. They’re a family business, much like ourselves, and it’s great to see how the boys are progressing and coming through the ranks to the next generation.
“Once Gavin steps back completely, with him already doing a little bit less now, the two sons are waiting in the wings to basically take this from what it is today to the next level.
“The relationship is just going to keep getting stronger. They’re involved with all purchases every step of the way.
“Brad, Jeff, and I are similar in age. So it’s a nice place to be that as they grow and the business grows, I can support this along the way and we’re all going to be here in the long term.
“Being there to support them along the way is really exciting for us, the dealership, and myself as their sales representative.”
Building business with BrisWide
