The powerful ZAXIS-5 series is welcomed by Yatcon Civil after taking delivery of four new model excavators.
Yatcon Civil and Hitachi Construction Machinery (Australia) Pty Ltd (HCA) continue to work together to grow their existing fleet of Hitachi equipment to service the developing areas within the Illawarra region on the south coast after taking delivery of six new Hitachi ZAXIS-5 excavators from 4 tonne to 35 tonne. The locally owned civil construction company is based in Albion Park Rail with 47 permanent employees and several contractors who complete projects in the Shellharbour, Kiama, Shoalhaven and Wollongong City Council areas. Peter Yates, Owner and Director of Yatcon Civil, said: “The company prides itself on specialising in the safe and efficient construction of all aspects of residential subdivisions, sewer and water main infrastructure, as well as large scale quarry works.”
In the last five years the company has completed a few million-dollar projects, including, recently, a number of sub-divisions at Tullimbar, Mount Terry and Kiama with roads, drainage and Sydney Water assets built over vacant land. Their previous ZX-3 excavators have been put to the test. “We know Hitachi make a tough, hardy machine with most machines obtaining 11,000+ hours prior to upgrading to the new Hitachi ZX-5 excavators. Reliability, price and availability of parts, which generally are next day delivery, are also key factors in our brand loyalty,” said Peter.
“Yatcon Civil complete all subdivision tasks in-house, from concreting to drainage to road construction. We also have access to materials due to our relationship with Holcim, our major quarrying, where we move approximately 200,000 tonnes per month with 110T excavator as the main load out tool.”
Yatcon Civil places OH&S Regulations as a priority, and the implementation of controls is paramount on all Yatcon Civil’s construction sites. “The projects we’ve completed in the past five years have been in environmentally sensitive areas, so the equipment used is to a high standard and is the latest model machinery. We know Hitachi’s machinery is engineered with the operator’s safety a number one priority,” said Peter.
Additionally, during the assembly process of the excavator fleet, wireless monitoring cameras were utilised to precisely align the lower and upper structures of the machines.
In doing so, personnel were kept at a safe distance from the lift zone area, eliminating potential harm.
“The machines are all running well, with minimal down time. All operators of the machines are commenting on how smooth and fuel efficient the machines are. The new computer systems which run through the monitor of the ZX-5 machines are superior to other comparable makes on the market,” he said.
In the 13T class, Yatcon Civil has two of the other leading brands that run side by side with the Hitachi ZX135-5 and ZX-3 machine, and all operators rate the Hitachi machine above its competitors. The operator of the Hitachi ZX135-5 at Yatcon Civil said, “It is very stable, powerful and offers more capacity. This is the machine’s first job and it’s been useful to test it with different attachments, such as the hammer, which is only required occasionally to break up rock. The monitor is also useful for checking information and the rear-view camera is ideal.
Not to mention the low fuel consumption and smoothness of operation.”
“We have five sub-divisions in the local area under construction with approximately 250 lots to be completed before March 2017, so we’re very much looking forward to seeing these machines perform,” said Peter.
Yatcon Civil has a good relationship with Hitachi Construction machinery, in particular with Andrew Sturgeon, HCA’s Southern Regional Sales Representative in New South Wales. During the purchasing of the machines good trade values were given and the deals were made. “Andrew ensured we were given the opportunity by Hitachi to field test a new 200LC proto-type machine, which is performing very well at the present moment,” said Peter.
Peter’s strategy is to utilise relatively new machinery, and so the fleet is updated from the authorised HCA dealer in Sydney, after each model reaches approximately 6,000–7,000 working hours. “This is especially the case for the latest generation of Zaxis excavators,” said Peter, “which have comparatively low fuel consumption and lower overall running costs.”
Peter said, “The team at Hitachi do a great job, especially as they go out of their way to help us when the need arises.
It’s about the whole package, with many things contributing to the success of our Hitachi machinery.”
“The new excavators are working well together and they have proved to be a strong combination for this job. They can operate in restricted areas and there is enough power when we need it. We are also able to take care not to damage our immediate working environment. I can guarantee, when purchasing new machinery – Hitachi will be the first port of call for any future acquisitions of machinery.
[colored_box color=”yellow]To see the new range visit http://hitachicm.com.au/products/excavators[/colored_box]