The power of Kobelco’s XD series excavators has proven to be indispensable for WA Limestone, a quarry operator working on the hard rocks of WA.
When WA Kobelco dealer LiftRite reached out to the road construction materials supplier to try out the new SK500XDLC, Director Steven Della Bona could be forgiven for feeling a little sceptical.
After all, the family-owned company had been operating for more than 40 years, establishing itself as one of the biggest raw material providers in the state, with quarries strategically located all over the Perth metropolitan area.
From these locations, WA Limestone supplies over 30 different types of products to contractors, government, and the wider WA public.
With products and services including crushed limestone to various sizes, armour rocks and spalls, building and construction sands, equipment hire, contract crushing, bulk earthworks, trucking hire and specialised breakwater and marina construction, the company had already built up a fleet of equipment that could carry out the various tasks efficiently and speedily.
So would it really need the Kobelco?
LiftRite area manager for southern WA, Dean Bailey, takes up the story.
“LiftRite Hire and Sales has been operating in WA for 41 years. In 2016, we became the state dealer for Kobelco excavators,” he said.
“That year, we were looking for an excavator brand to complement the business and be of great value to our customers.
“Kobelco ticked a lot of boxes in regards to superior build quality, reliability and great value for money. Feedback from other Kobelco long-term customers was always positive with many commenting on the quality Japanese engineering and build quality, fuel efficiency and smooth hydraulic operation and performance.
“So it was a no-brainer to go with the blue machines.”
Recognising the type of work that WA Limestone carried out, Dean said that LiftRite approached the company and Steven 18 months ago to see if it would benefit from the newly-released XD series excavators from Kobelco.
“We had an in-depth discussion regarding his excavator fleet and current and up-and-coming projects, both local and regional,” he said.
“After discussing his machines and understanding WA Limestone’s rock quarry operations, we found there was an opportunity for a 50t excavator for processing oversize material in the tough blue rock environments that the company often works in.”
Designed for the most extreme work environments, the SK500XD is purpose-built with a robust machine body and substantial additional reinforcements to all key areas of stress and wear across the boom, arm, underbody and undercarriage.
“Kobelco machines offer an unparalleled build quality and are known throughout the industry for their reliability, performance and fuel efficiency,” Dean said.
The mammoth excavator boasts next-level lifting capabilities with the standard extreme duty 7m boom and 3.45m arm, reaching a 7.81m dig depth with a rated safe working load over 6000 kg (measured at full reach over the side).
For even greater capacity, the XD Series is also available in a mass excavation (ME) configuration, known as the SK520XDLC. Equipped with additional counterweight and a shorter 6.5m boom and 2.6m arm, the SK520XDLC delivers even higher breakout forces and additional bucket capacity, with a rated safe working load exceeding 8000 kg.
“Add to this the XD wear package and reinforcement, we were always confident that the SK500XD would perform and prove to be a reliable machine in such an environment,” Dean said.
“Along with the 293 kN bucket breakout force, 222 kN arm breakout force and a whopping 415 kN draw bar pull, the model is a powerhouse for its weight.”
For his part, Steven said he’d been keeping his eye on the Kobelco range for a while, and had always wanted to try one to compare them to the brands the company was already using.
“I have more than 170 pieces of mobile plant, and roughly 40 excavators,” he said. “When COVID came along, it brought an opportunity to look at other brands and Kobelco was one of them. We always need better and more productive machines.”
After Dean explained in depth the specific features of the XD relating to quarry operations, Steven was sold.
When Earthmoving Equipment Magazine caught up with Steven and Dean for a chat, the new SK500XD was hard at it on a marina seawall project, cutting through the rocks like butter.
“Dean came and saw us a few times and finally convinced us to try that excavator you see working there,” Steven said.
“He said there was one in stock and we needed to move fast.
“I did some market research and a few people told me the machines were worth having a crack on, and so we made the move to buy it.”
Steven has had no regrets.
“The machine is performing very well in its application as a rock breaker, it’s been very reliable and hasn’t let us down at all,” he said.
“And the blue colour makes it stand out a bit as well!”.
Apart from the power, what’s impressed him has been the ease of operation despite the extra plate and steel on the machine.
“This is a 50t machine and it is very robust, with a lot more plate on it compared to its competitors: yet it’s still a very comfortable machine to operate,” he said.
“Our drivers are the people that work the machines and they really want to operate the machine, they really enjoy working it, it’s very smooth.
“The fuel efficiency has also been really good compared to other machines that we run at the moment. So we are pretty impressed with this machine.
“I definitely look forward to getting a few more Kobelcos in the fleet.”
Dean said Steve could see the value in the XD series being used for such unforgiving and seemingly impenetrable terrain.
“It’s quite hard on the gears. But just look at the machine, with its extra reinforcing and plating throughout the undercarriage, right up the arm and through to the boom connection,” he said.
“It’s a testament to all the extra engineering that Kobelco’s put into the machine.”
Steven’s also been very happy with the level of service provided by LiftRite.
“Throughout it all, the service has been very good. The guys have been great. If we needed something, it’s been fantastic. We can’t complain about it we’re very happy,” he said.
“They didn’t let us down at all; they even stocked some extra parts for us as requested.” Indeed, it’s a feature that Dean is particularly proud of.
“Last year LiftRite Hire & Sales celebrated 40 years of operations in WA,” he said.
“We put this success down to providing a one-stop shop for new machine sales, parts, repairs and in-house and mobile servicing.
“We enjoy building long term relationships with our customers and understand the importance of after sales support, parts supply and servicing, whether it be metro-based or through one of our many service agents from Esperance in the Great Southern to Broome in the Kimberley.
“If you are in the market for a new excavator in WA, drop into Liftrite Hire & Sales in Canning Vale. The team will be happy to discuss your specific requirements and show you through the exciting Kobelco range.”
About WA Limestone
WA Limestone began as a small-scale limestone producer, eventually becoming one of the state’s best producers while retaining strong family ties.
It was formed in 1973 by brothers Michael and Renzo Della Bona and their brother-in-law Peter Zamboni.
“Being family, we all pull in the same direction, and you have that connection, and that’s one of our strengths that we can rely on each other,” said Steven, Michael’s son.
“Quarrying is in our blood, and we know we’ve got that security and trust of each other.
“The first 10 years were very hard, but then some initial breakthroughs in marine breakwater contracts paved the way for the business to go forward.
“We began as basically quarry operators, firstly supplying the raw construction materials for road construction, then progressed into contracting, hard rock quarrying, concrete, and now basically all the construction materials that are required in roadbuilding, housing and construction.”
Steven always had the dream to follow in his father’s footsteps. There’s an implicit trust and respect among the family members to protect their legacy and keep the family business strong for years.
When the company started up, the brothers and Zamboni made up three of WA Limestone’s five employees. It was hard graft early on as they battled to establish themselves in the market against rivals.
In 1978, WA Limestone received a breakthrough with the Fremantle Sailing Club. The family-owned operation was contracted to help build a seawall of around 400,000 tonnes of limestone. Shortly after, the company found success at Port Denison in Dongara for half a million tonnes of limestone for its seawall.
The marine projects gave WA Limestone its sea legs and proved it could match competitors in constructing WA’s major infrastructure projects.
“That set the tone and proved we could match the pace for these projects, even in remote areas outside of metropolitan Perth,” Steven said.
“These were significant projects, allowing us to go from project to project. We did the Challenger Harbour in Fremantle for the America’s Cup and up to the Dawesville Channel, which was four of five million tonnes of rock.
“These fairly important jobs across the state set the foundation for WA Limestone and what we do today.”
Today, the company employs around 350 people across the state with 10 metropolitan quarries in Perth, five concrete plants and four hard-rock quarries in Karratha, Port Headland, Onslow and Byford.
The company has grown to incorporate WA Limestone, WA Bluemetal, WA Premix, WA Limestone Contracting, WA Limestone/ Jurali Joint Venture, Limestone Building Block Company, WA Limestone Heavy Haulage, Australian Sands International and Quarry Farm WA.
It continues to be a significant force in shaping the state’s infrastructure. It partnered with Main Roads, Leighton Contractors and GHD as part of the Southern Gateway Alliance to deliver the Kwinana Freeway extension and
the freeway-standard Forrest Highway completed in 2009. The latter was, at the time, WA’s biggest infrastructure project.