MATERIALS supplier Hillhouse Group has invested in three new Cat machines following a fleet production study by Finning UK & Ireland to increase production at the firm’s Troon quarry site.
Hillhouse Quarry Group has a relationship with Finning spanning more than 25 years. The company operates a large Cat fleet of both new and rebuilt machines including wheel loaders, excavators, and off-highway trucks.
The recent purchase of two Cat 772G trucks and a 95-tonne 395 excavator is tipped to ensure faster cycle times from quarry face to crusher.
John Stuart, territory account manager at Finning, said, “Hillhouse wanted to make their quarry operations more productive. They already have a proactive fleet management program, so when their existing Cat 390 excavator was due for replacement, we took the opportunity to look at the fleet.
“In doing so we were able to recommend replacing their larger Cat 775 Cat dump truck for two smaller Cat 772G’s enabling them to increase the speed of unloading and mean they could manoeuvre more easily around the site and easing congestion at the crusher. This increase in efficiency also meant they were burning less fuel so making financial and environmental savings at the same time.”
Due to the harsh nature of the rock quarry at Troon, the excavator needed to have a severe duty bucket attachment and screen guard, while the 772Gs were fitted with a heavy-duty spec including steel liners. The 772G, as well as being quicker and more efficient, is also said to emit up to 17% less CO2 than the previous model and has an updated traction control system increasing performance and productivity.
John added, “We have expert Cat certified engineers local to Troon which means we’re on site daily to provide support to Hillhouse. In addition, as we have a branch in Glasgow open six days a week, we can offer great back up for parts and service to Hillhouse Group and our other customers in central Scotland. Together with our other branches in Inverness and Aberdeen, this means we also offer excellent support to our customers outside the central belt too.”
Alistair McGowan, operations director at Hillhouse Group, said they valued the ‘robustness’ of Cat machines, and the level of support Finning provides.
He added, “We have older machines on site which have been here for years, as we’ve always had Cat machines because of their reliability, efficiency, and technology. We’re always looking at ways to evolve our business and it’s reassuring to know we can rely on the support and service from Finning, and they couldn’t be more helpful.
“Downtime is a huge issue for us being such a large operation, so the reliability of the machines and the service the Finning engineers offer really comes into play because it is business critical. These latest machines have advanced a lot from the ones we had so they’ll be a big change for our operators, but our Cat machines are prime movers in our quarry and key to our production.”
