Ground Control 14 - Luyckx

Industry solutionsa further 1,300mm forward, allowing for an additional two metresof visibility through the glass floor.”Between January and June 2012, the Carey Group usedthe Hitachi ZX225USRLC-3 fitted with a 21-metre clamshelltelescopic arm to remove material from below ground at the site.Equipped with a 0.8m 3 bucket, it loaded an average of 45 trucksa day. The trucks transported the material, known as ‘Londonblue clay’, to Margate in Kent, approximately 110km south eastof the city, where it was used to reinstate a landfill site.Carey Group Assistant Project Manager David Kyari explainedthe importance of the machine’s productivity: “It takesapproximately 12 minutes to fill each truck; eight seconds for thearm to extend and ten seconds for it to retract. It’s important forthe process to be as fast and smooth as possible, as the trucksare not allowed to queue on the street adjacent to the site, dueto parking restrictions and emissions regulations.”Without the Hitachi ZX225USRLC-3, the process would beslower and less safe. “We would have to use skips, conveyorbelts and a crane to lift the skips to remove the material, whichwould then have to be stockpiled on site,” says Mr Kyari. “Withthis machine, we can do both the excavating and loading, and itis up to three times quicker than the traditional method.”“The use of tower cranes and skips would mean more movingparts to the process,” adds Mr Hearne, “which has implicationsfor safety risks on such a busy site. Enhanced safety is one ofthe most important benefits of this excavator to the Carey Group,because it is always a top priority for the company.”The safe and smooth operation of the Hitachi excavator wasalso extremely quiet. This is another important considerationfor inner-city projects because of its close proximity to offices,residences and the British Museum, which has remained openthroughout the construction work.Powerful and productiveA short distance across London, two more clamshell telescopicZaxis excavators were working on Crossrail, the largestUsing the ZX350LC-3 was three times quicker than using skips and cranes at the Crossrail siteFrom left, Daniel and Michael O’Brien (M O’Brien Plant Hire) withHM Plant Operations Director David Hearne and Costain WorksManager Martyn Redsellengineering project in Europe. It involves the construction ofa new railway across the city, which will connect 37 stationsincluding Heathrow Airport and Maidenhead in the west withCanary Wharf, Shenfield and Abbey Wood in the east.One of the project’s 20 job sites is the construction of theeastern ticket hall of the Bond Street Crossrail station at HanoverSquare. Costain Skanska Joint Venture (CSJV) contracted theZX350LC-3 and later the ZX350LC-5 from M O’Brien Plant Hire.They were required to carry out excavation work on two shafts,five storeys below ground, leading down to the level of the newtrain platforms. This work was necessary to prepare for the arrivalof tunnel boring machines in late 2012.Between March and June 2012, the ZX350LC-3 – fitted witha 25-metre arm and 1.2m 2 bucket – worked 24-hour shifts,seven days a week, removing material from the first shaft. Itloaded a six-tonne dumper, which transported the materialsto an on-site stockpile. A Hitachi ZX225USLC-3 then loadedthe materials on to trucks for transportation off site.Completing the work on schedule was extremely importantto CSJV and it conducted a test to compare the performanceof the Hitachi clamshell telescopic excavator against the useof skips. Costain Works Manager Martyn Redsell explains:“The excavator was three times quicker than using an 8m 3 skip.The skips removed 13m 3 per hour compared to 39m 3 per hourremoved by the Hitachi. By mid-May, we were four days ahead ofschedule.”Operator Tony O’Sullivan, who works for M O’Brien Plant Hire,was also impressed by the performance of the Hitachi ZX350LC-3.“I was initially surprised at how stable it was, how far it couldreach and how much material it could bring up,” he said. “I foundit easy to operate, it has smooth hydraulics and it’s comfortable,too. Compared to other brands of machinery I’ve worked with,Hitachi is Mr Reliable.”For Tony’s employer, Michael O’Brien, the Hitachi clamshelltelescopic excavators have other advantages. “The benefitsinclude increased safety and flexibility in terms of where we canwork. They give our company greater versatility; we can reachmore customers with these machines.” The new ZX350LC-5model, delivered in July 2012, has the additional advantages ofenhanced hydraulics and the stage IIIB low-emission engine.The family-run firm, based in St Albans, Hertfordshire, wasestablished by Michael and his wife, Annamarie, in 1991 withone machine. Today, it has a 100-strong fleet of Hitachi constructionmachinery, ranging from the ZX29U-3 mini to ZX470-3 largeexcavators. “We have found Hitachi excavators to be powerful,robust and reliable,” says Michael. “The most important benefitsfor my company are the good service we receive from HM Plantand the machines’ strong residual value.”The future of M O’Brien Plant Hire lies in providing a diverse andspecialist range of equipment to meet the increasingly complexand challenging requirements of today’s construction projects.The demand for Hitachi telescopic clamshell excavators looks setto grow in accordance with this trend, and HM Plant sees greatpotential in this product category. “These machines are becomingthe standard way to do this kind of work now,” says Mr Hearne.Following their work in London, the ZX225USRLC-3 andZX350LC-5 belonging to the Carey Group and M O’Brien PlantHire respectively were scheduled to start on other projectsaround the UK. As more construction companies see them inaction, awareness of their capabilities will undoubtedly increaseand extend their appeal for underground construction projectseven further.To see a movie of the ZX225USRLC-3 workingbelow the ground in London, please visitwww.youtube.com/user/HitachiConstruction.To receive a digital version of Ground Controlwith new movies, please register online atwww.igroundcontrol.com/subscribe/english24 Hitachi Construction Machinery (Europe) NV GROUND CONTROL25