Product Focus: Porter Group & Di Mattia Transport

The timelines are always tight when it comes to vital rail network maintenance. Di Mattia Transport is an expert in the field and reliable construction machinery from Hyundai, as well as solid back-up support from distributor Porter Equipment, all plays a part in ensuring strict deadlines are met

New South Wales construction and transport company, DMT, has made a name for itself as a trusted provider of construction project support, as well as specialised transport solutions for industrial equipment and bulk materials.

The 50-strong DMT team’s reputation for reliability has been forged over the years thanks to its unique service offering to the rail sector.

“We provide full maintenance support for all rail corridor infrastructure,” DMT general manager Joel Sutherland says.

“This is an end-to-end service that involves tasks such as rerailing, vegetation management and other civil construction work across many miles of rail line through terrain that offers varying degrees of difficulty in accessing [it].

“We essentially work right around the east coast of Australia and across to Adelaide, in both heavy urban and isolated rural environments. The maintenance work we undertake requires a lot of activity to happen in very short spaces of time, so our men and machinery all need to be working in sync to ensure consistent top-quality results.”

The Hyundai R60CR-9 tracked excavator supported trackside by a Hyundai HL760-9 wheel loader

In order to carry out such tasks on a daily basis, DMT uses heavy-duty Hyundai construction machinery, supplied and supported throughout Australia by Porter Equipment.

“While the machines themselves are very good, the main benefit we get from Porter Equipment is their after-sales service, which is second-to-none,” says Sutherland.

“We’ve had Hyundais on our fleet for a while now and, overall, their reliability has been excellent. But, if we ever had an issue or needed a question answered, Porter Equipment sales rep Dino Williams and workshop manager Chris Tierney and his team are right there should we need them.

“Naturally, with rail corridor maintenance operations, we’re under very strict deadlines to get our work completed. Network shutdown times need to be kept to a minimum by necessity, so if there was ever an issue with our gear in the field, the clock is ticking to get it sorted – Porter Equipment essentially provide us with 24/7 support and that’s a big thing for us.”

Joel Sutherland, DMT general manager

While back-up support is something Porter Equipment’s many clients look to the multifaceted machinery supplier to provide, when the tracks and wheels hit the dirt, the machine has got to perform as expected too. Sutherland says his Hyundai equipment represents rugged, solidly performing equipment across the many, many kilometres of rail systems that DMT services.

The Hyundai fleet DMT currently runs includes three 5.5-tonne Hyundai R60W-9 and two larger 18.4-tonne Hyundai R170W-9 wheel excavators, along with a Hyundai R60CR-9 tracked excavator, which are all fitted out as High Rail units. These are supported trackside by a Hyundai HL760-9 wheel loader.

“We need the flexibility and quick manoeuvrability the wheeled excavators give us,” continues Sutherland.

“Out in the bush we’re often hopping on and hopping off the rail system in order to complete sectional maintenance at various stages up and down a line – our work sites can stretch for five, eight, 12 kilometres, so we can spend a lot of time travelling between access points alongside the line in order to complete the actual work.

“When on the line, the bigger excavators drive off the rubber tyres of the machine itself rather than the High Rail motors, so having machines that can get along at an efficient speed by themselves is crucial.”

The rigid cabin’s steel tube construction of Hyundai’s ‘Dash 9’ machines offers operators increased safety protection

Similarly, DMT’s 17.9-tonne Hyundai HL760-9 wheel loader needs to be both agile and strong. Pushing up ballast and carrying sleepers to cover up to 280m lengths of rail – 12 tonnes of material weight – at a time are tasks the loader needs to undertake with regularity. Sutherland says it is as important that this machine remains well-serviced and ready to work as the on-track excavators.

Each of the Hyundai excavators DMT runs are fitted out in a specific manner for the unique tasks the team undertakes.

With the High Rail unit underscoring each machine, Hyundai’s cabin ergonomics plays a big part in ensuring the ‘Dash 9’ machines work well in the field.

The 17.9-tonne Hyundai HL760-9 wheel loader needs to be both agile and strong to keep up with the variety of tasks on site

“The Hyundai gear gives our operators heaps of space inside the cabin, as well as a lot of visibility out. That space is needed because, between the 360° swivel head set-ups and the High Rail mechanisms we fit to each machine, we need room for extra monitors, so the operators have full control over those extra aspects of the machine,” explains Sutherland.

“If the cabin was tight to start with, that’s going to impact on both driver comfort and outward visibility, but we don’t have that issue with the Hyundais.”

Every Hyundai ‘Dash 9’ features large side windows and overhead sunroof panels fitted with safety glass for extra ventilation and visibility.

The rigid cabin’s steel tube construction is well regarded, offering operators increased safety protection and plenty of durability, whether the next deployment is inner city or interstate.

This ruggedness is echoed through the rest of Hyundai’s wheel excavator framework and mechanicals, with heavy duty drive lines, axles, and transmission, and powered by reliable and fuel-efficient engine technology.

The spacious cabin allows for the addition of extra monitors for operators

In both machine sizes that DMT runs, Hyundai’s hydraulic system offers the operator plenty of controllability.

Pump flow control reduces flow when controls are not being used to minimise fuel consumption, while hydraulic valves, precision-designed variable volume piston pumps and responsive travel functions all serve to make the wheel excavator line-up easy to use and comfortable to spend working hours in, both on and off the tracks.

“At the end of the day, we have a solid reputation for excellence that we will always strive to uphold,” concludes Sutherland.

“In order to achieve that, we can’t have any part of the process let us down, and that’s why we don’t take our decisions around machine support lightly. Together, Hyundai and Porter Equipment help reinforce our industry reputation.”