Porter Press Extra: East Coast Decorative Stone & Sand

[SPONSORED CONTENT] High-tech screening and scalping equipment from Sandvik have ensured this burgeoning northern New South Wales aggregate supply business has a future-proofed tool box as it looks to ramp up production across two new quarry sites.

A new venture for Russ Hardy and Bill Dawe has meant the opportunity to invest in brand new scalping and screening equipment.

Operating from two quarry sites in northern New South Wales, East Coast Decorative Stone & Sand has ensured it will have requisite production capacity from the getgo, with a new Sandvik QA451 triple deck screen and Sandvik QE342 scalper, both of which add to a fleet of Porter Equipment-sourced machinery.

The familiar red and white aggregate processing hardware joins a line-up of Hyundai mobile plant at East Coast Decorative Stone & Sand, including Hyundai HL760-9 and HL770-9 wheel loaders, and a Hyundai R145-9 excavator. In fact, like the Sandvik equipment, the two wheel loaders are also new additions to the fleet, primed to dig out both decorative and sand stone material at the sites.

While this equipment is new to Russ and Bill’s operation, Hyundai in particular has been a manufacturer the Pottsville Beach-headquartered company has invested in for many years for its other interests.

“Hyundai machines just get the job done,” says Russ. “They’re really good and consistent at what they do.

“In addition to the quarrying work, we also complete a fair bit of civil project work as well, such as along the M1 freeway, so we put our Hyundai gear into different environments. They always work well; we have older Hyundai machines as well as these new ones and we have added to the line-up because the older Hyundai equipment has proven its worth over time.”

Russ has been involved in the civil and quarrying industries since 1986 and has looked to Porter Equipment for machinery solutions for some time now. He says he has always been impressed with the service Porter Equipment offers.

“We have a good relationship with the sales team there and I have always found them very knowledgeable,” he says.

“When you’re looking at new technology like this, having people to sound out about advanced features on machines is important. These aren’t the sort of machines you buy every couple of years, so to have all the information when you make your decision is important for the business as it develops. We don’t want to get down the track and feel like we have made the wrong decision.”

While East Coast Decorative Stone & Sand is still in its developmental stage, the quarries themselves are already busy processing material. Russ says the company hasn’t commenced carting yet, but the plan is to begin this soon. In the meantime, a significant stockpile of aggregate is required.

“I’d say the new Sandvik scalper would be capable of processing 250 ton an hour or thereabouts. We haven’t purchased it to do those numbers – I’d rather be running these new machines below their maximum – but it is good to know they are capable of higher outputs.

“It’s the same with any machine; look after it and it’ll look after you. We want good, consistent machines that’ll do the job. But we don’t need to run them ragged, so we won’t.”

Both the Sandvik QA451 triple deck screen and Sandvik QE342 scalper represent state-of-the-art engineering from the trusted Swedish manufacturer.

The heavy-duty Sandvik QA451 features an impressive triple deck doublescreen box comprising of two independent triple deck screen boxes. Both of these feature independent drives and can have their amplitudes and combined screen angles adjusted to suit specific applications.

As at Russ and Bill’s operation, the Sandvik QA451 works effectively as a stand-alone screening and stockpiling system producing four sized products with the option of a fifth oversize material scalped off at the grid. Or it can be used in train with other screening equipment.

High rates of production paired with exceptional separation of a wide range of materials means the Sandvik QA451 has quickly cemented itself as something of a ‘Swiss Army Knife’ machine for a variety of operations.

The fact the screen is also completely manoeuvrable, thanks to its tracked underbody set-up, means it can be moved efficiently around the quarry to wherever it is required as aggregate production evolves at the site.

Meanwhile, the Sandvik QE342 scalper (which also features two-speed tracks for efficient manoeuvrability) is a true heavyweight performer for operations such as East Coast Decorative Stone & Sand.

Highlights of this benchmark machine include a large hydraulically-operated wear-resistant hopper, an adjustable heavy-duty screenbox offering high speed and throw capabilities, and an extra-wide oversize conveyor to ensure free flow of material.

As with the company’s other Hyundai machinery, the Sandvik processors will be receiving their first service at the 250-hour mark; an advent Russ says will be carefully scheduled in with Porter Equipment so as to coincide with the narrow window of downtime each unit will have over the coming months.

Russ says that while the two Sandvik machines, which have been on-site for a couple of months now, represent the latest technology, he and his 15-strong team were able to deploy them immediately thanks to the training support that Porter Equipment provided.

“Porter went the extra mile when we were bedding in the new machines,” he says.

“They sent a full team out to help our guys get to grips with the systems. They spent three days with us making sure we were up to speed on both how the machines operate and how we could use them at our sites most effectively.

“I think it’s that level of service which makes you want to keep dealing with Porter Equipment. We like the gear they distribute, and we like the service they provide, so it works well for us. We have various machines here, but I have one phone number to call if I need anything, and that’s pretty good going as far as I’m concerned.”

 

Photography: Michael Grassick