Proven productivity, reliability and responsive support from Babcock are helping Hamilton Plant Hire tackle demanding bulk earthworks projects with confidence – and positioning the business to take on bigger work.
When you are moving high volumes of material in unforgiving terrain, equipment performance is not simply measured in specifications. It is measured in tonnes moved, targets achieved and machines that keep working when production is under pressure. For Hamilton Plant Hire, its Volvo Construction Equipment fleet is doing exactly that.
Operating in harsh, highly industrial conditions, the contractor is putting its Volvo articulated haulers to work on demanding bulk earthworks where productivity and uptime are critical to keeping operations moving. “The terrain is very aggressive and we’re expecting a lot from the machines,” says Llewellyn Stander, Site Manager at Hamilton Plant Hire. “They are loaded quite a bit and they’re doing very, very well. We haven’t had one breakdown since we’ve had the machines.”
Performance where it counts
The Volvo articulated haulers have already demonstrated their productivity across Hamilton Plant Hire’s operations. On previous bulk earthworks projects, the company achieved approximately 3,000 m³ per day from an articulated hauler. In the challenging conditions of its current project, the machines are moving heavy loads and achieving a minimum of around 40 loads per machine per day. With two Volvo articulated haulers currently operating, that equates to approximately 80 loads a day. For Hamilton Plant Hire, those numbers matter because every machine forms part of a wider production cycle. When production is under pressure, reliability becomes critical.
“If we put these ADTs onto a high-production line, we know we can achieve our goals,” says Stander. “It’s nice to have these kinds of machines running because they work hard.”
Fuel efficiency has been another positive. Despite operating at high production levels, Stander says the Volvo machines have delivered impressive fuel performance – an important consideration in an application where equipment is working hard and consistently.
More capacity for bigger work
Since Babcock last caught up with Hamilton Plant Hire, the contractor has further strengthened its Volvo fleet with the addition of an EC480 excavator – a decision driven by the growing volumes of material it needs to move. “We take on a lot of bulk earthworks where we’ve got very big volumes that we have to move,” explains Stander. “It’s the volume the machine produces. The performance of the machine and the volume that it creates – you just can’t compare it.”
The EC480 was introduced at a point when Hamilton Plant Hire had substantial volumes of material to move, making it a natural addition alongside the Volvo articulated haulers already operating on site. According to Stander, the excavator has met expectations and increased the company’s confidence in its ability to achieve demanding production targets. More importantly, that capability is beginning to influence the scale of work the business can pursue.
“Bulk earthworks depends on what machines you are running. Running these big machines, there’s nothing that we can’t tackle now,” he says. “From a business point of view, it really opens up our ability to take on bigger work.”
Confidence behind the machine
Machine performance is only one part of maintaining production in demanding applications. For Hamilton Plant Hire, having technical and after-sales support available when required is equally important. Babcock, the sole distributor of Volvo Construction Equipment in Southern Africa, provides the technical and after-sales support behind Hamilton Plant Hire’s Volvo fleet.
“The technical backup is good and it’s just a phone call away,” says Stander. “If we can’t problem-solve it ourselves, Babcock will come out and have a look at the machines.”
Hamilton Plant Hire has also experienced ongoing communication from Babcock since the machines entered operation, with regular follow-up on how they are performing and their operating hours. It is this combination of equipment capability and accessible support that provides reassurance when machines are working under sustained production pressure. “It’s the availability of the machines, the support and the technical backup that we get,” says Stander. “It’s comforting to know that you’ve got that kind of support when you’re under full production.”
Operator confidence matters
The Volvo machines have also been well received by Hamilton Plant Hire’s operators, many of whom transitioned from other equipment. Stander says operators adapted quickly to the Volvo articulated haulers, highlighting their user-friendly operation and onboard functions that provide information including load status, tonnage and whether conditions are stable for tipping. That confidence becomes particularly important when operators are moving significant loads in challenging terrain. “It puts the operator at peace knowing that he’s driving a quality machine,” says Stander.
From machine performance to business performance
Ultimately, Hamilton Plant Hire measures the value of its equipment by what it enables the business to deliver for its customers. Despite operating in a harsh environment, the company has maintained production and kept its clients happy – something Stander directly links to the reliability and performance of the equipment operating on site. “We’ve come into quite a harsh environment and we’ve performed,” he says. “We’ve kept our clients happy and that’s due to the machines that we’re running.” After some 30 years working with construction equipment, Stander says the Volvo machines have made a lasting impression.
For Hamilton Plant Hire, however, the strongest endorsement may be what comes next. With greater production capacity, reliable equipment and technical support behind its fleet, the company is increasingly confident in its ability to pursue larger and more demanding projects.
As Stander puts it: “You go into a job running the best because then you can produce the best – and that’s what we’re here for.”
