The key to steady and sustainable growth comes from management making the right decisions at the right time – and Equibuild Construction, based in Shillington, Bedfordshire have done just that.
Formed in 2018 by Managing Director Matthew Waddell, the company has grown from their construction backgrounds to offering complete build packages with an emphasis on site preparation and groundworks.
The company’s plant arm, Equibuild Plant, runs a mixed fleet of equipment designed to assist the construction teams in delivering high-quality residential and commercial contracts. This includes everything from welfare units and muckaway services to telehandlers, dumpers and compact excavators. This fleet has recently been boosted with the addition of four new excavators sourced from Molson Equipment in Avonmouth.
An impressive whole-of-life package from Molson
Already running compact excavators up to the 20t mark, the latest acquisitions add three models to that weight class. The fourth adds a new level of capabilities for the company in the shape of a new SK270SRLC-7 compact tail swing machine.
“We have found that we are winning bigger and bigger projects and whilst the 15 tonne compact excavators can handle the majority of the works we undertake, we felt that having the option of a larger machine would allow us to deliver these works more productively in-house,” Matthew commented. “We looked at several makes of machine before plumping for the Kobelcos. Molson came back to us with a very good whole-life package which impressed us, from the initial purchase price through to the warranty and service they have put into the deal.”
A flexible fleet from Kobelco and Molson
One of the first projects for the SK270, the SK140SRLC-7 and one of two SK130LC-11 machines was at Arborfield near Reading. Here the company was in the throes of installing roads and sewers for a new housing development.
Like many forward thinking companies, Equibuild have adapted over the years and have started to incorporate compact excavators as the norm in their business. “We do favour the reduced tail swing of these machines, as they can offer us far more. As sites progress and structures go up, we are left with less and less room on a site,” Matthew commented. “Saying that, there is still a place for the conventional machines hence our recent addition of the two SK130LC excavators.”
Powered by a fuel efficient 4-cylinder Isuzu engine delivering 105hp, the 17 tonne SK130LC is seen as a cost effective alternative to the slightly more expensive compact tail swing SK140SRLC which uses an identical powerplant. Both the standard and compact excavators have almost identical digging performances with a ground level reach of around 8.5m and a dig depth of approximately 6m, and both sit on standard 600mm pads.
Kobelco compact excavators in action
The SK130LC’s first job on site was the excavation of the existing road surface around the site. Working inside a lane closure, the excavator was used to strip the existing tarmac from the road surface, loading it into a waiting dumper to tip on site. Even with a longer overhang to the rear, the excavator easily stayed within the width of the lane closure, showing its compact dimensions.
Whilst the SK130LC was busy preparing the new entrance to the site, the 18 tonne SK140SRLC was multi-tasking inside the site. As with many modern construction sites, compact excavators are used for a variety of tasks and the SK140SRLC was doing just this, carrying surface water gullies across the site ready for installation. Once this task was completed it was back to bucket work, using a Strickland grading bucket to complete the profiling of a section of newly installed road.
Leica machine control system saves time and money
Another recent addition to the Equilbuild fleet is the installation of Leica’s MC1 machine control system to all of the new Kobelcos. “We have had all of the new machines, and some of our older fleet, wired up ready for the system and have purchased four full kits.” Matthew commented. “It is definitely the way forward for our business and offers us a host of time and cost savings throughout the job.
“We know that there is an initial cost to equipping machines with a system like this, and this is why we have the wiring installed on every machine, so we can swap screens and receivers around as and when they are required. We only have one system on site on this job, as the SK130 doesn’t need it for stripping tarmac and the SK270 doesn’t require it for stockpiling material and loading tippers.”
The SK140SRLC quickly scraped the material down to the required depth with the Leica’s large in-cab screen providing an easy to navigate visual aid for the operator.
SK270SRLC adds power and performance
The company’s largest current machine, the SK270SRLC, has been added into the fleet to help with the increasing volume of muckshifting and road building works they have on their books. “We would hire in a large machine as and when it was required before now,” Matthew commented. “We looked at the hire costs over a year and decided it was of financial benefit for us to add a larger capacity machine to the fleet allowing us to maximise the flexibility we would have with our own machine.”
With an operating weight of approximately 27.5 tonnes, the SK270SRLC is one of four compact tail swing models of large Kobelco excavators. Unlike the smaller Japanese machines in the fleet, the SK270 uses a Yanmar 4-cylinder diesel at its heart. It has an output of 170hp from a 4.5 litre engine, which fits snugly inside the curvaceous rear end of the machine. The bulk of the rear of the machine is put over to the counterweight to ensure excellent stability when lifting, even when it’s over the side.
The well thought out design of the upper structure still allows plenty of access to the heart of the machine and the other components within. “We have been very impressed with the performance of the big Kobelco.” Matthew explains. “It’s a phenomenal digger with plenty of power available and whilst it weighs almost 28 tonnes, it’s still relatively compact for its size.”
Whilst the majority of the roads and sewers had already been installed, the SK270’s main role on site was the managing of material stockpiles and loading tippers when required. It will however be put to work undertaking more productive operations as the site further expands later this year.
Molson impresses with service and support
The four machines have just clocked up 500 hours, and Matthew was keen to point out the quality of service they have received from Molson. “We’ve just had the first services done on the machines and have to say that Molson have been very good in programming their work to fit in with our schedules. We’ve had no issues with any of the machines to date and if we have had to ask any questions, Molson have been very good in responding, no matter how small or trivial the questions have been.”
