Based near Cirencester, Gloucestershire, civil engineering specialists Firmacore Ltd operate along the M4 corridor providing groundworks and civil engineering solutions to a range of commercial developers and national housing companies.
Formed in 2018, the company has grown significantly in the past few years thanks to the surge in residential development coming to the region. Backed by a dedicated workforce, Firmacore have been able to expand their services on the back of delivering a high quality and cost-effective, all-round service for their clients.
To allow the company to develop, they have invested heavily in plant and machinery from several manufacturers with the most recent investments coming from the Molson Group who are based just a few miles away in Avonmouth. ‘Over the years we have built up a fleet of excavators from the usual manufacturers.’ Project Manager Kagan Redmond commented. ‘These have brought us mixed results in terms of reliability, fuel consumption and resale values. When we first started looking at additions for our fleet, we were excited at the potential fuel savings we could achieve with the Kobelco machines. Whilst we know many manufacturers are quick to throw these figures around, the SK130LC-11, SK140SRLC-11 and SK210LC-11 models we have added are returning as good if not better figures than we were quoted.’
Thanks to the fuel savings offered by the larger machines and buoyed by the impressive reliability and operator comfort from the larger SK machines, when the time came for additional smaller machines to be added to the fleet, Firmacore were quick to look at the Kobelco mini excavators on offer from Molson.
One of the largest sites the company is operating on is at Beaufort Park on the outskirts of Bristol for leading residential developer Persimmon Homes. The company have been present on site for over three years developing the 200 plus unit site undertaking everything from roads and sewers to finishing works around the plots.
The site is currently home to eight Kobelco’s and with plot completions increasing, the arrival of the new midi excavators was welcomed by Kagan and the team. ‘They are a great addition to the fleet and allow us easier access around the plots with minimal ground disturbance and damage.’ He commented. The three new arrivals onto the fleet are a pair of SK50SRX mini excavators, a new model to the Japanese manufacturer’s line up and the tried and tested SK85MSR, all of which are in dash 7 guise.
The SK85MSR has been available for several years and has become one of the most popular models in the midi range of Kobelco excavators. With an operating weight of up to 9.6 tonnes, the SK85MSR bridges the gap between the mini and larger SK models yet delivers unbeatable productivity for a machine in this class. Powered by a fuel efficient Yanmar 4-cylinder diesel engine delivering 53.7kW, an increase of over 27% compared to the previous -3e model, the excavator is ideally suited to the larger finishing works around the plots where its combination of power and compact dimensions come to the fore. Sitting on standard 450mm rubber tracks the machine is just 2.3m wide and with a compact rear tail swing giving just a sub 500mm overhang, the excavator has been impressing the team with its space saving ability.
The standard front-end equipment on the excavator comprises a kingpost mounted 3.5m boom which can be specified with either a 1.87 or 2.13m stick. Molson supply the majority of machines with the shorter option with Firmacore’s machine having a Geith hitch and a variety of Keen buckets. Unlike other competitor’s machines of this size, the Kobelco boasts a near full sized cabin offering huge amounts of space and operator comfort. Specified similarly to the full-sized machines, the cab includes all the bells and whistles of the larger machines and also incorporates the new 10 inch full colour monitor allowing easy adjustment of flows, pressures and incorporates the view from the rear and side cameras as well as a rake of machine health information.
The smaller machine in this order is the new 5 tonne Kobelco SK50SRX-7 mini excavator. The recently launched model and its larger sibling, the Kobelco SK58SRX, incorporates a hugely updated cab interior offering the operator a spacious and comfortable workspace. Although not as large as the Kobelco SK85, the mini excavator boasts all the features of the larger models in the Dash 7 range. From the Grammer seat to an upgraded venting system for the air conditioning, the finish exudes quality with upgraded, back-lit switches and a new colour touchscreen with integrated engine start password immobiliser. Despite its compact size, the wide opening door, retractable front screen and huge adjustment in the seat allows operators of any size to feel comfortable when operating the mini excavator.
Like the larger machine, the Kobelco SK50SRX mini excavator takes its power from a compact Yanmar diesel engine. Delivering 29.1kW, the engine, pumps and cooling pack are packed into a compact tail swing upper structure but thanks to the ingenuity of the designers, any daily check or service points are kept close to hand to reduce the time and cost of servicing.
Unlike the Kobelco SK85 which can be specified with a two-piece boom option, the Kobelco SK50SRX mini excavator is only available with a kingpost mounted mono boom. 1.55m and 1.96m stick options are available depending on your operational requirements with Firmacore taking the standard option of the 1.55m unit. Like the larger machines, the Kobelco SK50SRX mini excavator has been supplied with a Geith coupler and a range of buckets.
‘We have been very impressed with the Kobelco’s since they started arriving on the fleet.’ Kagan commented. ‘They have been welcomed by our operators which is a huge bonus for us and they have been impressing us massively with their fuel economy. We can’t complain about any aspect of dealing with Molson for any of the machines. They have been open and honest with us from day one and have delivered the machines when they said they would. Their focus on customer service is very nice to see, nothing is too much of an issue for them and when we have had to call on their service, their response has been first class.’
