The popular South Coast city of Brighton has long seen demand for housing outstrip the supply. When the former Preston Barracks on Lewes Road was vacated by the Territorial Army at the turn of the century, the buildings were gradually demolished and the site redeveloped to offer a mix of university buildings and student accommodation. The latter works on the site has seen developers Roberts Gallagher Construction build 369 residential units plus 9000 sq. ft of commercial space. Preston Barracks is part of a larger development creating a Northern gateway into the city, with a mix of private sale, shared ownership, and affordable rent homes spread across eight blocks ranging up to 10-storeys. The project includes an energy centre, a basement carpark, a large, landscaped podium, and 7 commercial units including a medical centre, a pharmacy, and a local convenience store.
Roberts Gallagher Construction: Leaders in ‘Distressed Projects’
The Roberts Gallagher Construction team are leaders in delivering what they deem ‘Distressed Projects’. The term has been created as the team will step in and develop a road map for a developer to complete their construction project where the original main contractor has become insolvent leaving the project to grind to a halt. With over 40 years of experience in construction management, the leadership team of Allan Roberts and Tom Gallagher was ideally placed to complete the Preston Barracks project following the initial contractor’s collapse.
Boosting Efficiency with New Plant Equipment
With the bulk of the towers constructed, the Roberts Gallagher teams have moved on to the internal fit out works and the external finishings. As a company formed around the self delivery of projects, to allow the fast paced work to continue, they quickly realised a need to add their own plant fleet into the mix at Brighton. The purchase of a telehandler was the first item which was quickly joined by a pair of machines sourced from Molson Equipment in the shape of a Thwaites 3 tonne dumper and a Kobelco SK34SR mini excavator, one of the first in the UK.
The Value of Single-Source Procurement
Whilst not officially the Thwaites dealer for the South Coast, it was the client’s demand for a package of machines to be supplied under one umbrella which prompted Molson to arrange the delivery with the full backing of the dumper manufacturer. ‘We liked the build quality of the Kobelco mini excavator and decided early on that this was the machine we needed.’ Tom Gallagher commented. ‘This was the same with the Thwaites dumper and we insisted they both came as a package through Molson which meant we had just one company to deal with if we had any issues going forward.’
The Kobelco SK34SR-7 Mini Excavator
The Kobelco SK34SR-7 mini excavator is one of the latest generation of machinesto come from the Japanese manufacturer’s stable. Designed to deliver fuel efficient operation in a compact, zero tail swing package, the mini excavator tips the scales at between 3.38 and 3.66 tonnes depending on the specification. The Yanmar 3TNV88, StageV diesel engine delivers 18.9kW and is linked to a bank of three variable displacement pumps. Under normal operating conditions the two main pumps provide ample flow to allow for simultaneous operations of the machine. The third pump is called upon when additional flow is required to undertake more functions such as using the blade or a combination of everything is required ensuring performance is kept high and operator frustration is kept to a minimum! The Kobelco mini excavator benefits from the manufacturer’s iNDR system which uses a high-density mesh filter to block dust intruding during air intake. This prevents the radiator and the air cleaner from clogging with dust and maintains a constant high performance. The ridges of the corrugated filter allow the air to pass through with the grooves collecting the dust preventing the filter from clogging. Despite the mini excavator’s compact upper structure, the wide opening panels allow for excellent access to all of the main components and for easy daily checks and servicing.
Operator Comfort and Visibility
Sitting on a 1.55m wide undercarriage fitted with 300mm wide rubber tracks, the mini excavator is ideally suited to running around the project’s variety of ground conditions. The compact upper structure of the machine is dominated by the large cab which wraps neatly over the engine compartment. Almost fully glazed, the large cab offers the operator a generous amount of space. The fully adjustable seat allows for a wide range of movement and whilst space is limited to the rear of the seat, there’s enough space in which to squeeze a few essentials. The finish of the Kobelco cab is excellent with a clean and well laid out, LED Illuminated dash to the operator’s right hand side. The full colour touch screen provides a wealth of machine information and allows the flows and pressures for a range of attachments to be stored and accessed when required. There are also several storage binnacles around the cab, USB points for charging phones and well positioned air vents to ensure the glass is kept clear and the operator warm. A rear wiper is fitted to the cab to allow the rear screen to be kept clean increasing the all-round visibility on the mini excavator.
Attachments and Dig Depth
The standard front end equipment comprises a kingpost mounted boom and 1.62m stick effectively giving a dig depth of over 3.1m. The mini excavator has been supplied with a Geith quick coupler and a range of Strickland buckets.
Operator Feedback and Site Versatility
During our visit the Kobelco was busy with operator Adrian Rusu clearing rubble around the outside of one of the buildings. ‘It’s a great little machine to operate.’ He commented. ‘There’s plenty of power available and the controls are very smooth giving you excellent control of the machine.’
Ease of On-Site Relocation
Another benefit of the smaller machine is its ability to be craned anywhere on site. ‘We have several tower cranes working on site.’ Tom points out. ‘We are able to lift the Kobelco mini excavator into certain areas of the site easily, safely and quickly instead of having to track it around.’
Efficient Project Completion
‘We are very happy with the recent purchases from Molson Group.’ Tom commented. ‘They have been very helpful from our initial enquiry, right through to the delivery of the machines. Whilst they will not be working every day, the ability to call on the kit as and when it is required will allow us the flexibility we need to complete this project efficiently for our client.’
