At the beginning of 2025, business owner Nicholas Johnston, along with Managing Director Julian Veal and their team, decided to reopen Daglingworth Quarry. Despite having only started the Heritage Quarry Group South Ltd. in 2020, local demand for the business’s high-quality limestone meant this was their fourth site opening. To get their new quarry operating quickly and continue their exponential growth, they needed articulated dump trucks with plenty of power. Which is why they selected a Rokbak RA40 from Molson Group.
Expanding Limestone Production Across Oxfordshire and Gloucestershire
The Heritage Quarry Group started from small beginnings and now have four quarries across Oxfordshire and Gloucestershire, including Rollright, Enstone, Great Tew and Daglingworth sites. They produce quality limestone materials for commercial customers, with a diverse product range including everything from MOT Type 1 to pipe bedding and agricultural lime.
Meeting High Demand with Strategic Site Acquisitions
The team are specialists in quality limestone products, which means their materials were quickly in high demand. So when the opportunity came up to take on a decommissioned quarry, Julian thought it was worth a shot. He explains, “We took a calculated risk when we acquired the Daglingworth quarry, as we had to get it going from a standing start. Luckily, our people have a can-do attitude which makes it possible for us to go from zero to fully operational very quickly. We just needed an equipment supplier with the same mentality.”
Partnering with Molson Equipment for Reliable Fleet Solutions
To keep up with demand and deliver major orders, the business uses contract hire teams when needed. One of these partners was using Molson Equipment as their equipment supplier, which is what first captured Julian’s attention. “We saw how good Molson was for them in terms of reacting and being proactive to issues, itpiqued our interest,” he explains.
Power and Productivity in Tough Conditions
“We really do try to go the extra mile to satisfy customer expectations, so as we had to increase productivity to meet local market demand, we realised we needed to invest in bigger, better kit, which is why we started looking at articulated dump trucks. Molson came through with the best package in terms of availability, pricing, fuel efficiency and aftersales.”
This package centred around the Rokbak RA40 heavy-duty articulated hauler. Like Heritage Quarry Group, the 40-tonne machine is also a young gun. Built at Volvo’s Manufacturing Centre in Motherwell, Scotland, these articulated dump trucks aremarking just their fourth year in production. Designed to deliver maximum productivity in tough conditions, their high performance and British-made status means they are growing in popularity on the UK market.
Technical Specifications and Performance Metrics
With a maximum payload of 41.9 tonnes and a heaped capacity of 23m3, these articulated dump trucks are ideal for all of the biggest tasks at the Daglingworth Quarry. The 444hp engine delivers a maximum torque of 2255Nm at 1300rpm which, combined with a high-performance drivetrain and six-speed gearbox, delivers power when needed. Even on steep inclines, the modulating transmission retarder, efficient exhaust brakes and fully enclosed oil-cooled multidisc brake gives operators total control.
Improving Cost Per Tonne with Fuel-Efficient Hauling
Adam Waldron, Sales Manager for Molson, also highlights the fuel efficiency of the Rokbak articulated dump trucks, which is particularly important for businesses like Heritage Quarry Group. “For quarry companies, it’s all about keeping the cost per tonne overhead low,” he explains.
“The Rokbak RA40 articulated dump trucks have great fuel efficiency because of their planetary gear transmission and drivetrain. Plus, alongside the reliability that having new plant brings, this machine has ground level test points, a fully tilting cab and an electronically raised hood which makes servicing easy.”
From Excavation to Stockpiling
Although the articulated dump trucks’ primary job is taking excavated limestone rock from the quarry face to the crusher, it also removes overburden to the tip and helps with stockpiling tasks. Whatever the job, it’s proved popular with the whole Heritage Quarry team. Julian says, “Our operators love it. It’s comfortable and safe. Its fuel efficiency also helps us improve our face-to-crusher costs.
“A key performance metric for us is load and haul cost, as part of the overall production cost. Molson providing reliable articulated dump trucks was key to us keeping these down and allowing us to remain competitive in a commercially demanding environment. We’re pleased to say they’ve done just that!”
Exceptional Aftersales Support from Molson Group
Beyond the efficiency and high performance of the Rokbak A40 articulated dump trucks, Molson’s excellent service has kept the new quarry’s profitability high. Julian explains, “This is the first 40-tonne dumper in our fleet and the first Rokbak, and we’ve been very impressed and reassured by the whole process. The team was very proactive from the initial enquiry stages. They got back to us nice and quickly with quotes for the machine and arranging site visits.
The Molson Advantage
“We didn’t want big lead times or to take six months over a decision as we needed to get up and running quickly. With Molson, everything happened very quickly, from the tender process to going to the office to finalise the agreement and the machine arriving. They also have a great local depot and operation at Avonmouth which we were shown around, and that gave us a lot of faith in the team. They’re local and have a very professional setup. It was everything we could hope for with what was a major purchase for us.”
Adam adds, “We know that our customers need to stay up and running. That’s why we make sure we have everything in place to respond quickly if there’s a breakdown or performance issue. Reputation and quality service are everything, particularly for young companies like this one. So just like Julian and his team, we’re ready to go the extra mile for the businesses we work with.”
