Construction World November 2017

COVER STORY

VOLVO CONSTRUCTION EQUIPMENT’S RISING STARS

These powerful machines have the capacity to work across a range of industries, from small agricultural operations to larger industrial, forestry, mining and construction applications. Babcock is the sole distributor of Volvo Construction Equipment in sub-Saharan Africa. David Vaughan, Managing Director for Babcock’s Equipment business, attributes the increasing popularity of Volvo’s excavators and wheel loaders to a number of factors, such as the machinery’s versatility, and the comprehensive service and support network that Babcock offers. “Babcock supplies Volvo wheel loaders and excavators to customers in a diverse field of industries across sub-Saharan Africa. The machines are spec’d for tough local conditions and can be financed through varied and flexible packages. The wheel loaders and excavators have also proven to be extremely fuel efficient and enjoy a high resale value making them even more attractive to buyers,” says Vaughan. Both the Volvo L150H and L180H loaders have proven to be very popular in high production material handling applications. One of Babcock’s smallest Volvo excavators – the EC55B – is While every production needs a star, a reliable supporting cast is equally important, a fact that Babcock can attest to as their range of Volvo exca- vators and wheel loaders prove to be highly popular co-stars to Babcock’s leading Volvo ADTs.

a particular favourite in the compact sector. Vaughan says that the small and compact Volvo EC55B is easy to manoeuvre in restricted areas, making it a popular choice for many of Babcock’s customers, especially in the Western Cape agricultural sector. The power-packed excavator has an ergonomic design and spacious, air-conditioned cab with low noise levels. The Volvo quick coupler system makes changing attachments easy, fast and safe. “We have also been very successful with the Volvo EC480DL, EC750DL and the new EC950DL in the mining sector,” adds Vaughan. All the Volvo crawler excavators offer operators a superb and spacious Care Cab environment, with excellent all round visibility, combined with the power that is needed for brute force earth moving and deep excavations applications. The wide range of Volvo attachments allow the machines to stretch further, dig deeper and reach higher, resulting in optimal productivity, reliability and versatility. The Babcock spectrum of Volvo excavators are available in a range of sizes with operating weights from 5.5 to 95 tonnes. The Volvo wheel loaders put power at drivers’ fingertips and are designed to provide operators with a machine and working environment that enhances productivity, efficiency and profitability with a comfortable work space and excellent visibility. The machines feature the Volvo-patented Torque Parallel linkage which delivers high breakout torque and parallel movement through the entire lifting range, while the all-Volvo driveline means every component from the engine to the hydraulics is engineered to work in harmony with the others. This also extends to the wide range of Volvo attachments, making these machines versatile and flexible.

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CONSTRUCTION WORLD NOVEMBER 2017