Guena demands reliability from new ZX530LCH-6

A new Hitachi ZX530LCH-6 has been delivered to the most westerly part of France to work at the spectacular Guena granite quarry in Brittany. The latest large excavator – one of the first of the new Zaxis-6 series in Europe – excavates and loads blasted rock on to two Euclid rigid dump trucks at the 13-hectare site, located at Saint-Renan, 15km from Brest.

Advertisement

The trucks haul the materials to the on-site crushers, where they are dumped to feed the production process. With the capacity to reach 300 tonnes per hour (or 1,500 per day) Guena is currently producing 300,000 tonnes of aggregates per annum.

The Sotravi Group company also has the equipment required to wash the extracted sand and gravel products, mix the aggregates and produce asphalt. The volume of waste is reduced through the recycling of construction materials.

The President of the Sotravi Group, Freddy Talarmin, says, “We purchased our first Hitachi machine in 1989 and we have bought 14 Hitachi excavators since then, as well as several ZW wheel loaders and an EH750 rigid dump truck. We remain loyal to Hitachi construction machinery due to the undoubted reliability of the products.

“We also enjoy an excellent working relationship with our local Hitachi dealer, Cobemat, and we are happy with the latest addition to our fleet, the new ZX530LCH-6. We aim to change machines after 14,000 hours and this impressive model has been selected because of its stability, strength and durability.”

Operator Eugene Laot has 40 years’ experience and his latest excavator arrived on his birthday in April 2016 thanks to the generosity of Monsieur Talarmin. “I’m delighted with the new machine,” he enthuses about his ‘present’.

“I used to operate a ZX520LCH-5 and so I can offer a direct comparison with the latest model. The new machine is fast, powerful and stable – even with a full bucket. And in my opinion, one of the highlights is the reversible fan, which makes the maintenance easier on a daily basis.”

The Guena quarry opened in 1945 to help supply the vast quantities of aggregrates that were required to rebuild Brest, which was almost totally destroyed during the Second World War. Following the conflict, large parts of the city emerged with utilitarian granite and concrete buildings. In 2008, Guena received permission from the local authorities to extract materials from the quarry for another 30 years.