15 June 2016, 09:41
PJL Plant Hire & Demolition (PJ Labour) has added a fifth Sandvik QJ241 tracked jaw crusher to its rental fleet to enhance its contract crushing capabilities. In addition to the suitability of the machine for the purpose of its work, Sandvik was chosen as the preferred supplier due to the excellent service support.
PJ Labour, PJL, started life some 30 years ago specializing in reclaim. Over the years the company has grown into a demolition contractor and site clearance operation that now employs 50 people, predominately on a subcontractor basis. Today its contract crushing operations generate some 15% of an annual turnover that is in excess of £7 million. It is the only demolition and site clearance contractor to offer its crushing services at a daily rate, with many of the UK's leading demolition contractors making use of its skills.
PJL acquired its first QJ241 mobile jaw crusher in 2015. This particular model from Sandvik was selected primarily due to its compact size. Weighing in at 36.2 tonnes, the QJ241 has been designed for operators who require a high performance, versatile unit with a smaller operating footprint that is easy to transport. To achieve this, it features a transport width of 2.64 m and a transport height of just 3.2 m. The QJ241 also features a substantial 1000 x 650 mm jaw with hydraulically adjustable jaw setting to maximize output.
According to PJL Managing Director Paul Harris: "From a machine point of view, the QJ241 does everything that I want it to do. It is the smallest machine in the Sandvik range and is in reality a true city crusher. Ninety per cent of what we do is small site city work where we need this size of crusher, although it can handle small jobs and large jobs equally well. I am more than happy with the size and capabilities of the QJ241."
But it is not just the machine itself that is attractive. According to Paul the level of service provided by Sandvik UK is of equal importance. He said: "We previously bought seven crushers from another supplier but the level of customer support dropped off. We replace all our equipment after just two years to ensure maximum uptime so when that time came for our previous machines, I decided to try out Sandvik and the results have been good. I like to know that I can easily contact the right person if there is a problem and Sandvik Sales Manager David Hill is superb – if there is an issue, he gets it sorted."
The QJ241 has a number of features that particularly appeal to Paul. He said: "I like the machine's integrated hydraulic conveyor that can be lowered to help in clearing blockages, the reverse crush capability that is now a must on a crusher to allow the processing of sticky material as well as clearing blockages, and finally the autolube system. This eliminates the risk of the machine not being sufficiently serviced daily by its operator. If the bearing is not adequately and regularly greased, then it might be damaged and need replacing. A fitter is required to do that and there is a cost for that, of course, that adds to the cost of the resulting downtime. Autolube is therefore a must."
Paul is currently considering whether to acquire a sixth unit. He said that he currently has more than adequate work for the five QJ241s that he has, but sufficient work for an additional machine is not his main concern. All five of PJL's machines are rented out with a fully trained and certified operator, and finding additional suitably qualified personnel is a challenge today.
In addition to its contract crushing, PJL provides a demolition plant hire service, with a fleet of 25 excavators ranging in size from 13 to 30 tonnes, available with or without an operator. It also operates its own transport fleet, allowing it to deliver its equipment as required to sites anywhere in the UK for demolition projects carried out by the company and its rental customers.
Source: Sandvik