Poland’s DSS Group buys Hitachi excavator for quarry

One of Poland’s largest aggregates producers, DSS Group, has acquired a new Hitachi ZX670LC-5 for its quarry at Pilawa Górna in Lower Silesia. The company took delivery of the Zaxis-5 large excavator from Polish Hitachi dealer Tona as a key part of its strategy for aggregates production at the site.

The DSS Group, owned by 1826 Dolnoslaskie Surowce Skalne, is the largest domestic producer of crushed aggregates for infrastructure projects. It has a licence to extract amphibolite (a metamorphic rock) and migmatite (a mixture of metamorphic and igneous rock) at this quarry for the next 30 years.
The Pilawa Górna plant can produce up to five million tonnes of aggregates, including: 2/8, 8/16 and 16/22mm gravel for the general and road construction sectors, and 4/31.5, 31.5/50 and 0/31.5mm mixed materials for the construction of railways.

DSS delivers aggregates to customers in bulk by rail and by road transport within a 60km radius of the site. The quarry and plant are located near a railway line and the international E67 road, perfectly located for distribution to the major road and highway projects, including the A1, A2 and A4, that are in progress or planned to start in the near future.

The ZX670LC-5 has been installed by DSS to help reduce costs and increase productivity at its flagship quarry.

“This is the first 6512 Hitachi that I’ve worked with, but from what I’ve heard in the market, Zaxis excavators are very reliable and durable,” says DSS’s Janusz Rydz, who has been employed as a manager since the 40-hectare site opened in 2007.

“We hope that the ZX670LC-5 will enhance the level of productivity on this site. Our aim is to reduce the cost of every tonne of stone extracted. To do this, we are renewing our fleet of construction machinery and in this case we believe that we have found the best solution.”
The ZX670LC-5 loads blasted materials on to DSS’s fleet of articulated dump trucks.

“The controls in the Zaxis excavator are ergonomic and user friendly. The seat is perfect and very comfortable. I use the monitor for the rearview camera and to see the fuel consumption data. Listening to music in the cab also helps me to enjoy my work,” says experienced operator Boleslaw Gazda.

Boleslaw estimates that the ZX670LC-5 excavates and loads approximately 600-700 tonnes of materials per hour, depending on the size of the rocks. He also adjusts the work mode on the machine to suit the load and tends to switch between the ECO and PWR settings accordingly.

“The Hitachi provides a very stable platform, even working in the challenging conditions of this quarry, and the loading cycle is good.

“It’s also fast and precise thanks to the simplicity and efficiency of the hydraulic system.”