Three robust SDLG wheeled loaders are working day and night feeding a Western Asia-based contracting firm’s crushing and screening equipment. Guy Woodford reports.
A trio of
A successful Doha-based contracting company, Al Maram International (Al Maram) uses crushing and screening equipment to reduce and sort limestone, primarily for asphalt applications for its customers.
Currently, Al Maram has the LG958Ls playing a crucial role in two of its projects. One is supplying aggregate products for the new orbital highway and truck route in Al Khor, the other concerns is supplying aggregate products for roads and other infrastructure works in Doha Industrial Area.
“Our customers excavate large rocks from their quarries and then give them to us to be broken down into bespoke sizes,” said Aby Joyce, divisional head of the company’s crusher department. “We are using the LG958Ls to feed the crushers and sub base mixing plant, and load the processed aggregate into waiting dump trucks and trailers.”
Al Maram ordered the machines in October 2016 from regional dealer Arabian Agencies Company (ARACO), and within a month they had already been delivered and were in operation on site. The LG958Ls were the first SDLG machines Al Maram has purchased.
“For the past four months, the machines have been working two shifts a day, equalling between 16-18 hours in total,” said Joyce. “During that time we have encountered very few technical issues.”
This is thanks to the LG958L’s superb traction, excellent breakout force and improved reliability through the use of new high-performance materials, the development of computer-assisted design techniques, and intensive and systematic test programmes. All of these are said to combine to increase the life of vital components and reduce operating costs.
“Even when we do encounter issues, we receive fantastic customer care support from SDLG,” Joyce added. “If we have any issues, ARACO will arrange for a service technician to be on-site within 2-3 hours, day or night. This has enabled us to keep downtime to an absolute minimum. We will definitely be renewing our contract when it expires.”
SDLG’s fully supported service network was one of the primary reasons Al Maram chose to purchase machines from ARACO, as was its competitive pricing.
“Not only was the initial investment of the machines relatively low, but the operating costs are also very reasonable,” Joyce said. “Our productivity is increasing while our costs are being kept down. Plus, improved ergonomics, increased comfort and excellent all-round visibility ensure safe and pleasant working conditions for our operators.”
Al Maram is respected in Qatar for its advanced, effective and dependable technical & engineering services in the field of earthworks, civil construction, transportation & portable cabins. It has its sights on becoming the number one partner in industrial projects in the country.
“There is confidence that the country’s hosting of the FIFA World Cup in 2022 will generate a building surge,” said Joyce. “If we require more machines to meet future demand, we will of course look to SDLG. I have no doubt they will make a positive difference to our company in the future.”
Al Maram currently crushes and screens around 1.5 million tonnes of rock each year. The company’s customer product sizes vary greatly and include: 0-2.5mm, 0-5mm, 0-10mm, 0-14mm, 0-20mm, 0-37mm, 0-50mm, 0-75mm, 5-14, 14-20mm, 14mm single size, 20mm single size, and 37mm single size.
A number of
Mehtab Hussain Satti, managing director of Al Maram, is also buoyed by Qatari aggregate demand forecasts. “According to our experience and knowledge, current demand is high and will remain so in the coming three to four years. There are many ongoing projects and others that are going to start in the near future."
EQUIPMENT ONSITE
LOADERS
3 x SDLG LG958L wheeled loaders
EXCAVATORS
1 x Volvo EW205D wheeled excavator
CRUSHERS
2 x Kleemann MR130Z EVO mobile crushers
SCREENS
1 x Kleemann MS16D 3-deck mobile screen
1 x McCloskey R 155 2-deck mobile screen
SDLG’S NEW MACHINES MARK 45TH ANNIVERSARY
SDLG is celebrating its 45th anniversary with the launch of a number of commemorative machines.
The Chinese construction and quarrying equipment manufacturer rolled out a range of special edition models on 15 April; it includes selected models from its wheeled loader, excavator and motor grader portfolio. These include the L953F, L956F, L958F, L968F, LG6120E, LG6225E, LG6300E, G9138 and G9190. Each machine features a special coating that commemorates the occasion.
“We are very pleased to celebrate 45 years in the equipment manufacturing industry and we are pleased to share this occasion with our customers,” said Wang Zhizhong, board chairman of SDLG. “Our achievements in the past few decades are a reflection of our customers’ commitment and support to the company, so we’d like to take this opportunity to mark this milestone with them in mind.”
SDLG has a humble beginning. Founded in the small Chinese city of Yimeng in 1972, the company was catapulted from a little-known equipment maker into one of China’s leading construction equipment manufacturers. SDLG launched its first wheeled loader in 1979 the ZL40 - an early precursor to the success the company would see in the decades ahead.
Over the last four decades, SDLG has sold millions of machines to earn its prestigious position. Its wheeled loaders are big worldwide sellers, and the company has continued to accelerate its growth and expansion in recent years. With production facilities across the globe, its equipment is offered in nearly every country, with the U.S. and Canada becoming the most recent markets in which its products are sold.
