Quarry operators in China are increasingly reaping the benefits of investment in comprehensive maintenance packages offered by leading OEMs. Guy Woodford reports on one example from a nation that remains the world’s biggest consumer of aggregates.
Li Yu Shan Mining keeps its durable
Resting on the coast of Eastern China is the ancient province of Zhejiang. Situated 60km (37mi) from the provincial capital, Hangzhou, and 200km (120mi) from Shanghai, the subtropical region of Zhejiang – often thought of as one of the cradles of Chinese civilisation. It maintains a comfortable distance from the bustling cities on its borders, offering tourists a cool and lofty summer retreat from the scorching cities.
Hidden deep within the dense bamboo forests of Moganshan is Li Yu Shan Mining Co Ltd. The quarrying company is renowned in the region for producing small and medium-sized aggregate of 20-25mm and 50-60mm. A third of its output is used as base material for the thousands of kilometers of high-speed railway tracks that crisscross China. A relatively cheap commodity, the product sells for 48-50 RMB ($7.4) per tonne.
Li Yu Shan Mining has built a solid reputation in China as a quarrying specialist, producing 1.5 million tonnes of material in 2015. The company was enjoying steady growth until the Chinese economy hit the brakes, causing it – and many construction companies to contract. Because of the relative slowdown and consequent lower utilization rates of equipment, contractors are tending to keep machines for longer. The key to customer success when doing this is to take special care of their machines. Thanks to sensible routine maintenance and scheduled servicing, Li Yu Shan Mining has prevailed, and is again growing its staff of 60 and its machine line-up. Since 2010, the company has purchased seven EC210B and two EC240B models from its local Volvo dealer, Zhejiang Liyang Machinery, based in Deqing, Zhejiang.
The EC210B and EC240B excavators are equipped with a high-strength boom and arm, allowing excavating depths of up to six metres. To maintain stability on the rocky terrain, the machines also feature robust X-shaped frames, made of high tensile steel, to ensure a long service life. When purchasing the equipment, quarry operations manager, Yuan Jian Zhong, was impressed by the good fuel economy offered by the Volvo B-series excavators. “Volvo excavators typically consume 14-15 litres/hour, that, when compared to competitor models that often average 19 litres, translates into significant financial savings,” he explains. Greater savings have allowed Li Yu Shan Mining to expand both its operations and fleet. Recently, the company put down a three million RMB ($450,000) deposit for the first three of a batch of 15 Volvo EC380D excavators for work on an upcoming mining project.
With over 15 years’ experience of owning and operating quarry equipment, Yuan is satisfied with his decision to choose Volvo. “I switched to Volvo on the advice of friends and colleagues who highlighted their better performance and after-sales service,” he adds.
Ensuring the machines remain in optimum working condition is the job of Zhejiang Liyang Machinery. Managing the maintenance of more than 1,000 machines in Zhejiang alone, the Volvo dealership uses Volvo’s remote telematics, CareTrack, to alert customers to impending maintenance deadlines.
“The technology enables Volvo CE dealers to help customers extract an extra 200,000 RMB ($30,000) out of the lifetime of a machine, even in the harsh conditions of a quarry,” says Cliff Zou, regional service manager at Volvo CE China.
As Volvo CE continues to advance its technology, so too will construction companies. Smart solutions, plus the durability and high performance provided by Volvo machines, ensure companies like Li Yu Shan Mining reap the riches of the deep with more projects on the horizon.
