A new Hyundai R210W-9A ‘Canard en Caoutchouc’ material handler for Burban Pallettes!

Burban Pallettes, based in, Les Ormes France, have been specialists for 25-years in the collection, sorting and repairing of used pallets. The company has extended its expertise and today it sells many different pallets made from recovered and recycled waste wood. The company was looking for a material handler that had strength, was robust, flexible and economical.

The Hyundai R210W-9A MH (Material Handler) wheeled excavator, complete with hydraulic elevating cab, supplied by the French Hyundai dealer AEB, was perfect for the job and according to Burban Pallettes, exceeded their expectations!

Burban Pallettes is owned and run by its original founder Didier Burban – who has built up quite a considerable empire around the humble wooden pallet! 25-years ago, Didier, then a young entrepreneur, saw the potential in the wooden pallet and drew on a poorly defined market and with that created a great future for his company.

Didier tried various trades before discovering pallets – he was an apprentice in a charcuterie, a greengrocer, a vehicle bodybuilder and painter – then at 23-years old he created Burban Pallettes after meeting someone who worked at a pallet company.

Didier said, "It was in 1989, I met someone who worked at a pallet recycling company - I was looking for a job, his boss was not hiring any staff, but he said to me: ‘Start your own account!’. “And that is exactly what I did!” exclaimed Didier. "I registered with the Chamber of Commerce for trades - I started with my own truck and visited industrial and commercial areas. This is where my real career began – collecting, sorting, reparing and delivering pallets.”

Things moved quickly for Didier, “In the first year I hired five people,” he said “the second year I bought the company Orval. 10-years from then I had 130 employees and a turn-over of 12Million Euro.”

Now 25-years later the company boasts a 60million turnover and the Burban group has 400 employees!

Today, Burban Pallettes collects, recovers and recycles, reconditions, grinds and sells pallets through more than 14 sites spread over the whole of France.

Didier said, “It was for the recycling and grinding side of the business that we went searching for a wheeled excavator, which was equipped with a grapple for material handling.”

A good relationship with Hyundai dealer AEB and the help of AEB’s Benoist Branger helped Didier decide on the R210W-9A MH, this was combined with the quality of the machine, a good service warranty and a good price.

About the R210W-9A – at the heart of the Burban Pallette business…

“The R210W-9A MH is used to ‘rip’ the pallets it then loads the broken down product into our Doppstadt AK 30 shredder and once shredded, it will load into the trucks” Reported Burban Pallettes, Christophe Fève.

“It does not move long distances, it is essentially used for the handling and it performs approximately five hours per day.” Added, Christophe. “Since its delivery in January, it has performed for 355 hours of service and has been trouble free.”

“The machine’s operating weight is 25 tonnes and is ideal for Burban Pallettes, with its five tooth grapple and with a capacity of 1200kg, is able to load 0.7 m3 each time. We need this rotation of volume of 0.7 m3 to be able to load the truck and not lose any valuable time ", adds Christophe.

The machine is equipped with a Cummins engine QSB6.7, with a net power of 165 HP/123 kW at 2000 rpm. It is also equipped with an 11 metre boom.

In addition, its hydraulic elevating cab allows excellent visibility when loading the truck. "Without it, we can lose up to three tonnes of loading, and risk damaging the drop sides of the truck", reported Christophe.

The machine is also fitted with Hi-Mate, which is a remote management system, developed by Hyundai. Through its satellite powered technology, customers can now enjoy an unmatched level of service and product support. With one press of the button, users are able to remotely evaluate machine performance, access diagnostic information and verify machine locations. It’s even possible to program a virtual ‘geo-fence’ to prevent the machine from leaving a specific area.

Christophe concluded, “The machine is also very comfortable for the operator – it’s very flexible, robust, and more powerful than the model we used before.”

Associated Businesses

  • 2440 Geel