A welcome new attachment for BP Mitchell

The benefits are clear for BP Mitchell as they take the welcome decision to invest in the Lehnhoff Variolock Quickcoupler System for their Volvo excavator.

BP Mitchell was started with just one truck, back in 1990, by its founder Brendan Mitchell. Since the early days the company has seen significant growth, today operating 80 vehicles and offering site clearance and muck shifting, including demolition and groundwork waste. The company also offers demolition services, skip and plant hire, ready mix concrete and concrete pumping. They pride themselves in offering quality of service and absolute reliability.

Ten years ago most of the waste was going to landfill and the issue of recycling was something Brendan was keen to undertake. Today over 90% of site clearance waste is recycled and it’s only the clay-based material that they can’t reuse.

Today, hardcore and concrete and washable soils are bought in. 6F2 Recycled Capping, Type 1 Sub-base, 40mm, 20mm and 10mm washed material and sharp sand are among the materials that leave the yard. This is sold on to builder’s merchants and contractors within a radius of up to 20 miles from their site near Welwyn Garden City in Hertfordshire.

With waste being such a valuable commodity for the company, Brendan wanted to look at ways to make their processes more efficient. He had previously looked at Fully Automatic Quickcouplers and seen others using them. At Hillhead this year, he decided to investigate further. He considered the competition, but when he visited the Worsley Plant stand he was impressed by their professionalism and knowledge. He had a lot of questions to ask and Brian Carroll, Worsley Plant’s General Manager in the South, was more than happy to help. Calling Brendan the day after Hillhead, he set up a demonstration of the Lehnhoff Variolock Fully Automatic Quickcoupler System, and from that Brendan made the decision to invest.

He wanted to improve the changeover time for his attachments, but could also see the other benefits Lehnhoff would bring him. His operators were using multiple tools from one excavator – breakers, buckets, grabs and magnets. Not only would it allow the operator to change between attachments in just 15 seconds, but it meant no damage to pipework and no broken hoses. Ultimately it would increase efficiency and save time and manpower. Added to this were the improved Health and Safety benefits of the driver not needing to leave the cab, and encouraging the use of the right tool for the right job. The investment definitely appealed to him.

Worsley Plant installed the Lehnhoff system onto the company’s 33 ton Volvo 300D. Four attachments were adapted for use with it – a Bucket, a Rotar Grab, a Hammer and a Magnet. Installation was carried out on site by trained Installation Engineers, all within one and a half days. It was only the bucket that was sent to the workshop as the adapter plate had to be welded onto it. Worsley Plant’s Engineers carried out on site training for the operators after installation and testing was complete.

At the time the site visit was made to put this article together, it was only 2 weeks since installation, but Brendan can already see he’s made the right decision.

He said: “The whole process from my initial investigation through to installation has been seamless thanks to Worsley Plant. Their expertise and willingness to help has been outstanding. The Lehnhoff Variolock system has allowed the operator much more scope in the tasks he can perform and it’s proving much more productive than previously. I can certainly see myself investing in more Lehnhoff systems in the future – the benefits are clear.”

The operators at BP Mitchell love it too. They can perform a variety of tasks, with the right tools in a fraction of the time, without leaving his cab. Previously changing tools was a dirty and time consuming job and also a cold one at this time of year! It’s a much safer and more comfortable environment for them to work in now.

Associated Businesses

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