It’s the best on the market …
Is the considered opinion of Fastsource Director, Keith Blasket, as he adds another Volvo excavator to his plant fleet...
And joining his mixed fleet of equipment which includes existing Volvo excavators, dozers, wheeled loaders, crushing and screening equipment, comes the latest thirty-tonne Volvo EC300E that now becomes the company’s prime mover on bulk muck-shifting projects being undertaken by Fastsource. “In all honesty, we consider the Volvo excavator to be the best on the market having run the 21-tonne machines and the D-series EC300,” says Keith. “Yes, we had some initial issues with the Stage IIIB engine but Volvo swiftly resolved these and it’s proved to be a cracking machine. In addition, they provide excellent support when we need it, so if this new EC300E with the added enhancements and additional operator comfort is as good as the old one, we’ll be more than pleased with it,” he continues.
Fastsource Ltd specialises in general earthworks, demolition, remediation and the supply of aggregates with contracts undertaken mainly in the Yorkshire Ridings but will extend its geographical territory for regular clients. Supporting these activities is a bespoke recycling centre based in Wakefield which recycles aggregate, inert non-hazardous soils and hardcore to produce general bulk fills and recycled Type-1 material.
“We have the expertise to carry out bulk muck-shifting projects and where necessary offer a comprehensive remediation service. We also recycle and re-use material for large infrastructure sites for the commercial and private sectors,” comments Keith. “The 30 tonne excavator is the optimum prime-mover for the typical project we undertake. It’s big enough for mass bulk excavations but equally capable of carrying out more precise profiling operations as well.”
One major benefit of Fastsource’s operations has been the addition of a Trimble grade control GPS system. “We trialed this initially on one of Volvo EC220’s with great success so we’ve opted to install it on the EC300E as well,” Keith says. “The system has been a real boon to our operations and has basically halved the time it takes to carry out cut-and-fill excavations. It simply allows the operator to profile ‘on the go’ and negates the need for a surveyor to be permanently on site marking the job out. It’s taken some getting used to and, of course, our operators still need to use common sense when tailing off profiles, but it’s certainly the way forward for us.”
The EC300E is excavator number seven for Fastsource Ltd and is incremental to the fleet. It is powered by a Stage-IV compliant engine, developing 243 net horsepower and offering the latest in engine technology and operating sophistication. The Volvo Care Cab offers a large roomy interior with plenty of leg room and foot space and has been enhanced by the addition of an optional heavy-duty screen – essential for demolition duties. As with all Volvo excavators up to fifty tonnes in operating weight, the machine comes with hose rupture valves on both the boom and dipper cylinders and a hammer/ shear circuit as standard.
Fastsource Ltd is a family owned and operated excavation, demolition and aggregates contracting company based in Wakefield which was established twenty-seven years ago by Keith’s parents. Keith and his sister, Nicola, are now in charge of the day-to-day running of the business. The company has over twenty-five items of mobile plant and operates a fleet of on-road tippers.
SMT GB markets Volvo Construction Equipment products which include wheeled loaders, articulated haulers, hydraulic excavators, Volvo utility equipment and Volvo road equipment products in Great Britain. There are eight strategically placed customer support centres, a dedicated National Used Equipment Centre and a network of utility equipment dealers to ensure high quality customer support is maintained throughout the country