On a high profile project in the west midlands AFS Earthmoving & Aggregates has found its two ADTs are as sound as a Bell.
It is a logistics hub that has already attracted some of the UK economy’s most prestigious corporations and, with a major extension to the site now underway, the i54 Business Park is set to maintain its status as one of the most sought after commercial locations in the midlands. What is already over 230 acres will shortly see an extension of a further 60, with Staffordshire council charging Amey with delivering the project, but it is the expert team at AFS Earthmoving & Aggregates who have been first breaking ground for that principal contractor.
Having been trading for some 40 years, AFS has evolved into three separate divisions, which includes an aggregates business, supplying primary and secondary recycled material to the construction industry via its own fleet of eight wheel tippers. That’s a venture which is complemented by two recycling production facilities in Burton and Uttoxeter, but it is the present owner, Jason Allen who has championed the now thriving contracting concern. Each of these arms has found considerable employment at this vast Wolverhampton site, as has some of the kit from the substantial fleet of AFS plant.
The company now runs predominately CAT, Hitachi and Komatsu excavators from 1 ½ – 40 tonne, all of which are equipped with the latest Leica 3D GPS systems – together with two dozers and its two Bell B30E ADTs. “We will undertake a huge range of projects, including everything from bulk earthmoving, to water retaining structures and roads, site clearance, and cut to fill,” explains the AFS MD. “Phase one of the i54 works involves the construction of a kilometre long access road, which is unusual in that it is a long and narrow site and, because it can only be accessed from one end, that makes logistics challenging.”
At the Wolverhampton project the two Articulated Dump Trucks are joined by a 30-tonne Hitachi Zaxis 300LC, and a Komatsu dozer, on a job where there is significant levels of material to be processed. “At the i54 there’s cut to fill, some remediation on site, and we’ve also sourced aggregate and fill materials from what has been removed, as well as importing additional aggregate from our own supplies, and the Bell ADTs have been involved at every stage. The first section of the corridor of land was very inconsistent and unstable material so there was actually a lot of remediation work in transforming this into a suitable construction platform for the road. We’ve had to box cut in some areas and fill in at other locations. We were attracted to the Bell machines because, in jobs like these, or in quarry applications where cost per tonne is the crucial parameter, they will provide significant fuel savings over any other model we’ve run.”
When you have a narrow focus on only two class of machine – the ADT and the wheel loader – you need to ensure that you are at the very forefront of innovation. In fact, in the truck sector this South African OEM can actually boast the biggest range, as well as the largest individual machine, with the 30 tonne B30E remaining the most popular model in its portfolio. Bell’s designers are focused, laser-like, on achieving the lightest and yet strongest unit, with the highest possible payload into the bargain, and that is a philosophy that reaps dividends in fuel savings, as Jason explains.
“Fuel and AdBlue efficiency on the Bell units is significantly better than anything we’ve trialled previously. In fact, running them in controlled conditions, we have achieved up to 40 litres a day less consumption than on some competitors. Not only that, but they’ll run for over a week on a tank of AdBlue whereas we’ve experienced ADTs that wouldn’t make it beyond a day and half or two days. Service and back-up has been excellent, especially with Bell being based very centrally in Burton and Trent, and the operators are also complementary, with a very spacious ROPS/FOPS cab for them to work in.”
In fact, Bell claims the best payload-to-weight ratio available today, whilst it has also led where others have followed. Inclinometers, for example, are now a feature on every machine that rolls from it German production line, and were actually introduced as far back as 2009. Similarly, on board weighing has been standard since 2003, whilst an integral Fleetmatics telematics system incorporates geo-fencing, and can track what material is being carried – and where it is going to be tipped – information which can be accessed remotely by site managers. Reliability is enhanced with an insistence on high quality components, including Mercedes engines, and Allison transmissions, with advanced diagnostic and fault finding systems reducing downtime.
As a contractor AFS is itself well-versed in applying advanced technologies in the management of its projects. A Leica 3D GPS system guides its operators in the task of cutting to a carefully managed model, for instance, whilst regular drone surveys will keep the client appraised of progress. “Our employees get to work on the best kit, and we do everything we can to advance their productivity and safety,” concludes Jason. “That’s why we’ve been running Bell 30Es since as far back as 2014 now and are very happy with the service they’ve given us.”
