Blakey Civil Engineering has welcomed a new addition to its fleet of Cat machines. After securing a deal with Finning UK & Ireland the company is now the proud owner of a brand new Cat 308, part of the Next Generation range of mini-excavators, increasing its collection of Cat machines to seven.
Blakey Civil Engineering, based in Northallerton, is a family-run firm was established more than 30 years ago. It provides operated plant services to drainage and civil engineering projects from South Yorkshire up to Northumberland.
Caterpillar machinery has always been the equipment of choice for Blakey Civil Engineering. The current fleet includes a Cat 320, Cat 953, Cat 432 and Cat 308. The new Cat Next Gen Hex 308 replaces the previous 2014 model and delivers exceptional fuel efficiency, versatility and operator benefits.
Owner and Director, David Blakey, knows his way around Cat machines; he services all the company’s fleet machines himself to make sure they are ready to meet requirements for any drainage or construction task that may arise. As well as maintaining the fleet, David, and his son Stewart, are also proud owners of two vintage Cat Dozers that they have lovingly restored from scratch. They have spent the last two years painstakingly rebuilding the 1930s machines and recently scooped the top prize at a local agricultural show. Their appreciation for the vintage Cat machines is matched only by their passion for the new technology Caterpillar provides in its latest machines, such as the Next Gen Hex 308.
“We’ve been operating a 2014 Cat 308 model for five years without any issues,” explained David. “We decided to upgrade to the latest Next Generation 308 because of the cost-savings it offered combined with technology improvements on the previous model. In particular, the stick-steer feature has improved accuracy on intricate tasks meaning the machine is more productive.
“We’ve also found the auto idle feature is helping to reduce fuel costs when the machine is in use. The improvement from the earlier model is very impressive indeed. It includes an easy to use dashboard so the operator can save his preferred settings. The technology that Caterpillar has built into the Next Gen 308 is leaps and bounds ahead of my two antique dozers, but I love them all equally!
“The support from Finning has been integral to our growth as a business. The on-board telemetry makes sure we keep on track of servicing and maintenance issues for each of our machines, even before they occur.”
Jacqui Walker, Area Territory Manager, Finning UK & Ireland, added, “David has always been a Cat advocate and we have a great relationship. The family are all invested in providing the best service to their customers and the 308 helps achieve this. We hope to continue this relationship for many years to come.”
