MONDAY, NOVEMBER 03 RD, 2014
Solent Stevedores Limited has made its first investment of Cat® wheel loaders from Finning, with the purchase of two 950Ks. After re-negotiating its contract with the Tate and Lyle sugar refinery, now owned by ASR Group, the port bulk handling specialists process sugar cane shipments from across the world, shifting raw sugar into the plant based on the Thames’ edge in East London.
The two 950Ks have been integrated into the updated fleet, where they are making full use of their 5.1m3 buckets and newly improved parallel lift capabilities. These two machines are in action on a seven day, 24 hour continuous process. In addition to the machines the business has opted for an inclusive support solution, which features remote monitoring from the Finning Finsight team, part of Finning’s EM Solutions service.
Commenting on its Caterpillar purchase Martin Hiscock, Operations Manager at Solent Stevedores, stated: “With the Tate and Lyle plant being the biggest sugar refinery in the EU, it is essential we have the machines best suited to manage this challenging workload and to meet our clients demands. The Cat 950K is an ideal model for us, and the two loaders are now part of a fleet that processes 650 thousand tonnes of raw cane sugar every year.”
“The drivers have already commented on how much they like the ergonomics of the Cat machine, the layout in the cab and how easy it is to drive. We are also impressed with the robustness of the machine, not to mention the fuel consumption, which is currently running at around 11.2 litres per hour.”
Martin also went on to add the importance of the equipment management support offered by Finning: “Finsight was a key reason for us completing the deal. To have technical support from trained engineers on a day-to-day basis is extremely valuable. The monthly updates on machine performance and fuel consumption will not only allow us to stay on top of machine maintenance, but also to analyse the quality of our operators, both essential to making sure our productivity is as high as possible.”
Nick Savvides, account manager at Finning UK & Ireland added: “It’s great to add Solent Stevedores to the roster of Finning customers. This deal shows how important it is to offer an integrated equipment and support services deal for such clients. It’s not just the quality of the Cat machines, but the value we add to the investment with the Finsight package.”
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