TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 03 RD, 2015
With the benefits of new products heavily promoted by manufacturers and dealers – is used equipment a viable option for quarrying mining sectors? For Finning Used Equipment manager, Darren Prior it’s not a simple question to answer:
“When it comes to used equipment the key is to make sure you get what you are paying for. In quarrying and mining it’s vital to look at the service history of the unit and the application in which it has been used to get a good idea of whether the unit has been just used or misused.
“For example, a piece of plant could have relatively low hours, but have been working in a harsh environment where it was underpowered, leading to excess wear
on the engine and transmission. In contrast a well maintained high hours machine that has undergone an engine and transmission change out could deliver much better value. Our engineers collate a lot of data on equipment they monitor and service; so ask us for this info to help you make an informed decision.
“For me, customers opt for used equipment when it makes financial or circumstantial sense. One of the most common purchase opportunities comes at the point of equipment failure, as generally, good plant managers would have fleet matched equipment at the time of the initial units purchase. So if one unit goes down, but the rest of the fleet is still in working order, it makes financial sense to switch out a like for like machine. This maintains fleet continuity and allows for a more managed total fleet upgrade, some time in the future.
“This process is also very relevant for managing short to medium term increases in productivity, when a more longer-term complete fleet overhaul is planned.
“Equally, if a customer has a more flexible approach to fleet management and provides general specifications of equipment they would be interested in, major savings can be achieved. Similarly equipment can also be purchased out of the yard for same day delivery, filling the immediate and timely need for specific units.
For Tim Hall, Chief Executive of Breedon Aggregates England, this approach to used equipment has proven to make both financial and operational sense. Tim: “We regularly talk to Finning about our fleet, working with them to make sure we achieve high levels of uptime, even with some of our older equipment.
“When it comes to plant investment we look at both used and new equipment options for our sites and specify the equipment we’re interested in. For me it is all about knowing as much about the machine as possible before we commit to any purchase. A full service history is important, but we also place a lot of value in the comprehensive inspection and appraisal processes carried out on the ‘Finning Premium Buy’ machines we invest in.
“We tend to opt for equipment with less than 10,000 hours and buy through the Finning ‘Connected’ programme, which gives us the option of a 12 month powertrain and hydraulic warranty, backed by Caterpillar.
“Ultimately this gives us piece of mind. It allows us to fulfil our fleet needs in the short to medium term and we can often secure very good, productive units for a fraction of the price of buying new,” concluded Tim.
Darren: “Recently Breedon Aggregates purchased four Cat 950H and two Cat 966H Finning Premium Buy wheel loaders from us, all with warranties. The key to the deal was the value for money used equipment offered the business and the trust that Breedon Aggregates has in Finning to support the equipment post purchase.
Share This