Swedish based global truck maker Scania has revealed it has delivered the first of two agitator-bodied versions of its new Super 11-powered trucks to a Queensland-based civil contractor as the truck maker makes a bid to capture a greater share of the ‘vocational’ market including applications such as concrete agitators, wast trucks and tippers.
Scania says that the first two trucks delivered to G&H Civil Contractors in Queensland are the the first of its new agitators to reach customers since the recent launch of its new Super 11 powertrain.
The company added that the trucks will be put to work delivering vital cement supplies to the company’s piling operations around Southport, on the Gold Coast.
Scania tells us that in addition to the benefits of a ‘frugal, lightweight and high-performance engine and smooth-shifting transmission’, the 8×4 agitator also delivers robust engineering, extended service intervals and what it claims is an even longer working life than the previous five-cylinder 9-litre Scania powertrain which has served over many years.
The company also points out that along with what it describes as a strong steel cab, and its well documented comprehensive safety engineering package the trucks also feature low entry, excellent visibility and strong driver comfort, which it believes will win friends on worksites across the country.
The systems and compliance manager for G&H Civil Construction Edel Waters said that uptime is a key Scania strength, and is a deal-making element in any purchasing decision by the company
“G&H has purchased its own concrete agitators to keep our continuous flight auger piling rigs supplied with concrete throughout the day,” Water said.
“CFA piling relies on a constant supply of concrete, so any delays can slow down the job and so by having our own agitators, we can deliver concrete to our rigs when it’s needed, without relying on outside suppliers,” she said.
“This helps keep our rigs working, reduces downtime, and allows us to get more work done each day while staying in control of our own schedule,” Waters added.
G&H Civil Contractors was founded by Padraig Haskins and Noel Grealish in 2010, with the pair looking to leverage their extensive experience and networks in the construction industry.
Haskins and Grealish initially hired out plant, but rapidly expanding into civil operations, and now these include demolition, full basement retention and piling, bulk earthworks, and civil engineering across Australia for the commercial, industrial, mining and resources, defence, and public infrastructure sectors.
Currently the business employs around 170 people, but it says new drivers will be brought in to man the agitators.
“We want to control the full process we’re involved with,” Waters said.
“It makes sense for us to have our own concrete trucks because a lot of the time we find that it’s not supply, it is getting the trucks to site on time that gives us headaches, and now we have our own trucks, we can keep our piling rig fed for the day,” she said.
“We have had Scanias for tipper and dog sets, and side and end-tippers, and when we decided we needed our own agitators we went to Scania. They had vehicles available which was very helpful,” Waters added.
Scania’s account manager for Queensland, Kevin Macdonald said that the timing for G&H was very fortuitous given Scania had just launched the new 11-litre, which is ideal for agitator work.
“We have been selling Scanias to the company for a while and when they asked about agitators, we knew we had the right truck for their needs, and not only will they be benefiting from reduced fuel burn, but the new 11-litre is perfectly powerful enough to handle the PTO stress and strain an agitator demands,” Macdonald said.
“Our full suite of Advanced Driver Assistance Systems also means G&H is operating the safest trucks on the market,” Macdonald added.
“The Scania agitator will be a joy to drive and with outstanding roll-stiffness, very safe, but with our standard side curtain rollover airbags, you’ve got the highest level of safety protection in any truck,” he concluded.
