Demo in the Desert
Meaningful conversations, ability to operate equipment stand out at Komatsu’s Quarry Days held at Arizona Proving Grounds
One of the highlights of Komatsu’s Quarry Days is the ability to get in the operator’s seat and put equipment to the test.
“I think it’s a very good thing for Komatsu to do for operators and businesses that are looking for equipment,” said Brad Disrud, an operator with North American Coal at its Coyote Creek Mine in Zap, N.D. “I currently run an older PC2000 that we are looking to replace down the road, and the ability to get in the new one and make a comparison is valuable. It’s quieter, and the productivity is definitely there. The electronic over hydraulic controls is nice.”
The 1,046-horsepower PC2000-11 surface mining excavator was one of more than a dozen Komatsu machines that attendees could operate or see in action at Komatsu’s Quarry Days, an event that took place at Komatsu’s Arizona Proving Grounds. Among the machines was Komatsu’s new GD955-7 motor grader with a standard 18-foot blade.
“You can definitely tell the GD955 is a game-changer,” said Mauricio Vallejos with Titan America. “The palm steering is something completely different. In the long run, I think it’s going to benefit a lot of operators because it will cut down fatigue. Your hands are always on the controls. I think it has several uses — padding, the finishing touches, making sure our dragline shoes sit on the ground and don’t bend, and road maintenance for the haul roads our HD785s run on. It could allow us to do that in fewer passes.”
Popular PC900LC-11
In addition to the PC2000-11 and GD955-7, attendees were able to operate several other Komatsu machines, including a PC900LC-11 excavator; an HB365LC-3 hybrid excavator; WA900-8 and WA475-10 wheel loaders; a D475A-8 surface mining dozer; a D71PXi-24 Intelligent Machine Control (IMC) dozer; and HM400-5, HD785-8 and HD1500-8E0 trucks. A ZT44 drill and an RF-5 reclaim feeder were on display as well. Attendees could also talk with product experts from Montabert and Tramac about breakers and Hensley Industries about its Kprime tooth system. Montabert, Tramac and Hensley are all Komatsu-owned companies.
“We have solutions at Quarry Days that represent every application within a customer’s job site — from stripping, to loading and haulage, to drilling, blasting, breaking, processing, and dozing, it’s all here,” said Joseph Sollitt, Director of Mining Support Equipment, Komatsu. “It gives customers a chance to put the machinery to the test and see firsthand what it can do in a real-world setting. The feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. These types of events are beneficial for the customer, as well as for us to learn more about them and what we can do to improve their operations.”
James Van Remmen with Interstate Earthworks specifically wanted to operate the recently introduced 204,148-pound, 543-horsepower PC900LC-11 excavator that’s designed for heavy construction, demolition, material handling, deep digs, large mass excavation and quarry/mining applications.
“We wanted to compare it to a competitive brand of a similar size,” said Van Remmen. “The speed was very fast for a machine that big.”
With more bucket and lifting capacity, the PC900LC-11 increases productivity up to 40% compared to its predecessor, the PC800LC-8.
“The PC900LC-11 is ideal for those working in applications that involve moving large amounts of material efficiently,” said Casey Zbinden, Product Marketing Manager, Komatsu. “It’s been a popular attraction at Quarry Days because customers see so many potential uses for it. With an optional counterweight removal system, it’s more easily transported.”
Smart solutions
In addition to equipment, Komatsu representatives from its Smart Quarry solutions and My Komatsu teams were available to show customers the advantages of incorporating technology into their operations.
“Smart Quarry is designed to improve and optimize production, which includes site studies and our new Smart Quarry Site,” said Craig McGinnis, Senior Business Solutions Manager, Komatsu. “What’s great about Site is that it’s brand-agnostic, so it can be used with Komatsu and non-Komatsu equipment. It’s plugged into the machine and transmits actionable data that can be used to improve practices and increase productivity.”
McGinnis continued, “For example, we did a case study and identified that a quarry was only putting about 89 tons on a 100-ton truck during loading. We determined that if they added about six more tons that it would equate to more than 13,000 tons per month in added production with the same fuel burn and time. The savings are significant.”
Great conversations
The ability to network with other contractors doing similar work is another advantage of events like Quarry Days, according to Moroni Wardell, who along with his three brothers owns and operates Wardell Brothers Construction in Morgan, Utah. The full-service construction company manages two gravel pits and currently runs several Komatsu loaders and excavators.
“Sharing information is very valuable because it gives us insight into how others are using the equipment and the production they get from it,” said Wardell. “All new iron looks pretty and runs really well — but talk to a customer that has 10,000 or 12,000 hours, and you will see where the results really are. We have been able to network with a lot of other customers that stand behind Komatsu equipment.”
Chad Mikulec, Regional Operations Manager with Permian Basin Materials, said the ability to talk with Komatsu personnel was another positive aspect of Quarry Days.
“The attentiveness of the people out here, wanting to talk to us and hear what we have to say and be actively engaged is very meaningful,” said Mikulec. “It makes me feel good as an end user that they listen to us. Our opinion matters, and what we say is taken into consideration for new products.”
*The opinions expressed here are from the end user as quoted. The results described herein are those of this end user under certain conditions. Your results may vary.
