The official Hitachi dealer in Italy, SCAI, has delivered the first
batch of new large wheel loaders to customers in the quarrying
industry. The ZW330, ZW370 and ZW550 models are the
result of an alliance between Hitachi Construction Machinery
Co., Ltd. (HCM), Kawasaki Heavy Industries Ltd. and TCM
Corporation.
Equipped with powerful yet economical engines, they have
been designed to offer enhanced efficiency, increased productivity
and reduced running costs. Each model has Torque Proportional
Differential, which makes them ideal for working on uneven
terrain.
The first ZW550 was supplied by the dealer’s Massa Carrara
branch to FB Cave, a subsidiary of Furrer, which operates a
mountain-top marble quarry in Betogli, near Carrara. Annual
production at this site reaches up to 20,000 tonnes, which
represents a third of the company’s total production.
The ZW550 is used in all parts of the extraction process. It
removes small rocks placed beneath large blocks of marble that
are extracted by a Hitachi EX800H excavator. It can also be
used with a fork attachment to transport the blocks around the
site and load trucks for transporting the high-quality marble to
Furrer’s factory in nearby Avenza.
Operator Miki Venturini says: “The ZW550 is ideal for this
site, which requires wheel loaders with excellent stability and
that are capable of carrying heavy loads. Traction is also very
important.
“The ZW550’s tyres are specific to the work that is done
here and the machine has other important features suitable for
working in a marble quarry. It can manoeuvre around the site
quickly and easily, and can carry heavy loads of up to 40 tonnes.”
The quarry has three Hitachi machines including the EX800H
and a ZX520LCH-3. “The customer invested in the new Hitachi
wheel loader because they were satisfied with its advanced
technology,” says SCAI Massa Carrara branch manager Alfredo
Italiani.
The first ZW370 in Italy was delivered to an aggregates
quarry in Casal Selce outside Rome, which is owned by Gruppo
Mezzanotte. The 20-hectare quarry produces 9,000 tonnes of
aggregates per day. Up to 95% is used for concrete, the
remainder is used for asphalt production.
The ZW370 is the latest addition to the group’s Hitachi fleet,
which includes two ZW310 wheel loaders, and one ZX870-3,
three ZX470-3 and two ZX60USB-3 excavators.
“The company tested and bought the ZW370, because the
owner, Maurizio Mezzanotte, could see that it’s a versatile
machine — especially when considering factors such as speed,
productivity and fuel consumption,”
says SCAI Rome sales manager Gianni Capuano.
With a five cubic-metre bucket capacity, the ZW370 loads
articulated dump trucks with sand from a conveyor. It is then
transported to on-site stockpiles.
The wheel loader also loads smaller trucks, which transport the sand to
customers within a 30km radius.
Both Gruppo Mezzanotte and Furrer are satisfied with the
performance of the new Hitachi large wheel loaders, and SCAI is
optimistic about their potential.
“There are 2,800 quarries in the Mediterranean region, so this
represents a promising market for the ZW330, ZW370 and ZW550,”
says SCAI sales manager Antonio Bauleo.