Barfold Quarry
KIM HANSEN, Marketing Manager for Onetrak chats to Sam Trovatello, Managing Director & Paul Savage, Quarry Manager of Barfold Quarry.
Barfold Quarry, a new CMPA Voting member and more recently became the owner of a Hidromek HMK640WL wheel loader.
“I was formerly involved in a family business including Central Premix & Central Quarries. In recent times we sold to Adelaide Brighton Ltd. The business comprised of five concrete plants located in Melbourne, a Basalt quarry in Rockbank and a Sand & Gravel operation in Seymour. We ran a total of 100+ vehicles at the time. Barfold Quarry is today part of a group of companies”, Sam explains.
Paul adds: “I’ve been part of the company for 18 months although the quarry has operated here for 8 years. The owners of the quarry initially used it to supply their civil company with rock. In the last few years, we have increased the production and today we supply to councils, concrete plants and local farmers”.
“The quarry runs a fleet of 10 trucks and trailers that service construction sites, local councils and concrete plants with aggregates. As the demand for quarry products has increased, it has given us an opportunity to expand our fleet and quarry operations”, Sam explains.
“Barfold distribute aggregate and crushed rock mainly to concrete plants and councils such as Ballarat, Bendigo and Melbourne”, Paul adds.
“The main challenge we face are very competitive rates in the area. There are a lot of other quarries around and you have to stay competitive”, says Paul.
“The quarry employs approximately 20 staff and we run a total of 25 pieces of gear including hire gear, mobile crushers and screens, dump trucks, excavators, loaders and trucks & trailers”, Sam says.
Paul continues to talk about what is in store for the future: “We will continue to expand and increase the volumes. Our growth strategy is a mix of increased demand and proactive development where we actively seek new opportunities”.
When asked why Barfold Quarry recently purchased the Hidromek HMK640WL Sam replied, “We’re seeing a strong demand for raw materials and our previous loaders were becoming old and tired, so we needed another loader in the fleet.”
“The value for money in the Hidromek was too good to pass up. The warranty and back-up service from Onetrak were other reasons I chose the Hidromek loader. I have dealt with Onetrak for years and they have always been a pleasure to deal with. The pre-delivery by the dealer was very good as well and really left us with all the information and knowledge we need when buying a new machine and a new brand”, Sam adds.
Sam explains the process of purchasing the new machine “We had the wheel loader on a demo for a few days, so I had the opportunity to spend some time in it and get a feel for it before making a decision. I believe the machine is equal or better than some of the major brands. We were very satisfied with the performance and the machine ticked all the boxes for us.”
Sam continues “The HMK640WL has plenty of power and it’s comfortable and easy to operate. Having had experience with other brands and jumping into a Hidromek it’s very user friendly and easy to learn how to operate. In terms of the design the visibility is fantastic from the cab. All components within the machine are also easily accessible which is a huge plus.”
Paul adds “The machine is nice, solid and powerful. It’s easy to operate and the vision is great. It’s good on the sales and great for loading the trucks. A lot of people ask about it when they see it. They’re curious to have a closer look”.
“The Hidromek is specked with a 4.2m3 bucket although Barfold’s machine has been fitted with a 5m3 bucket. We measured the density of the material and the machine handles the 5m3 bucket with ease” says Joe Noonan, Territory Manager at Onetrak.
“Some of the specs that stand out are heated air suspension seat, 35-degree tilting cabin, 65-degree tilting bonnet makes maintenance extremely easy. It’s easy to get at from ground level. The machine is very powerful and economical on fuel”, Joe adds.
“Hidromek is a new brand but if you don’t try – you never know. We are getting a lot of questions from other contractors about the machine and it definitely generates a lot of interest”, Sam concludes.
Onetrak has been an Associate Member of the CMPA since 2008, whilst Barfold Quarry have just joined. Sam is looking to expand the business and sees that being a Voting Member of the CMPA is an opportunity to align the business with its peers and the Construction Materials industry.
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