Three SDLG LG958L wheel loaders have racked up almost 2,000 operational hours in just four months at a quarry in Qatar owned by Doha-based contracting company Al Maram International.
Al Maram ordered the machines, its first from SDLG, in October 2016 from Qatar-based regional dealer Arabian Agencies Company (ARACO), and the units were delivered and in operation on site within a month.
The units are now working day and night without any significant downtime to feed the crushing and screening equipment used by Al Maram to reduce and sort limestone, primarily for asphalt applications, for its customers.
“For the past four months, the machines have been working two shifts a day, equalling between 16-18 hours in total,” said Aby Joyce, divisional head of the company’s crusher department.
“We are using the LG958Ls to feed the crushers and sub base mixing plant, and load the processed aggregate into waiting dump trucks and trailers. During that time we have encountered very few technical issues.”
According to SDLG, this is thanks to the LG958L’s high traction, breakout force and reliability, and the unit’s incorporation of high-performance materials designed using computer-assisted techniques – all of which combines to increase the life of its components and reduce its operating costs.
“Even when we do encounter issues, we receive fantastic customer care support from SDLG. If we have any issues, ARACO will arrange for a service technician to be on-site within two to three hours, day or night,” added Joyce.
“This has enabled us to keep downtime to an absolute minimum, and we will definitely be renewing our contract when it expires.”
Alongside SDLG’s fully supported service network, Al Maram chose to purchase machines from ARACO for their competitive pricing.
“Not only was the initial investment of the machines relatively low, but the operating costs are also very reasonable,” Joyce said.
“Our productivity is increasing while our costs are being kept down. Plus, improved ergonomics, increased comfort and excellent all-round visibility ensure safe and pleasant working conditions for our operators.”
Al Maram International is involved in technical and engineering services in a range of field in Qatar, including earthworks, civil construction, transportation and portable cabins.
It positions itself as a partner for industrial projects in the country, and at its quarry also allows customers to bring large rocks from their own quarries to us to be broken down into bespoke sizes.
Looking forward Joyce added: “There is confidence that the country’s hosting of the FIFA World Cup in 2022 will generate a building surge, and if we require more machines to meet future demand, we will of course look to SDLG. I have no doubt they will make a positive difference to our company.”
In 2016, a massive order of 58 SDLG machines was also sold to the Shibh Al-Jazira Contracting Company (SAJCO), with each of them clocking as much as 1,000 hours in six months working on a country-wide road maintenance initiative in Saudi Arabia.
