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John Fillmore Contracting makes a carefully considered decision to buy a crusher, opts for a Sandvik, and is rapt with the result.
“We began running it the day it arrived in the yard and we’re rapt with it,” says managing director Sam Fillmore, who owns the 46-year-old company with his father, John. Fillmores has about 200 staff and is heavily involved throughout greater Auckland in roading, streetscape, earthworks, drainage and landscaping projects. It bought the Sandvik and a reclaimer because it decided to stop taking the bulk of waste concrete from projects to the landfill and recycle all of it instead. “We saw the future lay with recycling. We’d been experimenting with it for two-and-a-half to three years,” Sam says. “I’d been to the last two ConExpos in the States and I’d spent my whole time there looking at screens and crushers and talking to as many people as I could. At the end of the day the big reason for going for the Sandvik was because we had the Porter Group as back-up. “They don’t provide machinery without making sure it’s at the top end of the market. It’s a nice safety cushion to know you’ve got their back-up and that if anything goes wrong or there are any teething problems they’ve got a big support crew there to help you.” Sam says some people have a false idea that recycling saves money and will make a company more profitable.
“I believe we’re all going to be forced sooner or later to recycle our waste products. We as a company want to make sure we’re leading the way and not following everyone else. “The Sandvik crusher will pay for itself in different ways. It’s a success story that we’re recycling product that would normally go to the landfill. How you put a dollar value on that is a bit difficult.” Fillmores supplies GAP 40 and 65, plus some 100, for use in roading, parks and footpaths projects. Already the company’s Sandvik QJ240 has produced more than 50,000 tonnes of crushed concrete as a contribution to this. Sam, who has been in the contracting business 18 years, says current workloads for Auckland contractors are good but the margins are tough. He says the recent recession was a reality check after seven or eight good years. “When the good times are here you’ve got to make the most of them, but you’ve got to be ready to knuckle down when everything tightens up. We certainly knew things would tighten up at some stage and we’ve just got to ride out the storm.
If Fillmores is rapt with the performance of its Sandvik QJ240 crusher, Eagle Equipment is equally pleased to have been the supplier. Darren Ralph, sales and marketing manager for the Porter Group, says Eagle Equipment is delighted to have sold its first Sandvik to such a long-standing customer. “Being in constant contact with them, we knew they were looking for something in this line when we signed the agreement with Sandvik. It all came together at the same time,” he says. “The machine is a good product. It’s got a good pedigree, with the former Extec and Fintec companies that were bought out by Sandvik.” The QJ240 is a compact self-propelled jaw crusher that brings the outstanding features of the UJ340 to the smaller quarry or demolition site, where operating space is limited but high performance is required. Sandvik claims the crusher’s sturdy construction, power management and unique jaw design make it an icon for this category of crusher. And it’s versatile. Its applications include the crushing of granite, slate, bricks and limestone in demolition and recycling situations; rock crushing in quarries; concrete crushing in recycling yards, demolition sites and construction sites; and asphalt crushing.
Darren Ralph is confident the QJ240 will have a bright future in New Zealand, whether the crusher is bought from Eagle Equipment or hired from Porter Hire. “As soon as the market returns to strength we have no doubt we have a very good product which will prove to be a winning recipe with our customers,” he says.
Contractor Vol.34 No.3 April 2010 |
After years of leasing or borrowing crushing machines, Auckland company John Fillmore Contracting decided to give itself an early Christmas present late last year and bought a Sandvik QJ240 jaw crusher from 
“It costs money to recycle. But it’s utilising resource and it’s giving you a green tick – your trucks aren’t covering the mileage that they were.
“I think the outlook is promising now. There are certainly some big infrastructure projects on the cards.”
Its high crushing speed and large feed opening mean an impressive rate of production while still ensuring superb reduction ratios.