Porter Press Extra: Hyundai material handlers

By: Cameron Officer, Photography by: Cameron Officer

Date: 26.10.2018

South Auckland’s Metalman depot needs reliable machinery. That’s where Hyundai’s dedicated materials handling hardware comes into play

With hundreds of tons of scrap metal to process during any given week, a busy operation like South Auckland’s Metalman depot needs reliable machinery featuring fit-for-purpose tech on-board to ensure maximum throughput. That’s where Hyundai’s dedicated materials handling hardware comes into play.

The Hyundai R210W-9 MH joined a fleet of other Hyundai gear at Metalman’s South Auckland yard

The sight of a Hyundai materials handler at Metalman’s busy Takanini depot isn’t anything new for Craig ‘Sparky’ Irving. After all, there are already three other machines from the Korean manufacturer working the tarmac here.

This is the first wheeled Hyundai model that Metalman has installed here with an undercarriage set-up that suits the environment.

"In all, we are operating four wheeled excavators around our nationwide sites, and they work really well in the yards, being both nimble and having plenty of power on tap," Sparky says.

"This particular machine has been brought in to do a very specific job, which is to feed the stainless-steel press and load boxes [containers].

"This means that day-to-day, it doesn’t cover much ground, as it is dedicated to one particular section of the yard. But if we do need it to fill in elsewhere, it can get to where it’s needed without chewing up the ground, which is the risk we run when moving tracked excavators around the place."

A new addition

The main changes for the machine’s materials handling configuration are its hydraulic lift cab and the straight boom,

Six months ago, the Hyundai R210W-9 MH joined a fleet of other Hyundai gear at Metalman’s South Auckland yard (one of five locations the company operates around the country), including a Hyundai R140LC-9, Hyundai R290LC-9, and a big 42-tonne Hyundai R430LC-9 excavator.

The 25-tonne Hyundai R210W-9 MH is a dedicated materials handler built on proven Hyundai excavator underpinnings. The main changes for the machine’s materials handling configuration are its hydraulic lift cab and the straight boom, which provides for more reach and downforce.

Porter relationship

The heavy-duty grapple pictured came with the machine as part of a package put together by Hyundai’s long-standing New Zealand distributor, Porter Equipment. Sparky says that the relationship between Metalman and Porter Equipment goes back a long way.

"To be honest, I think that association goes right back to the start of Metalman’s operations. It continues today under H.W Richardson Group ownership too.

"The volume of material through the yard ebbs and flows, but you always need to be ready to deal with whatever comes through the gate, so we need good machines that’ll let our guys get on with the job when needed," he says.

"Part of that relationship comes down to good advice, and the grapple is an example of that. We spoke with Auckland region territory manager, Doug Ball, who gave us some good advice on the off-the-shelf attachments we could option in, and the one we have fitted to the machine has worked a treat, so no worries there."

‘No worries’ is a maxim when it comes to Porter Equipment’s back-up of the machines on
the yard, too. While the distributor tailor-makes service calls depending on the work schedules of its many and varied clients around the country—generally looking to plan machine downtime well in advance so as not to interrupt normal workflow—Sparky says it’s a bit more straightforward for his operation, and that’s thanks to the speed with which the Hyundai

R210W-9 MH can process scrap metal.

Sparky says the new machine can whip through a lot of tonnage

"To be honest, this new machine can whip through so much tonnage that it doesn’t really make much difference whether it’s serviced during work hours or after-hours. Vai (the machine’s dedicated operator) will catch up easily."

The Metalman Hyundai R210W-9 MH has just received its first service. Despite the machine being part of a dedicated model line of Hyundai materials handling gear, it remains a variation on a well-established theme.

From a spare parts point of view, Porter Equipment doesn’t need to stock an entirely separate line of water pumps, engine components, or other items.

This means that the distributor’s growing customer footprint in the materials handling and recycling sectors can rest assured that back-up parts and repair support remains as comprehensive and responsive as it does for any of the other construction machinery Porter Equipment represents.

The Hyundai R210W-9 MH is a purpose-built tool for loading containers

That hydraulic lift cab certainly does make the Hyundai R210W-9 MH a purpose-built tool for loading containers, however. At the touch of a button, the cab can rise up to over six feet above its normal ‘resting’ position.

The resultant extra height brings Vai that much closer to the top of the container he’s tasked with loading, ensuring careful placement of pressed stainless-steel bales into the box can be completed more safely and faster too.

Four standard outriggers on the machine mean that the Hyundai R210W-9 MH remains anchored in position when working at height. The machine’s boom can extend to a maximum working height of 12.5 metres if needed.

With a touch of a button, the cab can raise up to over six feet above its normal ‘resting’ position

With the cab in its raised position, the machine’s superstructure measures in at a shade under five metres tall, although when moving around the yard with the cab lowered the Hyundai R210W-9 MH features the same basic silhouette as any other wheeled excavator.

"Overall, the combination of Hyundai’s machines and Porter Equipment’s back-up support is pretty unbeatable," Sparky concludes.

"When it comes to advice, they are excellent too. Machines like the materials handler represent a big investment for us, so getting the decision right is vital and good advice is a big part of that."