MAP Projects has made substantial investments in new construction machinery from Porter Equipment
With earthmoving project work on at various points around the North Island (and throughout the Pacific Islands as well), MAP Projects has made substantial investments in new construction equipment: two Rokbak RA30 dump trucks, two Hyundai HX220Ls and Hyundai HX145CR crawler excavators, and a Hyundai HL740-9 wheel loader — all supplied to the well-regarded civil engineering entity by distributor, Porter Equipment.
Rob Street, operations and fleet manager for MAP Projects, says that the Mount Maunganui-headquartered company has had dealings with the wider Porter Group network in the past, but these new machines are the first fleet additions purchased new through the distributor.
“We’ve worked with Porter Hire and the parts and spares side of the business before, but this is the first time we have arranged new machinery through Porter Equipment. The whole process was very straightforward, and Steve Puddle (Porter Equipment territory manager — BOP/Rotorua/Coromandel) was excellent to deal with,” he says.
Seamless solutions
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Two Rokbak dump trucks have recently joined the MAP Projects fleet, working on a large-scale subdivision in Rotorua
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What MAP was looking for at the end of the day was a reliable ‘one-stop-shop’ provider.
“In going with one distributor for a variety of machines, we wanted to know that should any issue arise, we’d have one phone number to call to log it and a response that would give us a solution with minimal hassle and, most importantly, minimum downtime,” says Rob.
“We’re really impressed with the service capability of Porter Equipment.
In our experience, you get what you want from them and, if an alternative has to be arranged, they’ll sort it out without any fuss. The whole process of purchasing our new gear has been seamless. Even the arrival of the individual machines was programmed in by Porters to our liking based on the tasks we’re undertaking at site.”
MAP also has a new BOMAG roller on the way, which will join the Hyundai and Rokbak machinery already on-site in the coming weeks.
It was important for the company to have pre-arranged maintenance contracts in place for each machine, giving them the projected maintenance costs throughout the warranty period. It all adds to the peace of mind of having brand-new machinery backed by a robust aftersales support agreement provides.
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The new Hyundai HX220L loads up one of the Rokbaks with material, making the most of the latter’s 17.5m3 maximum load capacity
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Out in the field, that’s also important for Dylan King, MAP Projects site manager at the Ōwhata development on the outskirts of Rotorua. With so many moving parts — not to mention plenty of moving equipment — his guys can’t afford to sit around if a machine was to go offline for any reason.
“The Porters’ service plan was definitely the key thing that won us over,” he says. “We have more than 100,000 cubic metres to shift between two large stormwater dams we’re constructing here in the next phase of the development. That’s plenty of dirt, and we have a timetable to follow, so we need the diggers and the dumpers to do their thing without any downtime.”
Two Rokbak RA30s shuffle back and forth between a group of excavators — including the new Hyundai HX220Ls and Hyundai HX145CR — as the dams take shape. The tough 276kW (370hp) 30-tonne dumpers make easy work of the changes in elevation across what’s a very muddy worksite after an atrocious winter season. With a 17.5 cubic metre maximum capacity, the Rokbak drivers are making the most of every square inch of capacity the dumper bodies afford them.
Operator comfort and efficiency
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The wheel loader is one of several new machines on-site here for Mount Maunganui-based MAP Projects
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At the top of the accessway, excavator operator Hoani Honana says that he enjoys driving the new Hyundai HX220L. He spends the brief moments between loading the dump trucks carefully sweeping muck out of the excavator’s footwell — something that I don’t think he’s just doing for the benefit of your current correspondent appearing on-site either.
“It’s a nice machine to use. Plenty of power and the cab has a lot of room inside it,” he says.
Because of the completed housing already established at the fringes of the worksite, the MAP Projects crews have the reversing beepers on their equipment silenced. That means that other advanced safety technology built into the Hyundai and Rokbak equipment comes into play.
Operating on a busy site such as this means that there are many machine movements to contend with. MAP’s HX Series excavators feature a state-of-the-art Advanced Around View Monitoring (AAVM) video camera system to secure field of vision for operators in all directions. The excavator operator can easily check the workplace in the front and rear and to the right and left, with no less than nine views available. This also includes a clever 3D bird’s-eye view from above.
The latest generation Hyundai hardware also features Intelligent Moving Object Detection (IMOD), which can recognise a person or object within the machine’s range of operation (from up to five metres away) and audibly alert the driver to the potential hazard.
Real-time support
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The new Hyundai HL740-9 wheel loader switches between its fork attachment and the bucket
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Meanwhile, back at the main works yard for the project, MAP Project’s new 12.6-tonne Hyundai HL740-9 wheel loader, with its 2.3 cubic metre bucket capacity, is just as busy as the machinery on the primary development.
Enhanced operator comfort is important here, too, with Hyundai’s leading ‘dash 9’ wheel loaders featuring improved visibility from the cab, with rounded front screens and larger door glass sections for a better view on the move, and an automatic air conditioning and heating system. Working through GPS/satellite technology to provide real-time support, remote self-diagnosis and monitoring software is standard on Hyundai’s latest-generation machinery. This helps ensure the operating health of the machine’s engine, hydraulic system, transmission, and electrical components are all kept in check.
As the company discovered recently, the same system on the Hyundai excavators does exactly what it promises to.
“A few weeks back, we got an alert saying that the overlift alarm on the 14-tonner (Hyundai HX145CR) had been triggered. It confirmed the system works, which is good for me having machinery at various points around the place.
“Obviously, we trust our guys to look after the equipment, but it’s good to know these systems we’re investing in work as well,” Rob concludes.
“It’s part of the consistency of service that we look to from a major machinery supplier like Porter Equipment. And so far, they are definitely delivering.”
Photography: Cameron Officer