Visy’s requirements for high productivity movement of abrasive materials at one of its sites saw its equipment supplier JCB turn to materials handling specialist Kerfab for a solution.
The ability to tailor a product to suit the harsh and diverse requirements of the waste management industry requires strong communication between suppliers and their customers.
Waste managers have a variety of desired outcomes within their operations and this can be anywhere from handling abrasive materials, to increased tonnages and productivity requirements.
Visy, the world’s largest privately owned paper, packaging and recycling company, needed a wheel loader designed and constructed to support glass movements at one of its sites.
So it went directly to JCB Equipment for a wheel loader, which then engaged the services of Kerfab, a materials handling specialist that designs, engineers and manufactures materials handling equipment.
JCB works directly with its customers to obtain their requirements and if specified parts are needed, it turns to Kerfab for support.
Kerfab in June last year supplied JCB with a range of specifically designed and manufactured buckets. The buckets were attached to JCB 467ZX wheel loaders and custom-made for the site.
Over the years, Kerfab has supplied multiple grabs and buckets to various Visy sites Australia wide.
The 24-tonne wheel loader combines a 10.8-litre-six-cylinder engine that produces high power of 216 kilowatts and 1478 nanometres of torque at low revs. The machines are characterised by high power, torque and economy via a clutch-off feature that provides maximum hydraulic performance and limits vehicle speed when loading.
As the bucket was larger than the standard original equipment manufacturer supplied unit, the dump load overheight and tipping angles had to match exactly that of JCB’s machine.
This would ensure there was no compromising of the performance of the bucket.
Jay Chirnside, General Manager at Kerfab, says Visy was looking to get 10,000 hours out of these buckets.
“We engineered our buckets to suit their requirements and ensure they can stand up the harsh environment they were intended for,” Jay says.
The Kerfab engineering team took the customer’s requirements, including machine specifications and information available from its library of previous jobs, and designed a bucket to meet all of their requirements.
It supplied JCB with engineering drawings and after approval from it and Visy, the bucket was built at its factory in Kerang, Victoria.
Kerfab supplied JCB with a custom three-cubic-metre GP bucket which included a moderate abrasion wear pack. The bucket is made up of heavier duty internal skins and bolt-on edges, raised floor and heel plates, skin liners, a heavy duty trash guard and side wear protection.
The buckets were then delivered to JCB where they were fitted to the machine.
According to Danny Madden, Service Manager at JCB, Kerfab’s ability to liaise with its customers and undertake site appraisals allowed it to go above and beyond Visy’s requirements.
Having previously worked at Visy, Danny has worked with Kerfab for the past four years in both roles.
“Having a perspective from both sides of the fence by working at JCB and Visy, I can see how important it was for the customer to have the right bucket size and a steel guard capable of handling cardboard and glass waste,” he explains.
Danny says that Kerfab explored the site to observe how the buckets were being used an ensure the could design a product to specification.
“Kerfab has skilled communicators in their ability to take our ideas and design them effectively into the end product.”
He adds that the drawing designs were well thought out, incorporating elements such as wear plates in the buckets so they could be replaced.
The large bucket size maximises cycle times which ensures they are getting the best utilisation from their machine and attachment and helps provide the best return on investment for the end user.
The construction and design of the bucket ensures it will last Visy’s 10,000 hour target and the large capacity increases efficiency.
Jay says the bucket’s trash guard increases the buckets capacity by reducing spill off when its loaded, it which reduces additional mess onsite without compromising the visibility of the loader operator.
He says that Kerfab offers a back-up team in each capital city to provide support as required.
“This is part of our commitment to our customers and the necessity to minimise downtime,” he says.
Jay says that Kerfab will continue to tailor products that are designed for the harsh conditions of Australia’s waste management industry.
As a family-owned business, the company services the agricultural, industrial, civil and waste handling industries across Australia and New Zealand. Kerfab boasts a network of couriers and freight contractors to support a high rate of delivery in full on time.
“We have a standard line of buckets, grabs, bucket grapples, and other attachments that can be customised to suit the exact needs of each customer,” Jay says.
“Kerfab recognise that this industry has unique requirements and standard attachments and those designed for other industries often won’t cut it.”