When Corey Jeffs needs a break from the office, he jumps in a Liebherr machine.
The General Manager at Knox Transfer Station, Corey ‘grew up’ in the cab of an excavator back in the day when his dad ran a local waste transfer company.
He cut his teeth as an operator in a Liebherr machine and admits to having a soft spot for them. But it’s more than sentimental value that has swayed Corey to purchase four Liebherr LH 24 M material handlers to take on the demands of a six-day-a-week operation.
“They’re big, reliable and tick all the boxes,” Corey says.
“We’ve got one machine that has racked up 10,000 hours and is still performing as new. I don’t think any other material handler would get to those hours with the work we put it through. It gets through some really tough stuff.
“We had other machines previously, but they didn’t have the longevity.”
Knox Transfer Station predominantly handles kerbside hard waste for several Victorian councils, diverting as much as possible from landfill. It’s a big operation, churning through tonnes of hard rubbish and thousands of mattresses a day, six days a week.
It’s punishing on machinery, but Corey says the LH 24 M weathers the storm.
“In a tough environment, strength and reliability are most important,” he says.
“Reliability is a big thing, especially for the amount that we’re doing.”
The LH 24 M is regarded in the recycling industry because of its sturdy and compact design. It’s suitable for a range of tasks from loading and unloading trucks and containers to sorting materials and waste products and piling up and moving materials.
The interaction between the hydraulics and electronics means fast and powerful movements when handling materials and at the same time sensitive and precise work for challenging sorting tasks.
Various undercarriage options are available, including one with a dozer blade to further increase machine versatility.
The Liebherr cab is designed to give the operator space and comfort to make the best possible use of the machine’s capability.
Large glass panels, different cab elevations and rear and side area monitoring give the operator an optimum view of the working area and the area around the machine at all times.
In addition, the premium driver’s seat, intuitive touchscreen colour display and central lubrication systems for the machine and its attachment, allow the driver to concentrate on what is important – the handling capacity.
“They’re a big machine but they’re really smooth,” Corey says. “These are high-lift cabs, five metres in the air. Usually in a material handler you feel every little bump when you’re that high, but these Liebherr’s are very stable in the air.
“And everything is engineered perfectly to what an operator would want. There’s nothing obstructing your view, the steering wheel has been replaced with a joystick, everything seamlessly opens and grabs.
“There’s really nowhere to mess up as an operator.”
It’s not just Corey who gives the LH 24 M a thumbs up. He says the machines already in use at Knox Transfer Station are looked after so well by operators they are “polished up like the day they arrived” and other operators are putting their hands up to get the keys to the two new machines.
Extra care from operators goes a long way to ensuring the machines go the distance, but Corey says Liebherr’s service is second to none.
The service-based machine design guarantees short servicing times, minimising maintenance costs. All the maintenance points are easily accessible due to the large, wide-opening service doors. Maintenance points are also close to each other, which means that service work can be completed quickly and efficiently.
Corey says that at a time when supply chain and labour shortages are creating challenges for businesses, Liebherr continues to maintain servicing needs, often attending to call-outs within hours.
He says a strong working relationship with Paul Findlater, Liebherr National Business Development Manager, and Wayne Milsteed, Area Sales Manager from Earthmoving and Material Handling Division, has built trust in Liebherr.
“We’ve ordered four new material handlers within 18 months, bringing us up to six in total. That will have us sitting sweet for a long time,” Corey says. “But I wouldn’t do that if I didn’t trust and believe in the machine and the service that Liebherr-Australia offers.
“I love them, and I don’t say that about most machines. Any chance I get to be in them, I jump in.”
For more information, visit: www.liebherr.com.au