Harpenden based Charles Wilson Engineers Ltd has broken with tradition and opted for thirty Volvo ECR88D reduced swing excavators for its non-operated hire fleet.
Opting for Volvo compact excavators for the first time and in significant numbers was a leap of faith for the company explains General Manager Damien West. “We were looking to augment our excavator fleet with a quality brand that could offer a sound return on our investment in terms of total cost of ownership, reliability and of course residual values. Taking these points into consideration and having listened to our customers as well as taking note of third party references, we decided to settle on the Volvo brand. So far we’ve been impressed with the close attention to detail in arriving at this deal afforded to us by Iain Johnson and his team at Capital Plant Solutions,” he continues.
All thirty machines have been supplied to Charles Wilson Engineers by Volvo’s utility dealer for north London and the Home Counties – Capital Plant Solutions (GB) Ltd. Each machine has been equipped with hydraulic quick hitches to pick up on existing attachments as well as the optional X3 (grab rotation hydraulic circuits) – Hammer / shear hydraulics are supplied as standard.
“We are immensely proud to have been awarded this prestigious order particularly from a brand new customer to Volvo,” comments Capital Plant Solution’s MD Iain Johnson.
“Charles Wilson Engineers can be rest assured that we and our colleagues at Volvo will live up to their expectations when it comes to a sound after sales support going forward together.”
The Volvo ECR88D in particular is highly regarded in the market place for its economical use of fuel thanks to the combination of its Tier IV interim 2.6 litre engine developing 56 nett horsepower and closed centre load sensing hydraulic system for fast cycle times and smooth control. The machine offers a generous horizontal reach of 7.3 metres and a lift capacity of 960kg at full reach across the carriage. Operator comfort and excellent access to all the service points have added to the overall appreciation of the machine. The ECR88 Plus has a comfortable, spacious cab with a wide uncluttered floor. The instrument panel provides operators with at-a-glance monitoring of all key functions and operator fatigue is reduced through easy-grip, high response joystick control levers. The rubber-mounted cab reduces whole-body vibration, and external noise minimizing the rigors of the jobsite whilst air conditioning with well positioned vents is a standard feature.
The machine also lends itself to heavy duty applications such as demolition and site clearance according to Mr West. “When we looked at the ECR88D we were impressed with the robustness of the machine and considered it an ideal medium tool carrier for demolition and similar applications requiring shears and sorting grapples which we tend to specialize in,” he says.
The initial batch of ten machines has been deployed out of the company’s Crawley and Ashford branches. The remaining twenty machines will be strategically located around the thirteen remaining branches around the United Kingdom during the first quarter of the year. Charles Wilson Engineers Ltd first began trading in 1979 from a single location based in the Hertfordshire town of Harpenden. Since then the company has grown into a specialized supplier of non-operated plant and tools hire with an extensive network of
depots located in London , Hertfordshire, Kent, Essex, West Sussex, Birmingham, Liverpool and Bristol and Hampshire.
Capital Plant Solutions (GB) Ltd based at Cole Green Hertford, is Volvo Construction Equipment’s appointed utility equipment dealer for North London, Middlesex, Essex, Herts, Bucks, Beds and Cambridgeshire and is headed up by husband and wife team Iain and Ursula Johnson. Capital Plant Solutions is located not far from Volvo CE’s headquarters and customer support centre at Duxford which it fully utilises in terms of supporting its clients with parts availability and workshop facilities.
Volvo Construction Equipment Division markets wheeled loaders, articulated haulers, hydraulic excavators, graders, Volvo utility and road machinery products in the U.K. There are eight strategically placed customer support centres and a network of utility dealers to ensure high quality customer support is maintained throughout Great Britain.
