D&Ri Nov-Dec 2021 - In Action section

Grobelco’s new Hitachi ZX300-7

The company, which is based east of Brussels near the Netherlands border, provides demolition, recycling, earthworks and roadbuilding services to customers across the region.

Its new ZX300-7 is part of Hitachi’s Zaxis-7 range and was provided by the manufacturer’s local dealer, Luyckx.

The ZX300-7 has an operating weight of 32.2 t and is fitted with an Isuzu 6HK1X engine.

Grobelco added the new machine in response to a growing demand for its services.

Patrick Baeten, Grobelco’s project manager, said: “Selecting the Hitachi ZX300-7 was a logical choice for us, and another contributing factor was the relationship we enjoy with Luyckx.”

“The new machine has already worked 1,000 hours and our operators are highly satisfied with it, including aspects such as the precise hydraulics.

“Compared to previous Hitachi models, the ZX300-7 has a smoother operation and is more comfortable, and in terms of the business benefit, it has certainly helped us to increase our overall productivity.”

A longstanding Hitachi customer, Grobelco’s new Zaxis-7 excavator is just one of several Hitachi machines purchased by the company over the past five years.

While these other models include a Hitachi ZX250-5 excavator and a ZX170W-5 wheeled excavator, Grobelco still has the first machine it ever purchased from Hitachi.

French waste management specialist Sodextra has expanded its operations with the addition of new construction, demolition and excavation (CD&E) waste recycling facilities.
The company, which is based to the south of Paris and provides recycling services to construction contractors across the region, invested in a wet processing plant manufactured by CDE Global.

The new plant is capable of processing 135 t of waste material an hour

Capable of processing 135 t of waste material an hour, Sodextra’s new plant is being used to produce six sand and aggregate products and is enabling it to “recover up to 70% of incoming inert construction, demolition and excavation waste”.

The plant comprises CDE’s AggMax modular logwasher setup for scrubbing and sizing and the EvoWash sand classification and dewatering systems, which include the manufacturer’s integrated Infinity Screen and Counter Flow Classification Unit (CFCU) for density separation.

According to CDE, it was installed after more than two years of site audits, sample testing and lab-based research on the area’s materials.

The detailed design specification of the plant was developed and finalised through collaborative workshops between Sodextra and CDE teams.

Sacha Bottemanne, director general of Sodextra, said: “Our CDE installation produces high quality aggregates that we now call ‘eco-gravel’ or ‘eco-sand’.

“These are very high-quality materials that are like natural materials.

“Today, the CDE installation allows us to recover 70% of the waste and to create new materials that are reused in construction sites throughout Greater Paris.”

Among the plant’s standout features is its sand treatment capabilities, which were described by CDE as “a first in Europe” for this application.

Prior to the plant’s installation, Sodextra’s biggest challenge was treating highly variable waste coming into the facility.

Sacha said: “We used to screen the soil and we could recover about 20% of the pebbles which were reused in our crushing plant. The remaining 80% was dumped.”

According to CDE, the amount of material the company can recover – now thought to be more than a million tonnes per year – means it is now able to gain access new market segments.