The West Gate Tunnel Project is part of Victoria’s Big Build program and is designed to provide a viable second river crossing to take trucks out of Melbourne’s inner city residential zones.
A plant and equipment supplier to the project outlines the important role its inventory is making to this transformative public infrastructure development.
It was almost two years ago when the first Delta Rent excavator was transported to the West Gate Tunnel Project in Melbourne – and the company’s gear has been there ever since.
It’s always pleasing to see as you drive over the West Gate Bridge into Footscray, the “sea of orange” as the Hitachi diggers on hire from Delta Rent are working away. It is an important project for Victoria and Delta Rent is proud to be a part of it.
Currently, more than 200,000 vehicles a day rely on the West Gate Bridge, and a single accident can stop traffic. In addition, trucks in the west have no alternative but to use local roads just to get to the port.
The West Gate Tunnel project will end Melbourne’s reliance on the West Gate Bridge by building a new tunnel and new links to the port, Citylink and the city.
STRICT CRITERIA
Not any piece of equipment can be on this site though. Every machine must be checked thoroughly and pass a strict check list to ensure it will be safe and remain safe for all the operators on the site. As Delta Rent’s operations manager Darren Galley said: “There are so many different applications our equipment can play in because we order them with everything. We’re in the hire game so having a versatile and capable piece of equipment that can go anywhere and do anything is key to not only repeat business but keeps the customer happy.”
Nothing could be worse than having a unit turn up on site, only for it to be parked up because it does not meet the safety criteria. It can still happen to this day because someone didn’t read the fine print or ask the right questions and the site is stuck with a digger that can’t be used, causing not only heartache but hurting the hip pocket because every day the equipment is not digging is costing money.
The Delta Rent equipment comes standard with dual pole isolators, tilt hitches, ROPS (Roll Over Protection System), dual hydraulic piping for attachments, case drains, anti-fail hydraulic RAM protection and front mesh guards to ensure every time one of these units is placed onto this project it meets the strict criteria set out by the contractor.
On top of this, every one of Delta Rent’s excavators is hard-wired for Topcon GPS which is essential not only on the West Gate Tunnel project but most infrastructure projects across the country. These days GPS is a fairly standard feature and if you want to be on these projects, it’s a must. Delta can either hire the cab kit out to the contractor or use the contractor’s GPS equipment, whichever is required. All systems fitted are through Position Partners which provides excellent installation and back-up service.
BUCKETS AND HAMMERS
Delta Rent also supplies attachments for its range of excavators. Mud, GP, Trench and shaker buckets are all part of the standard bucket array Delta Rent has available, and all come part of the hourly hire charge, so there are no extra charges for the buckets. Hammers and breakers are also available, the customer needs only make a request.
Another benefit of hiring through Delta Rent is every machine is backed up by a 24/7 operations team which deals with any issues, services, or maintenance. The 1300 number connects to a dedicated team of tradespeople who are responsible for ensuring each machine is serviced and maintained as per the manufacturer’s recommendations and using only genuine parts. This ensures machines do not break down on-site, causing downtime and anxiety.
Lastly, remote monitoring is becoming an essential part of the reporting and understanding of not only where the equipment is, but how it is working. With the click of a button, Delta Rent can supply information around fuel burn, load rates, operator traits, speed and general equipment information which can be used to train and keep the operators in check and efficient.
It’s why Delta Rent is always chosen when dry hired equipment is required on these types of infrastructure projects. Customers don’t have to worry about adding anything to the equipment, it can be sent straight to site and get to work straight away. Delta Rent is a “one-stop shop” whose aim is to make the hiring of equipment easy from start to finish.
For more information about Delta Rent’s dry hire equipment and services, visit deltagroup.com.au/rent/
Source: Delta Rent