CJD Equipment’s nationwide distribution of construction equipment for the mining and quarrying industries has helped it cement a strong relationship with a Victorian business.
Australia’s booming resources sector requires its mines and quarries to deliver hundreds of millions of tonnes of product each year to local and international markets.
The backbone of any effective operation is the equipment needed to turn rocks into profits. For Matthews Quarries, the “go to” brand has always been Volvo Construction Equipment (Volvo CE).
Operating in Victoria, Matthews Quarries has depended on the Volvo CE brand since brothers Rob and Graeme Matthews reopened the quarry in 1980 after their father Keith Matthews had previously worked at the site before it was shut in 1952.
Matthews Quarries produces more than 500,000 tonnes of premium basalt for Victoria’s local construction industry each year.
The company currently operates three sites in Victoria, including its 50 per cent stake in Latrobe Valley Sands. The three sites are used to produce washed sand, concrete, crushed rock, ballast and sealing aggregates.
For more than 15 years, the company has purchased Volvo CE machinery from CJD Equipment to ensure the aggregates are supplied from the Latrobe Valley in a reliable way.
CJD is a nationwide distributor of construction machines from reputable brands such as Volvo CE and SDLG as well as the Kenworth, DAF, Isuzu and Fuso truck dealers in selected states.
The company was founded in 1974 and distributes construction equipment and trucks throughout Australia, including regional towns and mining hubs.
CJD is dedicated to providing its customers with the highest quality support available, evident through its slogan: “Big enough to trust, small enough to care.”
For Matthews Quarries owner Robert Matthews, Volvo equipment is a vital part of the company’s three operations, consistently delivering sand and hard rock aggregates with minimal downtime.
“We have continued to invest in Volvo CE due to its reliability,” Matthews said.
Volvo CE machines are deployed across the quarry located on the Tyers-Walhalla Road, Boola, including an A60H articulated haul truck, two A40F articulated haulers, three A45G articulated haulers, two L250G loaders, a L260H wheel loader and a 75-tonne Volvo EC750D excavator, equipped with a 3.3m3 to 5.16m3 bucket capacity range.
A60H ARTICULATED HAULER
As one of the world’s leading manufacturers of articulated haulers, Volvo’s A60H has proven worthy of the demands of Matthews Quarries and is surprisingly versatile for its capacity.
The aim of an articulated hauler is to provide true off-road capabilities, allowing work across all terrains.
The 60-tonne A60H represents the company’s latest innovation in its articulated hauler concept, featuring differential locks, active hydraulic front suspension and load optimisation.
To ensure productivity levels are maintained, the A60H’s hydraulic front suspension allows it to continue moving in tough conditions, while its on-board weighing system ensures each load is accurate.
The A60H is equipped with a 495kW engine and wet disk brakes which also allow the hauler to deliver reliable and efficient power delivery with a lower cost per tonne.
“The main reason we keep choosing Volvo is due to the dependability of the machines to produce what we expect,” Matthews said.
“We have maintained a good relationship with CJD Equipment that has enabled us to maintain reliability and sales.”
According to Matthews, CJD Equipment’s support and services have been made convenient with local aftersales service in the vicinity of the company’s operations.
“They offer local support and services for our machines nearby, so we don’t have to wait for them to come from Melbourne,” he continues. “It makes it much more convenient.”
JOINT VENTURE
Matthews Quarries also uses Volvo CE earthmoving vehicles at its Latrobe Valley Concrete and Latrobe Valley Sands joint venture with the Blackwood family.
By using a Volvo L90F wheel loader, the company provides pre-mix concrete and 450,000 tonnes of sand from the Latrobe Valley region of Victoria each year.
The Latrobe Valley Sands operation also features a Volvo EC18D compact excavator, EC480D excavator, two Volvo A45G articulated haulers, two A40Fs, two L250Gs and a L150F wheel loader.
A common trait among Volvo CE machines is their fuel economy, exhibited by the L250G’s 13-litre, six-cylinder turbo-charged diesel engine, which delivers high torque at low engine speeds.
For Matthews, the value that the Volvo namesake represents has seen the company remain an active customer.
“The main reason we continue to purchase Volvo equipment is due to the competitive prices and reliability,” Matthews said. “Those are the two main aspects that keep us coming back.”
This article appears in the August issue of Quarry Magazine.
