Striker Crushing and Screening and WA Limestone’s shared values have helped both businesses flourish in Western Australia.
Striker Crushing and Screening and WA Limestone have spent decades working alongside each other, but there is one thing that binds them together – family.
Located in Western Australia, just down the road from each other, the two family businesses have been run by members of their respective families for generations.
WA Limestone director Steven Della Bona said these family values are invaluable.
“When you create these relationships with family businesses, most of these people are going to be there for a long time,” he told Quarry.
“You can ring any time of the day or night and know that they’ll answer the phone and resolve the issue, and you can’t beat that.
“Their knowledge and experience within the crushing industry and the understanding of our business in crushing aggregates and crushing limestone stands out.
“Their ability to understand the requirements of what is needed by us as a customer is always the focus, and they can deliver it.”
Della Bona remembers the rockbreaker that Striker Crushing and Screening founder Craig Pedley fabricated for the crushing plant for WA Limestone and some general modification work. It was the first job and the start of a long and productive partnership between the two businesses.
Della Bona estimated his business now has more than 50 bits of plant and equipment across WA Limestone’s sites from Striker Crushing and Screening.
The latest innovations, including electric drive crushing and screening equipment, have come long since WA Limestone’s first crusher from Striker, the 11- 10 Impact Crusher.
Traditionally, most crushing plants, or crushing trains in some cases, have been diesel-hydraulic in Australia.
Every piece of the crushing train gets its power from a diesel engine that runs on diesel fuel. When considering a crushing system that may include several crushers connected to stackers or screens, a lot of diesel could be used in a conventional set-up.
Della Bona said WA Limestone had noticed that the diesel-hydraulic equipment developed maintenance and reliability issues after a few thousand hours of use.
The constant engine maintenance, fuel costs, and repair downtime of these diesel hydraulic machines were costly headaches for the WA-based construction materials provider. So it engaged Striker to design electric-drive crushing and screening equipment that could run off mains power or equivalent. The result was the Striker range.
Della Bona and his team run the Striker equipment off a Cummins Powerbox generator.
“The reliability of this Striker equipment and the tonnes it produces is through the roof, and you don’t have to worry about all the individual engines like you do in a diesel set-up,” he said. “The Striker range is a game-changer in that sense and the way it is designed. It has been a great thing.”
WA Limestone’s hard rock quarry sites of Port Headland, Onslow and Karratha now all feature Striker equipment. Della Bona’s staff have provided positive reviews since the company rolled out Striker equipment.
“The Striker range makes it easy for the blokes who work for us. They don’t have to stress about maintenance all the time because we’re able to get far more run time out of the electric plant,” he said.
“The productivity is phenomenal. It has improved out of sight compared to the conventional diesel-hydraulic plants.”
WA Limestone’s sites are in the north-west of Western Australia, so they are remote and need strong customer support from the company’s chosen manufacturers and suppliers.
When a customer deals with Striker, the benefit is that they deal directly with the company that has designed, manufactured, and likely installed the equipment, so they know it inside out.
According to Della Bona, Striker Crushing has always provided high-level service.
“You can talk to them and are on the same wave length. They’ll work to solve any issues straight away.
If we need to procure parts, it is never an issue; everything just happens instantly,” Della Bona said. “When you’re running sites in the northwest, remote locations, and all of that, it is so good to get the issue sorted over the phone.
“And they’re not just good to me; they’re good to my staff, too. If my quarry manager is on-site, they can call Striker at any time of the day or night, and they’ll answer and resolve the problem.
“They go far and beyond any other supplier that I know, and they’ll bend over backwards.” •
For more information, visit strikercrushing.com
