Finning’s ability to rebuild Smiths Concrete’s Cat 330BL excavator in just five weeks has given the business all the benefits of a better performing machine for a fraction of the price, replacing the need for the purchase of a new machine.

Having worked its Cat 330BL excavator for over 14,500 hours at its Bubbenhall quarry near Coventry, where it is responsible for excavating sand and gravel for the company’s concrete processing plant, the 8.5 year old machine was coming to the end of its first life.

As a key component of the businesses operations, Smiths Concrete site manager, John Green was faced with the decision to purchase a new machine or to continue to run the existing Cat 330BL. With the machine having been serviced by Finning engineers since its purchase in December 2001, Finning’s product support representative, Guy Hughes was able to offer Smiths Concrete a further option to rebuild the machine.

Having a full history of the life of the machine, including records of all repairs, maintenance and in particular fluid sampling results, Guy was able to identify how the machine could be rebuilt at the lowest cost, whilst achieving a second life of up to 12,000 hours, including a three year warranty.

Commenting on the benefits of the rebuild option Guy said: “In the case of Smiths Concrete we knew the machine very well and our service engineers have had a very positive experience with its ongoing repair and maintenance. With this in mind we felt that it was a perfect machine to benefit from what we call a Finning dealer rebuild. This is slightly different to the Caterpillar certified rebuild as it allows the customer to take cost out of the rebuild process and tailor it to suit their budget and in particular the machines working environment.

“What was particularly important with this rebuild was the customers decision making process, this had to be decisive as we had identified a potential problem with the machine that needed to be actioned and could have led to costly machine failure. It was therefore on my radar that the machine could benefit from repair before failure work.

“So when one of our service engineers reported two engine oil leaks that would necessitate engine removal to repair almost immediately, I contacted the customer to try and make sure that we were able to take a full overview of the machine before entering into an expensive one off repair.

“Because the customer was aware of our rebuild and Lastability campaign to save customers money by taking a long-term approach to service and support, they responded very quickly and asked us to do a full assessment on the machine. By doing this with the customer, we were able to show that because the operators and engineers had really looked after the machine, there were no big surprises that would have brought the cost of rebuild up.”

Following a detailed proposal and discussions with John and his team, we mapped out the rebuild programme, parts and costs. The next part of the programme was to help John with the rebuild management process, which essentially is geared around picking the best time to do the work and how to keep the site operational, whilst the machine is in our workshop.”

Following the completion of the consultation process and agreement of the rebuild works, the Cat 330BL was shipped to Cannock to commence the five week rebuild. On its arrival it was disassembled by a team of three engineers led by team leader Dave Kennerley. Prior to this part of the process all of the identified parts required for the rebuild were ordered and made available.

Guy: “Once disassembled some of the engine, pumps and motor parts were overhauled and others were replaced with Caterpillar reman units. These are remanufactured Caterpillar parts that are given a second life.”

Finning engineers inspected every hydraulic hose assembly and around 85% were replaced with new. In addition major rewiring was completed throughout the machine. In order to ensure the undercarriage continued to have a second life, as it was already under the management of Finning, worn track shoes were replaced and a turn pin and bush carried out, as well as track tensioning.

Guy: “In addition to the main engineering works, whenever we do a rebuild, we also think about the most important part of the machine, the operator. So in the cab we put in a new seat, refurbished the general environment and updated the entertainment system. Following the completion of rebuild works, the machine was put through a full performance testing and adjustment phase, which optimised the machine for its designated tasks.”

To complete the rebuild, Finning gave the Cat 330BL a new paint job and sign writing, shipping it back to site where it was immediately put back to work by Smiths Concrete.

Commenting on the reasons for the rebuild and Smiths Concrete’s experience, site manager, John Green said: “The Cat 330BL has been a real work horse for our business. The operator has looked after it very well and as a business we made what I think was a good decision when we purchased the machine, to let Finning handle its service and support needs.

“When we were faced with the decision of whether to purchase a replacement unit or go for a rebuild, we thought very hard about the opportunity, as we had never heard about an full excavator rebuild before.

“Having spoken to a number of Finning customers and seen the Cat 775D rebuild video carried out by Finning on its www.lastability.com website, we felt that if successful the cost benefit of the rebuild far outweighed the option of selling and purchasing a new machine. In particular the addition of a new three year warranty and the positive experience we have had with Finning to date gave added weight to the option.

“Having now had the rebuilt Cat 330BL working back on site since February 2010, we are confident that we made the right decision and most importantly we are safe in the knowledge that an important part of our operation has been secured for the future.

John continued: “We have been so impressed with the way that Finning has worked with us and supported us throughout the process that earlier this year we made the decision to purchase a new Cat 962H wheel loader as part of an essential fleet renewal exercise. As with the Cat 330BL we have also taken out a full service support package with Finning as part of the deal, which we hope will continue our successful relationship with Finning service and Caterpillar equipment.”