Skip to main content

UAE quarry facility boosting productivity

A United Arab Emirates quarry is putting its Volvo fleet to the test in harsh conditions A quarrying facility in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), is boosting output following the commissioning of a new machine fleet for loading and hauling duties. The quarry is located in the northeast of the UAE in Fujairah, an emirate almost entirely surrounded by mountains. This rugged landscape is the product of an estimated 800 million years of geological activity and is the source of a high quality limestone used in
May 15, 2015 Read time: 3 mins
Excavators and haulers from Volvo CE are assisting production at a quarry in the UAE
A United Arab Emirates quarry is putting its Volvo fleet to the test in harsh conditions

A quarrying facility in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), is boosting output following the commissioning of a new machine fleet for loading and hauling duties. The quarry is located in the northeast of the UAE in Fujairah, an emirate almost entirely surrounded by mountains. This rugged landscape is the product of an estimated 800 million years of geological activity and is the source of a high quality limestone used in construction in the region.

Bin Lahej Crushers is one of the UAE’s leading quarrying specialists and is producing high quality aggregate from this facility, which is being used for a variety of major construction projects. Located in Ras Al Khaimah, close to Fujairah, the company is now running a fleet of Volvo articulated haulers, excavators and wheeled loaders to produce 850tonnes/hour of crushed limestone, with the facility running 20 hours/day and six days/week. Because of the high output requirements and the arduous environment, the reliability and durability of the fleet is of key importance with regard to maximising production and minimising unscheduled downtime.

The quarry firm is using two EC700C-Series excavators, three A40F-Series articulated haulers and two L150G-series wheeled loaders. The company ordered its first Volvo machine one year ago and the success of this unit in the application prompted the firm to purchase the rest of the equipment fleet from the same supplier.

Productivity is key to profitability at this site and the limestone is first drilled and blasted by a subcontractor in a nearby quarry. The Volvo EC700C excavators are then used to load the extracted material onto the A40F haulers, which transport the rock 400m to the crusher. The limestone first passes through a primary jaw crusher before going on to be further broken up by a secondary impactor. The Volvo machines work two 10-hour shifts, during which each hauler can make up to 50 trips between the rock face and the crusher.

Once crushed and screened to the necessary fractions, the finished product is then transported to a variety of locations throughout the region. The crushed material is used mainly as aggregate and Bin Lahej is a supplier to Middle Eastern companies such as Unimix. Aggregate from this facility has been provided to contractors working on projects as large as the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, the tallest man-made structure in the world.

Bin Lahej Crushers says that it has a strong demand for its products and as such, the machines need to be able to consistently produce large quantities of material every day. The firm’s ISO rating means that it is also responsible for producing a reliable quality of aggregate also, with the crushing and screening facility playing an important role.

Bin Lahej works closely with local 359 Volvo CE dealer FAMCO, which is providing on-site training and assistance to ensure that each operator is able to derive optimum performance from the machines while also reducing fuel consumption and overall wear and tear.

The intensive nature of operations at the site, and the influence the operator has on efficiency, means that this is a very important aspect of working with Bin Lahej. Meanwhile the customer also says that the Volvo CE CareTrack is playing an important role in improving performance on site, as the telematics system allows the company to assess and adjust operator and machine behaviour to help maximise efficiency throughout the working day.

Related Content

  • Aggregates production innovations delivering efficiency
    August 1, 2017
    EvoQuip, the newest division of Terex Corporation, is launching a Cobra 230 impact crusher later this year, to sit alongside the Cobra 260. The 24tonne machine will offer a production capacity of 140-150tonnes/hour in asphalt and construction recycling. The Cobra 230 is 11.3m long and 2.46m wide, or 5.15m wide with a side conveyor. It features a quick set-up time and the machine can be moved onsite without having to stop the crusher. Keestrack says that its novel H4 tracked cone crusher is light and compact
  • Rockster machine performing in Turkish quarry
    January 26, 2018
    Crushing equipment from Rockster is playing a key role in the efficient production process at a quarry site in Turkey
  • Chinese manufacturers competing in quarrying segment
    March 5, 2015
    Chinese firms are now gearing up to tackle the quarrying market - Mike Woof writes. One of the key developments of note for the bauma China exhibition in late 2014 was the number of Chinese manufacturers now looking to compete in the quarrying sector. Also of note was how Western manufacturers are also taking the emergent markets seriously, developing machines to counter this increased competition from China. In many cases Western manufacturers have partnered with Chinese firms, bought out Chinese companies
  • Morocco extraction site service capability
    July 15, 2016
    Phosphate extraction is carried out on a huge scale in Morocco in harsh, hot and often remote locations. Servicing this equipment is no easy task given the conditions, with special machines having to be used Phosphate is in high demand. It is used in fertilizer, detergent and food additives. However its fastest growing market is in the manufacturing of lithium-ion batteries, now being used widely for commercial goods as well as electric vehicles. As Morocco is the world's third-largest producer of phosphate