Skip to main content

DSS Group invests in Hitachi ZX670LC-5 excavator

One of Poland’s largest aggregates producers, DSS Group, has purchased a new Hitachi ZX670LC-5 for its quarry at Pilawa Górna in Lower Silesia. The company took delivery of the Zaxis-5 large excavator from Polish Hitachi dealer Tona in January 2013 as a key part of its strategy for aggregates production at the site. The DSS Group – owned by Dolnolskie Surowce Skalne SA – is the largest domestic producer of crushed aggregates for infrastructure projects. It has a 30-year licence to extract amphibolite (a
August 23, 2013 Read time: 3 mins
One of Poland’s largest aggregates producers, DSS Group, has purchased a new 233 Hitachi ZX670LC-5 for its quarry at Pilawa Górna in Lower Silesia. The company took delivery of the Zaxis-5 large excavator from Polish Hitachi dealer Tona in January 2013 as a key part of its strategy for aggregates production at the site.

The DSS Group – owned by Dolnolskie Surowce Skalne SA – is the largest domestic producer of crushed aggregates for infrastructure projects. It has a 30-year licence to extract amphibolite (a metamorphic rock) and migmatite (a mixture of metamorphic and igneous rock) at this quarry.

The Pilawa Górna plant can produce up to five million tonnes of aggregates, including: 2/8, 8/16 and 16/22mm gravel for the general and road construction sectors; and 4/31.5, 31.5/50 and 0/31.5mm mixed materials for the construction of railways.

DSS delivers aggregates to customers by rail (in bulk) and road transport within a 60km radius of the site. The quarry and plant are located near a railway line and the international E67 road, perfectly located for distribution to the major road and highway projects – including the A1, A2 and A4 – that are in progress or planned to start in the near future.

The ZX670LC-5 has been installed by DSS to help reduce costs and increase productivity at its flagship quarry. “This is the first Hitachi that I’ve worked with,” said DSS’s Janusz Rydz, who has been employed as a manager since the 40-hectare site opened in 2007, “but from what I’ve heard in the market, Zaxis excavators are very reliable and durable.

“We hope that the ZX670LC-5 will enhance the level of productivity on this site. Our aim is to reduce the cost of every tonne of stone extracted.”

The ZX670LC-5 loads blasted materials on to DSS’s fleet of articulated dump trucks. Experienced operator Boleslaw Gazda said: “The controls in the Zaxis excavator are ergonomic and user friendly. The seat is perfect and very comfortable. I use the monitor for the rear-view camera and to see the fuel consumption data. Listening to music in the cab also helps me to enjoy my work.”

Boleslaw estimates that the ZX670LC-5 excavates and loads approximately 600-700 tonnes of materials per hour, depending on the size of the rocks. He also adjusts the work mode on the machine to suit the load and tends to switch between the ECO and PWR settings accordingly.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Hitachi wants to be the number one European equipment supplier
    April 22, 2015
    Hitachi Construction Machinery Europe boss Moriaki Kadoya told INTERMAT 2015 that the manufacturer wants to be number one in Europe as it launched a new hybrid ZW220 wheeled loader and a stage IV compliant Zaxis 300LC excavator.
  • Coloured asphalt option from Bituchem
    December 10, 2015
    The Bituchem Group has introduced a new colour to its Natratex Cotswold range. The company is now producing a Salmon alternative offering a pink shade of the durable natural asphalt material. Natratex Salmon uses coloured stone pigments sourced from specific quarries to offer a naturally coloured surface for a wide range of commercial and domestic applications. The coloured aggregates of Natratex Salmon are fully bonded using a clear resin binder to form a hard-wearing surface. Like all Natratex prod
  • Salini Impregilo expands in the US with purchase of Lane Industries
    November 12, 2015
    Italian global infrastructure group Salini Impregilo has agreed to buy 100% of Lane Industries, an American highways contractor and the “top private asphalt producer” in the US. Lane, a family-owned business based in Cheshire, Connecticut, was bought for US$406 million and has a turnover of around $1.5 billion. The company has three divisions: asphalt production, road projects and other infrastructure projects, in domestic and international markets. A statement from Salini said Lane is participating i
  • Switzerland’s new tunnel bore being built
    April 19, 2018
    A major new road tunnel project is being constructed in Switzerland – Mike Woof writes Construction work is now underway in Switzerland for the new Belchen Tunnel bore, a project that has resulted from the country’s long-term infrastructure planning. The building of this latest tunnel is important for Switzerland economically as it will deliver an upgraded link for a major transport infrastructure connection. When it is complete, the tunnel will form part of the vital A2 route between Basel, in the north