Volvo CE machines quarrying tough conditions

A quarry producer in Iceland is now benefiting from new technology from Volvo CE. The firm is quarrying volcanic basalt at a site not far from Iceland’s capital, Reykjavik. Located around 10km to the south of Reykjavik, just outside the small town of Hafnarfjörður, is a large open quarry called Vatnsskarðsnámur.
September 14, 2017 Read time: 2 mins
The Volvo CE wheeled loaders are said to perform well in the Icelandic conditions
A quarry producer in Iceland is now benefiting from new technology from Volvo CE. The firm is quarrying volcanic basalt at a site not far from Iceland’s capital, Reykjavik. Located around 10km to the south of Reykjavik, just outside the small town of Hafnarfjörður, is a large open quarry called Vatnsskarðsnámur.


The quarry is owned by Alexander Ólafsson, a contracting company that specialises in crushing and screening. The firm extracts basalt for use in general construction, as well as producing aggregates for use in concrete. The firm crushes, screens and cleans the material, which is then used for a variety of applications across the country, such as road building and civil construction. Around 150 truckloads of material is extracted from the quarry/day, equating to about a million tonnes/year.

The bulk of the heavy duty work is carried out by a fleet of Volvo L180 wheeled loaders, which work around the clock to keep up with the growing demand. The firm has one L180E, one L180F and four new L180Hs, including one bought this year. In addition the firm has other Volvo CE loaders in its fleet, an L90H and an older L180E, which are used its smaller quarries elsewhere in Iceland, having used machines from the manufacturer since the business was established in the early 1980s.

The L180H’s specifications, bucket capacity, static tipping load, reach height and operating weight, suit the firm’s needs at the Vatnsskarðsnámur facility. Another key feature is the sophisticated OptiShift system, which reduces fuel consumption by up to 18% and increases machine performance. The Volvo CE machines also cope well with the climate, which can be extremely cold in winter. Meanwhile low internal noise levels and vibration protection increase the chances of a productive work shift. The cab also incorporates a single lever control for ease of operation.

Earthmoving & soil compaction

Related Content

  • Cleaner quarrying
    June 10, 2019
    A project to reduce carbon emissions from quarrying operations is underway in Sweden.
    Read More
  • Qatar quarry boosts output with SDLG wheeled loaders
    February 8, 2018
    A fleet of SDLG wheeled loaders is helping to optimise production at a quarry in Qatar. The three SDLG wheeled loaders are operating long hours and are being used to feed crushing and screening equipment at the site in Qatar. The three SDLG LG958L wheeled loaders have managed to clock 2,000 operating hours in four months at the quarry. The site is owned by Doha-based contracting company Al Maram International, which uses crushing and screening equipment to reduce and sort limestone, primarily for asphalt
    Read More
  • The payload answer for ADT haulage?
    July 8, 2016
    Will increased ADT load capacity provide a suitable solution to increasing aggregate and earthmoving haulage needs? Mike Woof reports The rule of thumb with off-highway machinery is that for bulk operations, larger equipment can deliver economies of scale, with bigger payloads allowing a better cost/tonne. Heavier machines may be less versatile than more compact units, so a type of equipment that retains its versatility as it is scaled up in size can offer major benefits. For the articulated dumptruc
    Read More
  • Nigerian asphalt producer increasing capacity with Sandvik plant
    June 30, 2014
    In Nigeria a major asphalt producer is increasing production capacity to cope with growing demand for its materials Nigeria is developing its road and highway network, which has triggered greater demand for quality aggregates and asphalt for construction. Producer Asphalt Unity Construction is now meeting this demand with its purchase of new mobile equipment from Sandvik Construction.
    Read More

Highlighted Content