From an excellent relationship with sales rep Bryce Bevan, good performance and a high level of operator satisfaction with a Komatsu WA430-6 loader, Hunter Valley-based Rosebrook Sand & Gravel purchased another two of these loaders for other operations.
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The company purchased its first WA430-6 in early 2009, for use at its Maitland Vale operation and has since bought two more for use at its Cawsey Park and Dalswinton quarries.
The three loaders joined two Komatsu PC350-7 excavators used in gravel extraction duties, dating back to about 2002, and which the company "inherited" when it purchased another
quarry operation.
Rosebrook Sand & Gravel is a family-owned business operating five quarries throughout
the Hunter Valley.
It supplies a range of quality products to leading companies including Thiess Contractors, Ultrafloor, Hunter Readymix, and Adbri, along with various government bodies such as Lake Macquarie and Dungog Councils and Hunter Water Australia.
The Rosebrook operation was purchased by the Jackson family in 1981, and since then has grown from supplying around 15,000 tonnes of material a year to over 400,000 tonnes annually today with secure gravel reserves for a further 13 years from its existing quarries.
To ensure continued quality of product, the company regularly upgrades its plant and equipment to enable it to stay at the forefront of its industry.
New methods of screening and washing ensure it can provide a clean, well-graded and consistent product on which its customers can rely, with Rosebrook's range of graded gravels going
from 6 mm to 400 mm.
Its products include the famous Rosebrook Red River Gravel of which it is the only supplier in
the Hunter Valley.
According to managing director Colin Jackson, the three Komatsu loaders are used for feeding the quarries' bins, as well as loading trucks.
The decision to go for two additional WA430-6s was made for a number of reasons, said Colin.
"One of the main reasons we bought Komatsu was because of our relationship with Bryce Bevan, who's always looked after us.
"In January this year, we purchased a couple of extra quarries, and we wanted to standardise on one sales loader/bin loader across our operations," he said.
"Because we'd had a very good experience with our existing WA430-6, the purchase of two more meant we had machines with a very high degree of parts commonality, and our operators and fitters would be familiar with them.
"We've also opted for annual maintenance contracts with Komatsu for each of the machines.
"Basically, we wanted to keep things simple by having the same machines at our plants.
"The support we've had from Komatsu has been very good; initially, we did have a few parts issues, but they have been sorted out. Our operators are also very happy with the machines,"
said Colin.