Koninklijke Heijmans NV , located in Rosmalen in Brabant, is a Dutch listed construction company. Heijmans works for residential consumers, companies and governments and is active in the field of real estate, housing, utilities and infrastructure. It employs approximately 5,500 people and one of them is the electric crawler excavator operator René Balk.
René is working with an emission-free excavator on the Lauwersmeerdijk - Vierhuizergat Dike Reinforcement in the province of Groningen. We spoke to René and asked him everything about 'his' new powerhouse purchased by Heijmans at Staad: the DX355LC Electric with an extended boom (long reach) of 14 meters.
Experience report continues below the image
René has been running the new machine for a little over a month. Previously, he ran various conventional diesel machines with almost always an extended boom, which is now also on this machine. René says that they were all fine machines and this Electric can certainly join that list, although he was a bit sceptical about it at first. This is due to stories and experiences of fellow machinists who run on other machine brands.
“Everything new always takes some getting used to and you can only say something about it when you experience it yourself. But with the Staad machine, as I experience it, it works very well, right from the start. With this machine I can also do everything I want. This makes no difference with the previous diesels I ran on, although this one now makes a lot less noise. I also notice no difference with running, this machine is just very good, very strong, complete and nice to use,” says René, very satisfied with it.
With the extended boom of 14 meters René does some more specialized work, such as digging out a sheet pile pit, because you can go further down (deeper) with the long boom. But also placing large retaining walls is René's forte. And so he also works on dike reinforcement projects such as GOWA (Gorinchem Waardenburg) and now on the project in Groningen.
The electric crawler excavator is equipped with 1 Powerbox 400 and 1 counterweight (in place of the second Powerbox 400). René indicates that he easily works 12-hour workdays with this machine, during specialist work. René changes Powerbox 400s every day and says the following about it: “Changing is much faster than refueling, really beyond expectations. It is true that with a diesel you can postpone your refueling if it rains. When a Powerbox 400 is empty you have to change immediately, even if it rains, but we are not made of sugar”.
A truck with a grabber ensures that René gets a full Powerbox 400 on his machine at the first break at 10:00. “At the end of the afternoon, around 15:30, they change again and I can work until the end of that working day, but also the next working day again until the break at 10:00. The Powerboxes are never completely empty, but because the machine works long days, changing them at fixed times is the best solution and this works extremely well,” says René.
“On another project, this machine can also be used differently. For example, if there is a charging point on the project itself, then charging can be done directly from the plug and you can run two Powerboxes 400 simultaneously on a machine without having to switch. Then you charge again immediately after work so that the Powerboxes 400 are full the next morning. It is only good that there is one more option, but switching as we do now is already going very well,” René indicates.
Experience report continues below the image, with a beautiful photo album of this machine at work. Read on quickly.
René is very happy with the machine and can do everything with it. Just like with all new machines, this machine will soon have a 500-hour service. For this service, René has passed on some small points that need to be addressed, this can only be done when you are actually running the machine and in this case it can also be done together with the hour service.
René notes that the weather conditions have not affected the operation of the machine so far, because it remains strong and runs as it should. René does note that when it rains a lot and there is rainwater in the sand, this requires more capacity from the Powerbox 400. This is entirely in line with his expectations and he indicates that he must then indicate in time when a change is necessary. Ultimately, René always runs it in such a way that they can stick to the standard change schedule.
Staad demonstrator Frank Verbij spent a few hours at René's project during the delivery of the machine in Groningen for an extensive demonstration. René indicates that Frank took all the time to provide explanations and answer questions until the moment that René could start using the machine. René says: "It's just like with a new car, you also get a lot of information. Much of it is not immediately applicable at that moment and you park it to come back to it at another time, when it is applicable. And that is possible at Staad".
René proudly says: “I got Frank’s work number and can always call him if I have any related questions. I really like that and I have spoken to Frank a few times since the delivery about some points that were not on the agenda at the time. Frank knows a lot about it and that reassures me. If there are things that Frank does not know, he will clearly indicate that and I can call the Staad Service Department and then everything will be fine, is the experience. It is just very pleasant that you can go to one party for almost everything, so for the machine but also for the Powerbox batteries”.
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In addition to the fine explanation and the contact with demonstrator Frank, René is also very pleased with the other contacts within Staad. Not only the service department, but also the sales department, where it certainly did not end after the sale. Heijmans Materieel Beheer was assisted and advised by representative Johan Zijlmans from Staad in the preliminary phase. “From the very beginning, Heijmans Materieel Beheer and Staad listened carefully, thought along and advised, and you can see that in the machine I am running,” says a proud René.
“Even after delivery, Staad does not remain silent, there is genuine interest and this ensures pleasant customer contact. For example, I recently sent Johan the first findings of this machine by app, because he really wants to know how it is going. And so I sometimes send him an extra update in between with how it is going and a few photos. This shows how pleasant the contact with Staad is.
More information about the DX355LC Electric crawler excavator can be found on the product page online. Here you will find specifications, images and the product brochure can be downloaded. If you have any questions or are interested in this or any of the other electric earthmoving machines that we sell at Staad, you can contact one of the representatives, who are also visible on this product page.
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