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Features, Industry News, Online Subscription, Queensland

Case study: Black Cat to go with Cat Next Gen technology

However, director Jai Tomlinson revealed to Inside Construction that the end game was always the Next Gen excavators. He said: "We standardised on D series excavators and when we heard a whisper about the development of a totally new series of excavator, we held off on the E series and only bought F series when we needed more machines." To some extent, the decision to buy a Next Gen excavator was an act of faith as the first sighting was at the Australian launch function on the night of Thursday, April 19, held in conjunction with Queensland dealer Hastings Deering. This was followed by a "hands on" day for owners at Cat's Yatala distribution centre on Friday, 20 April - Tomlinson was amongst the many contractors who got a feel for the new machines there. Things that impressed Tomlinson included: safety; productivity; low fuel consumption; reduced cost of servicing; commonality of parts between machines; ground level servicing (no need to climb on the machine); operator comfort; and the high level of installed technology. While some of this was seen in the F series excavators, the changes in the Next Gen series were such that Tomlinson regarded them as too much to come to grips with in one session. Tomlinson is eagerly awaiting the release in Australia of the Next Gen 30t excavator, as it is the largest excavator that can be readily transported and thus a popular size in the Black Cat Civil fleet. While some things will only be resolved in the field, Tomlinson believes that the Next Gen excavators look like a machine that could be retained for longer than excavators are traditionally held for, perhaps with a mid-life makeover. While Cat offers the new excavators in three levels of specification, Black Cat has greatest interest in the highest spec model. The business is looking to take on larger projects, having recently gained federal Safety Accreditation and implemented Cheops construction management and accounting software in the business to streamline administration and provide live reporting using up-to-date data.

However, director Jai Tomlinson revealed to Inside Construction that the end game was always the Next Gen excavators. He said: “We standardised on D series excavators and when we heard a whisper about the development of a totally new series of excavator, we held off on the E series and only bought F series when we needed …

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