Volvo's EC950EL heavyweight excavator consistently delivers fuel-cost savings and performance gains for the local cement producer at their limestone quarry in Andhra Pradesh. In just one year, the EC950EL excavator has already helped lower fuel consumption for Sagar Cements, a cement producer based in Andhra Pradesh. The EC950EL from Volvo Construction Equipment (Volvo) is now a centrepiece of the company's limestone mining operations.

"With the EC950EL, we lowered the fuel consumption by 20 per cent compared to similar class excavators from other brands - the EC950EL is delivering cost savings for us with every tonne," said KV Ramana, Senior Vice President of Sagar Cements. "The Volvo excavator's excellent performance and the wide range of features have also helped us keep up with production deadlines."

Purchased in August 2017, Sagar Cements has since deployed the excavator to work at their limestone quarry at Mattampally in Telangana. The 95-tonne class excavator loads blasted limestone into 60-tonne dump trucks for transportation to a nearby crusher. The EC950EL plays a vital role in keeping cement production on schedule and moving between 6,000 to 8,000 tonne of limestone for 10-12 hours per day. The excavator is also responsible for digging sumps to channel excess water away from the job site to prevent water damage to mines, while also supplying water to the plant and nearby residential community.

"When we heard about the new EC950EL excavators last year, we jumped on the opportunity to be the first in India, and in the cement industry, to try them out," Ramana said. "The EC950EL's excellent fuel-efficiency, top-notch performance and Volvo's strong brand were the main reasons why we chose this machine." The EC950EL excavator offers an ideal combination of power and stability, to handle high capacity duties in the toughest applications. With a bucket breakout force of 424 kN and an arm tearout force of 408 kN, the EC950EL offers optimum digging force, particularly when working with hard and heavy materials.

Powered by a 446 kW (606 hp) Volvo D16 engine, the EC950EL utilises advanced technology built on decades of experience to ensure highly productive operations. Cycle times are cut to a minimum thanks to the power and torque of the engine combined with the new fully electro-hydraulic system.

The EC950EL features a wide track gauge, long track length, a retractable undercarriage and optimised counterweight. The excavator's heavy-duty structures and reinforced 6 cum bucket result in a well-balanced, solid machine. All machine interfaces - including joysticks, keypad and LCD monitor - are ergonomically positioned and designed for optimum control and efficiency. For increased versatility, the attachment management system enables the operator to use pre-set hydraulic flow and pressure through the in-cab monitor.

"Our operators really enjoyed using the EC950EL with its spacious and air-conditioned cabin and its ability to toggle between 10 different modes with ECO option for different conditions," Ramana said. "The machine's safety features such as falling object guard and falling object protective structure certified cabs, rear view camera, auto fire suppression system, engine cut-off system, various error warning systems and Caretrack/ MATRIS performance monitoring system give us peace of mind. We highly recommend the EC950EL from Volvo to prospective buyers."