by Nick Drew | Sun 24 Sep 2017
First Volvo for Burnside Plant & Piling Contractors
Following his first impressions at Volvo’s ‘Live It Dig It’ event at Alloa, Scotland, this March and a successful demonstration, Ian Orr, Proprietor of Glasgow based Burnside Plant & Piling Contractors, he has opted for his first Volvo excavator in the guise of the twenty-two tonne EC220E.
Purchasing his first general purpose excavator from Volvo is a new departure for Ian Orr, having traditionally been associated with alternative brands, but the high level of operator comfort, smoothness of control and overall stability and performance of the EC220E persuaded him to ‘bite the bullet’ and purchase one! “Visiting Volvo’s ‘Live It. Dig It’ event gave me and my operators a really good chance to look at the Volvo excavator range close up, and it was the EC220E that really impressed us,” explains Ian. “The machine was so responsive and smooth to operate and when we started to discuss a deal, I was pleasantly surprised with the competitive package on offer, together with the prospect of a high residual value four years down the line. Following a further evaluation on one of the sites we are currently working on, we made up our minds and decided to order one – we couldn’t be more pleased with the result,” he says.
Powered by a six-cylinder Volvo engine developing 174 nett hp, the EC220E offers the latest in engine technology and operating sophistication. Operator comfort is another major plus point, with the Volvo Care cab providing plenty of leg room and foot space. Excellent all round visibility is enhanced by pressurized and filtered cab air supplied by a fourteen-vent, climate control system. An adjustable, easy-to-read LCD colour monitor provides real-time information of the machine functions.
The EC220E will be deployed on a variety of applications including general groundworks, but will also be paired up with a Movax sheet piling rig which will pick up on the Geith quick-attachment bracket supplied with the machine.
“We specialise in permanent and temporary retaining walls, especially sheet-pile retaining walls, cofferdams and king-post retaining walls, with about 90% of our work being contracted in to Advance Construction who are one of the largest house-building companies here in Scotland,” says Ian. “The new EC220E will become the optimum tool in our arsenal for general excavation as well as sheet-piling duties.”