by Kyle Molyneux | Tue 02 Jul 2024
Cat D3 dozer for Whitnell Plant
With an extensive fleet of Cat machines dating back over four decades Whitnell Plant is no stranger to carrying out machine rebuilds, though recently the family firm welcomed a brand new D3 dozer to its fleet.
The D3 purchased from Finning, the world’s largest dealer of Cat equipment and parts, is just one of many machines Whitnell Plant have invested in from Finning following a longstanding relationship between them which has grown as the Essex based company has – now with three generations of Whitnell at the helm. It was purchased with a five-year warranty package which includes a full servicing and maintenance programme.
Bradley Naish, Territory Account Manager at Finning UK & Ireland, said more than half the Whitnell fleet of excavators, dozers and scrapers are Caterpillar because of their reliability, build quality, fuel consumption, and ability to be rebuilt over and over, with help from Finning product support in sourcing any historic parts needed to keep the fleet running.
He said, “Whitnell director Lionel has an extensive knowledge of Cat machines and he and his team have rebuilt several themselves over the years. He has a Cat 613C dust suppression unit from 1982, and his machines all look as though they have just come out of the showroom - which is testament to how he looks after his fleet. His level of knowledge on all our machines is phenomenal, so when he calls us to make a purchase, he’ll ask for the particular spec of machine he wants and what year.
“The machines now have a lot of technology on them but some customers like the older models – particularly when it comes to rental fleet – and Cat equipment is designed to be rebuilt," Bradley added. "This is where the expertise from our parts expert, John Nicoll, comes into play as Lionel really appreciates Finning being able to source the Cat certified parts he needs, and he can be confident his machines are good to go again.”
The brand new D3 dozer is to replace an existing machine as part of a structured maintenance regime at Whitnell, where Finning work alongside the in-house repair team to carry out any warranty work and parts support.
Director Lionel Whitnell said, “All of our machines are meticulously maintained so we can guarantee our customers reliability and peace of mind first and foremost. We run a lot of really big machines so the cost of fuel is something I monitor, and because Cat machines can move more, we find them far more fuel efficient simply because they’re more productive.
“I also believe if you look after the machine, it looks after you which is why I have older Cat machines still going strong - the build quality of a Cat machine is there for all to see. I really value the support we get from Finning and in particular the knowledge John Nicoll has in finding the parts we need – I know I can just pick up the phone and speak to him.”
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