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DAB Group add five Hyundai minis to growing fleet

DAB Civil Engineering, part of the Suffolk-based DAB Group, is celebrating 10 years as a Hyundai customer of local dealer Ernest Doe, with the purchase of two HX25Az mini excavators, an HX30A and two HX17Az compact excavators. All of the minis are additions to a rapidly expanding fleet of more than 50 machines, as the company strives to meet growing demand for its broad range of services across East Anglia.

“We’ve got a really strong order book for 2025,” said Managing Director David Bates.

“This latest delivery of machines reinforces our business partnership with Hyundai and with Ernest Doe, after working together for 10 years.”

Having been employed within the local building and construction industry, Mr Bates started the family-run company in 2002, initially operating in the civil engineering sector. At first, the business concentrated on groundworks for housebuilders and commercial developers. Since that time, the Group has expanded rapidly, with the formation of a separate construction division, a scaffolding and roofing company, and a plastering business. DAB has also created Ruby Homes (East Anglia), as a stand-alone housebuilder and developer of high-quality homes throughout the region.

The company now employs more than 100 staff on site, operating a fleet of excavators from 1-tonne micro models, through to a 30-tonne Hyundai HX300A. This includes various minis, 5 and 6-tonne midi excavators, along with larger HX130s, HX145As and HX200 excavators. That fleet has now been joined by the five A-Series machines, all of which have gone straight to work across the company’s sites.

“We’ve enjoyed a long relationship with Ernest Doe and Hyundai,” said Mr Bates. “The Hyundai machines offer value for money and they’ve been really reliable. But it’s also been about the back-up and service that we get from Ernest Doe. They look after all of the machines while they are under warranty, then we take over with our in-house fitters and workshops.”

All of the machines have been supplied through the dealer’s Wymondham branch in Norfolk. However, one of the benefits of working with Ernest Doe, is that the dealer has depots throughout the East Anglia region, from the top of Norfolk right down to Essex, providing a local service to DAB wherever the company is operating.

While the largest 30-tonne Hyundai might seem slightly out of place for a housebuilder, the company’s civil engineering business has also been undertaking an increasing amount of major infrastructure work. Among a growing number of long-term projects are works at the new Sizewell C nuclear power plant on the Suffolk coast, where the business is undertaking various preparatory contracts.

Operatives from the group’s Anglian Civils business have been pre-qualified to work on the massive power project, which will become one of the largest civil engineering sites in Europe over the coming years. This process has been made easier by the length of time that many of the firm’s machine drivers have worked with the business.

“Some of our operators have been with us since we started in 2002,” said Mr Bates. “Their feedback so far on the latest Hyundai HX models has been really positive.”

The HX17A, HX25Az and HX30A minis were launched last year, as part of an eight-model line-up, with operating weights of 1.7-5.5 tonnes. In total, Hyundai now offers 12 compact machines from the 1.0-tonne HX10A micro through to the 9-tonne HX85A. The excavators are powered by low emission EU Stage V diesel engines and heavier models feature standard load-sensing hydraulic systems, for increased performance and ease of use.

Operators benefit from a comfortable cab or canopied workstation, with hydraulic joysticks that are similar to those employed on larger Hyundai excavators. Safety valves are standard on all boom, dipper and dozer blade cylinders and the hydraulic rams are protected by standard guards. Both of the z machines have a zero tailswing design, making them ideal for confined housebuilding and civils sites.

With the Hyundai machines working on the fleet for up to five years, DAB requires dependable performance and reliability, backed by a dealer that can rapidly react to any problems on site. With Ernest Doe, that response has never been in doubt and the company will be calling upon the dealer again as the business continues to grow.

“We will definitely be talking to Ernest Doe when the time comes for further fleet expansion,” said Mr Bates.

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