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Fuel savings drive CEMCOR investment in Ireland’s first Cat® 988 XE wheel loaders 

Finning has secured a deal to supply CEMCOR with seven new machines for its quarry in Cookstown, Northern Ireland. The quarry provides all the limestone for CEMCOR’s adjacent plant which produces around half a million tons of cement each year.

The new machines were delivered on site earlier this month by Finning UK and Ireland, the world’s largest dealer of Cat^® machines, parts and aftermarket services, and includes two Cat 988 XE wheel loaders - the first of their kind to arrive on the island of Ireland. These 55 tonne state-of-the-art electric drive wheel loaders with a rated payload of 14.5 tonnes make them highly effective for heavy-duty tasks and large-scale material handling and will help to boost CEMCOR’s productivity at the Quarry. While the machines’ ability to contribute to improving overall operational efficiency was also a significant factor in the decision to purchase them. Paul Millar, Plant Manager at CEMCOR explains:

“Sustainability is a key issue in the cement industry as is the cost of energy. So, when planning the make-up of our future fleet we needed to consider our energy use over the next 10-15 years.”

As part of this long-term investment Finning also supplied CEMCOR with three Cat 775 highway trucks, as well as a Cat 352 ME excavator and Cat D4 dozer, all of which provide premium power and performance, whilst delivering maximum efficiency in line with the company’s long term sustainability strategy. 

All the new machines have the latest in-built technology features, including automated payload weighing which reduces fuel use by avoiding extra trips and unnecessary adjustments. The machines also support site safety with proximity and overload warning systems, tyre pressure monitoring and automated braking. CEMCOR have partnered with GO Fuels to run the new fleet on HVO biofuel, reducing net carbon emissions by up to 90%.

The electric drive technology in the Cat 988XE wheel loaders also assists CEMCOR in meeting its own sustainability aims, as Paul explains: 

“We have heard from other clients that using the electric drive technology saves huge amounts of fuel. When you add that to the other technology features the machines have, we found that for our operation, Caterpillar offered the best value overall.”

To ensure they get the absolute best out of their equipment, CEMCOR have opted for a six-year warranty as part of a Customer Value Agreement with Finning, which includes all servicing and maintenance, carried out by Caterpillar Certified Finning service engineers, based locally in Lisburn. 

Padraig Flynn, Machine Sales Account Manager at Finning UK & Ireland comments:

“Our field service engineers in Lisburn are fully certified by Caterpillar to carry out servicing and maintenance on the new machines, CEMCOR can be reassured that we’ll keep their fleet fully operational while also maximising on site efficiencies and savings while maintaining productivity. We believe CEMCOR will set new standards for the industry in terms of production efficiency and minimising carbon emissions, it’s great for Finning and Caterpillar to be so closely involved in this new project with CEMCOR.”

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