by Nick Drew | Tue 11 Jul 2023
Hidromek’s Durability Proven at Marble Quarry (Blog Post Re-Visited)
The Isparta area, is famous around the world for its marble quality. When I arrived at the Ozcinar marble quarry, I have to admit I was absolutely gobsmacked at the sight that greeted us. It was unreal to look at, as these giant lumps of marble were being cut and prised out of the hillside by the excavators and not only that, the sheer size and scale of the operation was breath-taking.
On arrival at the quarry offices a company spokesman told us more about the business. Ozcinar was first established in 1994, and somewhat bizarrely was initially set up as an electrical component trading company. In 1999 the business expanded into manufacturing sheet metal panels, and as a result of this they started to trade with the marble producing industry. At this time, they saw an opening to expand their business even further, by entering the marble production field.
Ozcinar Marble & Mining has now been actively involved in the marble trade for almost 14 years. The company have been quarrying in the Isparta region for over 12 years, where they produce a very high-quality marble called the Ottoman Beige. Since those early days the company has expanded rapidly, and in addition to the Isparta operation, they now have quarries in other different regions of Turkey including, Denizli, Mugla, Burdur and Konya. They are now widely recognised as one of the biggest players in the marble industry, exporting their products all over the world.
The company has 9250 m2 of undercover production facilities and 19250 m2 of open quarry workings. The annual production capacity for marble slabs is 30.000 m2 and 150.000 m2 of marble tiles are produced. In addition, they export 60,000 tonnes of marble blocks per year, much of which is destined for the massive Chinese market.
The company has invested large amounts of money in construction and mining equipment, to uncover and extract the marble in these quarries. Over the past few years the company’s excavator of choice has been Hidromek. In the Isparta quarry alone the fleet was dominated by the distinctive black & white machines.
At the time they were running eight HMK370LC HD models in Isparta, speaking through an interpreter, a quarry spokesman told us, “We chose the Hidromek machines due to their low operating costs, high efficiency and high levels of productivity” Continuing the spokesman said “In Turkey the marble sector is growing rapidly and faces tough competition, therefore reducing operating costs, while improving productivity and quality is a key factor for companies like ours working in this environment. The choice of the correct equipment is crucial to be successful in the long run. Ozcinar Marble chose Hidromek after considering two purchasing criteria; low fuel consumption and strong after sales support, we have found that Hidromek fulfilled both those criteria and the machines are giving us that competitive edge, and helping us achieve our goals”.
During my visit I witnessed a number of Hidromek’s HMK370LC HD’s in action around the vast workings. Some equipped with hammers were busy clearing off heavy rock to expose the seams of marble, while others equipped with rippers were busy pulling over the marble slabs and large rocks, some of which are cut up using a primitive but effective looking wire rope and pulley arrangement.
It’s a rugged and tough working environment but the 37-tonne class HMK370LC HD’s are well equipped to deal with the job in hand. The X box type, heavy duty under-carriage on these machines feature full length lower track guides, which keep helps to keep the track chains in place while working on rocky ground. The upper-structure has strengthened side panels to prevent accidental damage which can be a problem in such a hostile working environment. The HMK370LC HD is fitted with well known Japanese components throughout, and at the time was powered by an Isuzu AH-6HK1X six-cylinder diesel engine which is EU Stage III-A emissions compliant and has a power rating of 271hp (202kw). As with all other excavators in the range it features the stunning Gen Series cab which features the Opera control panel, which is described as Hidromek’s Operator Interface, in addition to all the usual refinements we find in excavators today.
In addition to the eight Hidromek machines in action at Ozcinar, I spotted some older excavators from Hitachi and Volvo in the quarry. There were also a number of Caterpillar and Volvo wheeled loaders in operation, using a combination of buckets and heavy-duty forks, for moving and loading of large marble blocks. The Volvo L220G wheeled loader seemed very popular, working in combination with a number of Volvo A40D articulated haulers. In addition, there were a number of Caterpillar 740 ADT’s which had been converted to flatbeds for moving marble block around the quarry.
For our last port of call the quarry team wanted to show me another way they split the marble, so we jumped into the 4x4’s and shot off in a cloud of dust to see anther HMK370LC HD that was rigged up with “The Panther”. There wasn’t much detail on this piece of equipment, but it’s a hydraulically operated piece of kit that they wedge into a crack in the marble, where it has been stitch drilled previously, the operator then actuates the internal hydraulic ram and it prises out the section of quarry wall.
This quarry was one of the toughest job sites I have ever witnessed, and a real testament to the strength a durability of the Hidromek product. These, and all the other machines in that quarry, face a hard life day in day out, with soaring temperatures and extremely hard digging. I was told the average life for any fleet machine in there is 7,000 hours after which time they are traded in for new, hardly surprising in that tough, vitriolic, and hostile environment. At the time of my visit the UK market wasn't even on the agenda for the Turkish manufacturer, but skip forward to 2019 and they are continuing to make good headway in sales thanks to the efforts of UK dealers like Bunton, TJC Plant Sales, Kattrak, MPS (South West Ltd) and an ever expanding customer base.
Checkout this video from Hidromek filmed in the Ozinar quarry in Isparta.