READY
TO WORK
HASTINGS DEERING, HAVE CREATED ‘GO-TO-WORK’ PACKS TO SERVICE THE ESSENTIAL ROAD CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY AND ENSURE THAT PROJECTS CONTINUE AS NORMAL. ACCESS TO ITS MACHINERY IS BEING SUPPORTED BY THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT’S INSTANT ASSET WRITE-OFF SCHEME.
T
he road construction industry is one of few sectors still in operation across Australia during the COVID-19 pandemic. To support economic development in industries such as construction, the Federal Government has increased the instant asset write-off threshold to $150,000. This will allow many of the industry’s small to medium businesses to claim a tax deduction and help drive their business and the economy forward. For this reason, Hastings Deering, as the primary Cat supplier for Queensland and Northern Territory, are creating ‘go-to-work’ packs for their equipment and machinery to allow for quick delivery and turnaround. Ryan Van Den Broek, Sales Manager of Road Construction and Infrastructure at Hastings Deering, says the company are ordering in machines in a business as usual fashion to keep up with demand.
“Hastings Deering is actually getting an increase in engagement and interest from the road construction sector during this time, especially after governments are indicating that road and infrastructure projects will continue,” Mr. Van Den Broek says. As the instant asset write-off increase is helping the industry to access quality equipment, Hastings Deering are communicating with customers to ensure they select the right machinery for the job. The company places high importance on features such as machine versatility, simplicity of operation, and machine uptime to build, repair and maintain road infrastructure. To that end, Cat compactors are designed for all compaction operations. Often working in tandem, the CW12 and the CB7 compactors are centric to the asphalt industry. Mr. Van Den Broek says that while these
Hastings Deering are ordering in machines to keep up with demand in a business as usual fashion.
32
ROADS MAY 2020
machines are designed for compaction efficiency, the biggest benefit to these compactors is the operating position and safety features. “The way Cat have designed the operator station is so that operators have better visibility by always working in the forward position, which reduces any potential blind spots.” “The big feature for both of these compactors, is that they are on the same platform and offer a 358-degree seat which allows the operator to always be working in the forward direction. No matter what direction you sit in, the machine controls change accordingly,” he says. “If the pavers are always moving in a forward direction it reduces two sets of beeping signals from the construction site, making other reversing machines more noticeable and further increasing safety.” During the design process for the CB7 and CW12, Cat wanted to have minimal modifications to the frames on both machines. This resulted in both compactors having an identical operator console, including the 358-degree seat. “When you go from the CW12 to the CB7 the only difference is the CB7 has a vibration button. This way, operators can move between the two machines with ease,” Mr. Van Den Broek says. While the two operating stations are the same, the features of the compactors are tailored to each machine’s primary function. “The CW12 compactor is a seven wheel pneumatic compactor, weighing 8.8 tonnes. It has the bigger square profile tyres suited to asphalt. Its 2.09 metre compaction width excels on asphalt and granular materials with a higher overlap between the tyres,” he said.
