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EDITORIAL

STANDING STRONG IT HAS BEEN A YEAR since we last brought

you a new Rammer Magazine. And what a year. Political upheaval across the globe has made for difficult trading conditions; national and international unrest and conflict has made markets unpredictable; fluctuating oil prices have made local and international economies ever more cautious; and equipment manufacturers have been reporting retail sales declines of 10 to 15 percent quarter after quarter.

But through it all, the Rammer Global family has stood strong. Against a constantly shifting economic and political backdrop, our local dealers have supported their local markets to the very best of their ability.

While some territories have experienced a continued downturn, this has been at least partly offset by a welcome upturn in other key market areas.

This is just one of many examples of the Rammer Global Family working together for the greater good of the company and for the benefit of customers around the world.

At the beginning of the year, we hosted our latest Rammer Global Dealer meeting at the fantastic Jebel Ali Resort in Dubai. The event was really successful. It was attended by around 100 participants from around the world who shared three and a half amazing days together.

That dealer meeting laid plans for the months and years ahead, marked the introduction of some exciting new products (which you can read about in the coming pages), and provided a perfect opportunity for everyone to focus on the task ahead.

And we are focused. In addition to launching several new products to better meet the demands of our customers, we are already looking ahead to 2017 and the launch of yet more new attachments. Our factory in Lahti, Finland has been expanded to help us satisfy customer demands for both quality and quantity of equipment. And our Global Dealer network is constantly being upskilled, trained and refreshed to ensure that our customers are never more than a phone call away from the very best products backed by the very best parts and the very best advice.

The Rammer brand is your partner in business and the entire Rammer Global Family is here to support you now and into the future.

I can’t finish these few words without thanking and telling a warm words to Raimo Mäki-Opas, who will retire by the end of the year: “Raimo, thank you for your large contribution to Rammer business over tha past years; we’ll all miss you. Enjoy you new life and, please make sure you get the most of it”.

” OUR FACTORY IN LAHTI, FINLAND HAS BEEN EXPANDED TO HELP US SATISFY CUSTOMER DEMANDS FOR BOTH QUALITY AND QUANTITY OF EQUIPMENT.”

Yours Sincerely Rafa López, Distribution Director rafa.lopez@sandvik.com

Published by Sandvik Mining and Construction Oy, Breakers Lahti, P.O.Box 165, (Taivalkatu 8), FI-15101 LAHTI, Finland. Tel. +358 205 44 151, www.rammer.com Editor-in-Chief Sanna Kanto. Layout Ilme Oy. Printed by Grano Oy. No. 1/2016 Front cover picture: Mark Cherrington, Spitfire Communications. © Sandvik Mining and Construction Oy. Our thanks to Rammer representatives, interviewed contractors, authors of articles and photographers for their cooperation. The use of articles and photographs printed in this Rammer publication either wholly or in part is permitted contingent upon acknowledgement of the “Rammer Magazine, official Rammer Customer Magazine” as the source.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

10 Editorial........................................................ 2 Facktory News............................................... 4 Rammer dealer seminar.................................. 6 Shorts............................................................ 7 History.......................................................... 7 Bowled Over in Moldova................................ 8

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Off to a Flying Start........................................ 9 Boom time at Red Hill..................................... 10 Taking Flight.................................................. 12 Breaking on the Port Side................................ 13 The Fantastic Four.......................................... 14 Happy Customers........................................... 18 Going Postal.................................................. 19 Rammer helps Scott Dig It............................... 22 Boom in Demand .......................................... 24 Gold Medal Performance................................ 25

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Giraffe with Appetite for Concrete................... 26 When Reliability Matters................................. 27 Taming the Golden Dragon............................. 28 Rammer Raise Gypsum Production.................. 29 Rammer hammer still going strong after seven years and three carriers................. 30 Water Power.................................................. 32 In the Pipeline................................................ 34 Repeat buy follows five great years.................. 35 Bringing down the house, Rammer style!.......... 36 Breaking the Unbreakable............................... 38 “It is what it is.”.............................................. 38 Marketing...................................................... 39

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FACTORY ER NEW R A M M D N A S GR APPLE RS O SS CE RO MULTIP N O SO G ARE COMIN ED N TU – STAY

COMPLETELY NEW DEMOLISHERS This year the Hillhead exhibition in UK marked the international launchpad for a completely new Demolition Tools line for Rammer. Totally new attachments - which include Cutter-Crushers, Scrap Shears and Pulverizers – share many of the design and manufacturing quality characteristics that have made our hydraulic hammer range the preferred choice among quarry operators and demolition contractors across the globe. These new tools have been designed to perform a broad array of duties, regardless of if it is a primary or secondary demolition application.

SCRAP SHEARS

CUTTER-CRUSHERS

RAMMER SCRAP SHEARS (RSS SERIES)

The Rammer RSS Scrap Shears can be used in every industrial demolition job involving the cutting and recovery of ferrous materials such as iron sections, pipes, tanks, railway carriages etc. A double guide helps ensure excellent cutting jaw alignment for better cutting and lower owning and operating costs.

STATIC PULVERIZERS

models are an efficient alternative to other demolition methods and are ideally suited to environmentally sensitive applications where low vibration, noise and duct are of concern, and thanks to two powerful cylinders, the 360° rotation and the materials used, this attachment is the best solution for standard and high reach demolition.

RAMMER STATIC PULVERIZERS (RPV SERIES)

RAMMER CUTTER-CRUSHERS (RCC SERIES)

The Rammer RCC Cutter-Crusher range models feature dual cylinders and a robust design. The RCC Cutter-Crusher range

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The Rammer RPV Static Pulverizer range is ideally suited to a wide range of secondary demolition and recycling duties. The RPV range of models is designed for fast and ef-

ROTATING PULVERIZERS

fective material separation, a key aspect of the recycling process.

RAMMER ROTATING PULVERIZERS (RPV SERIES)

The Rammer RPV Rotating Pulverizer range is ideally suited to a wide range of primary and secondary demolition duties. The built in rotation that comes as standard on RPV Rotating range allows for added maneuverability for fast and effective material separation.Like the other Rammer demolition tools, the RPV Series is manufactured from HB400 steel and features heat-treated pins and bushes for a long service life.

FACTORY

KEEP YOUR RAMMER RUNNING KEEP YOUR RAMMER RUNNING Always use original parts and tools.

Contact your local Rammer dealer for more information.

NEW RAMMER 3288 PRO WE ARE HAPPY to introduce the new addition to our PRO range hammers, Rammer 3288 PRO featuring the same great features than other PRO models (5011, 4099, 2577). These PRO range hammers are designed for extreme applications, such as tunneling in cooperation with our customers. Rammer PRO hammers are specifically designed to work horizontally and tackle tunneling duties in hard rock and withstand high levels of dust.

SPECIFICATIONS Minimum working weight

5300 kg (11680 lb)

Carrier weight, allowed range

43-80 t (94800-176400 lb)

Impact rate, Short stroke

450-560 bpm

Impact rate, Long stroke

370-480 bpm

Operating pressure

140-150 bar (2030-2175 psi)

Oil flow range

280-340 l/min (74.0-89.8 gal/min)

Input power

108 kW (145 hp)

Tool diameter

190 mm (7.48 in)

RAMDATA II RAMDATA II uses advanced electronics to sense the impacts, and stresses on the hammer. It is a service indicator device designed to help operators and service personnel to get information about the service interval status, service history and accumulated working history of a hammer. You can now have Ramdata II service indicator to all our medium and large range hammers.

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DUBAI

RAMMER DEALER SEMINAR CELEBRATES SUCCESS IN 2015 FEBRUARY 2016 Rammer dealers from all

corners of the globe gathered in Dubai for a dealer seminar. The 100 or so participants joined with key figures from Rammer in order to learn about the latest developments in sales and service from the market leading breaker manufacturer. An awards ceremony was also held to recognize the outstanding contributions of Rammer dealers during 2015.

The Sandvik Construction owned Rammer brand is now rightly acknowledged as the market leader in breakers and associated equipment. In order to celebrate ‘a highly successful’ 2015, 100 or so dealers and distributors came from across the world to join with Rammer management and specialists for a themed event held in Dubai.

The reason for the seminar was to enable Rammer’s world-wide dealer network to gather together in one place. This would enable the dealers to share experiences, and channel their mutual enthusiasm for the Rammer brand into helping customers benefit from the unique features and attributes of Rammer breaker solutions.

The latest from Rammer With so many dealers, from so many different countries gathered in one place, the opportunity was taken to provide a series of briefings on the latest developments from

Distributor of the year 2015: Allied Construction Products, USA, in recognition of its Rammer focus and sales growth. The Prize was given to Phill Paranic, President of Allied.

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Rammer. These included service and application seminars as well as product briefings on the latest equipment. Additionally the dealers received briefings on how to get the most from the existing Rammer range, see new marketing materials, view the latest online portals and vitally, channel their own feedback directly to Rammer.

Recognizing success In line with all Rammer dealer seminars the event was concluded with a gala dinner.

The dinner was to thank all the dealers and distributors for their excellent performance during 2015. In addition a series of awards were presented to dealers in order to recognize their outstanding contributions.

Increasing focus on customers “The dealer seminar presented us with the opportunity to gather all our dealers together in one place.” So said Rafa López, Rammer Distribution Director. He conti-nued: “During the seminar we were able to provide our dealers with the latest information on our products and solutions, as well as brief them on our continuing customer focused developments. It also gave us great pleasure to acknowledge the success of all our dealers, but especially the dealers who performed exceptionally during 2015 at our award ceremony.”

Dealer of the year 2015. Murray Plant, Scotland/UK, in recognition of its business growth and focus on rental companies.

Prize was given to Bruce Murray.

The Rammer dealer seminar once again proved to be the ideal occasion for the dealers and distributors to join with Rammer.

This not only enabled Rammer to demonstrate its focus on the needs and requirements of its global customers through a variety of seminars and presentations, but also to acknowledge the success of those dealers who performed exceptionally in 2015.

THE RAMMER DEALER SEMINAR ONCE AGAIN PROVED TO BE THE IDEAL OCCASION FOR THE DEALERS AND DISTRIBUTORS TO JOIN WITH RAMMER.

HISTORY

SHORTS

BREAKING TOUGH IN STEEL CITY

RAMMER MAGAZINE 1995-1996

A RAMMER 5011 HAMMER has achieved what a competitive hammer could not – Breaking out the heavily reinforced foundations at a steel mill in Pittsburgh. And it did so in record time. While a competitive hammer failed to make an impression on the concrete that was more than 1.5 meters thick in places, the Rammer hammer excelled, completing the works in half the allotted time - reported Rammer US dealer Allied’s Technical Service Manager Scott Scholz.

THE BRIDGE BUSTERS UK-BASED ARMAC GROUP has cemented its reputation as the nation’s greatest bridge buster with another high-speed, high-impact contract over the UK’s original and busiest motorway; the M1.

During an overnight possession, the company removed the former Owen Williams M1 bridge to form a new link to the A5 near Luton – just North of London - between junctions 11 and 12.

Utilising a large fleet of excavators and more than a few Rammer hammers, Armac demolished and removed some 4,000 tonnes of concrete in just 15 hours.

Scan the code and watch Rammer hammers in action.

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MOLDOVA

BOWLED OVER IN MOLDOVA THE PRIMARY BREAKING POWER of a Rammer 5011 hydraulic hammer has breathed new life into a disused quarry in the Republic of Moldova.

Quarry operations began at the quarry more than 50 years ago but ceased some years later when blasting was outlawed to protect the peace and quiet of the nearby town of Orhei. The facility was reopened four years ago by quarry operator Pietris SA which switched from blasting to primary breaking to extract the “Ivanos” limestone.

Today, the company is operating on two shifts per day to produce around 300,000 tonnes of limestone per year to satisfy demand from the local road-building sector.

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“This is a tough working environment and the equipment we use needs to be tough,” says Pietris general director Vitalie Gorea. “We have tried hydraulic breakers from a number of manufacturers but the solution provided by Rammer has proved to be robust and most suitable for this application.”

That solution is a 3,900 kg Rammer 5011, one of three Rammer hammers supplied to Pietris by local dealer Ascendum Machinery.

“The working conditions here are very hard but the Rammer 5011 has matched or exceeded all our performance indicators,” Vitalie Gorea concludes. “I now associate the Rammer name with performance.”

“ THE WORKING CONDITIONS HERE ARE VERY HARD BUT THE RAMMER 5011 HAS MATCHED OR EXCEEDED ALL OUR PERFORMANCE INDICATORS,” - Vitalie Gorea

Scan the code and watch Rammer 5011 in action.

SCOTLAND

OFF TO A FLYING START FOR A QUARTER OF A CENTURY, the name

Murray Plant has been synonymous with the Rammer brand in its native Scotland.

Now, the Murray Plant group has been appointed the sole importer for the Rammer brand for whole of the United Kingdom; and the responsibility for market growth has been handed to Fergal O’Neill who has been employed to manage the distribution through Murray Plant Group’s new UK subsidiary, The Rammer Hammer Company Limited.

Although The Rammer Hammer Company Limited distribution arm has been trading for just a few months, the initial response has been staggering with both enquiries and sales exceeding all expectations.

One of the latest deals has been with North West of England-based Bradley Demolition for a new Rammer 5011 hammer to be mounted on the company’s flagship Caterpillar 349 excavator. The Cat machine is fitted with a Lehnhoff Variolock quick coupler that allows the hammer to be swapped for a different attachment in just 15 seconds.

“The use of the Lehnhoff means we only need a single machine with lot of fuel, lot of transport, and a single operator. Without it, to remain as productive, I would have to have two machines and more costs”, explains Bradley Demolition managing director Paul Johnson.

The Rammer/Lehnhoff combination has been tested thoroughly at the former Sappi

paper Mill on the outskirts of Blackburn where Bradley Demolition is involved in the demolition of redundant buildings and the breaking out of extremely heavy concrete slabs and footings.

Using the Rammer 5011 to its full capacity, operator Rob Glover tackled some very hard concrete with of 50 mm rebar. “That concrete is extremely hard,” Johnson concludes. “But the Rammer is making light work of it, far better than the hammers we have used in the past. The speed at which we are breaking and processing has gone up a few gears now and time on site is reduced.

The 5011 is worth every penny.”

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AUSTRALIA

BOOM TIME

AT RED HILL

ALMOST 20 YEARS AGO, Hanson acquired

Other boom systems on the market were explored but having seen the reliability of Rammer and acknowledging Rammer as one of the most recognised and trusted brands on the Australian market it made sense to enquire about acquiring another Rammer breaker boom system

a Rammer C330 Boom system equipped with a Rammer E64 hammer for its operation at the Red Hill Quarry in Western Australia.

Since its installation in 1997, it has been operating above a jaw crusher clearing blockages quickly and efficiently.

Hanson Red Hill Quarry - located 25 kilometres from Perth - is quarrying dolomite, granite, rock and other aggregates for concrete, asphalt, backfill, paving and other civil construction applications.

Over the years when the Rammer hammer boom system was required to clear blockages and bridging it never missed a beat but this year it was decided that it was time to upgrade the boom system to achieve a longer vertical reach.

“Other boom systems on the market were explored but having seen the reliability of Rammer and acknowledging Rammer as one of the most recognised and trusted brands on the Australian market it made sense to enquire about acquiring another Rammer hammer boom system” says Red Hill quarry manager.

Total Rockbreaking Solutions, the exclusive authorised Rammer dealer in Western Australia, recommended Rammer boom system C350 and Rammer 1655 for the job.

C350 has a maximum reach of 5.4 metres that is 500 mm longer than the previous model; and new technology enables the optimal positioning of a hammer within a crusher’s feed, allowing blockages and bridging of rock to be broken and cleared quickly and efficiently.

Rammer 1677 is a 870 kg hammer with an impact rate of 500 - 940 blows per minute

featuring Rammer’s patented Fixed Blow Energy operating principle that ensures optimum impact energy with every blow, regardless of hydraulic flow fluctuations. As with most Rammer hammers, the 1655 hammer also comes backed with Rammer’s Lifetime Warranty, which for a professional user is a maximum of 10 years.

“Features like these and the proven reliability ensure that we can carry out this task as efficiently as possible. We are very happy with the Rammer boom – it is working well” said the quarry manager.

Rammer has experience in the construction, manufacturing, supply and servicing of hydraulic boom systems in the mining industry and quarries world-wide for more than 35 years and specialize in the supply of complete boom systems to accommodate the specific needs of the user and enhance the safety of the worksite.

Total Rockbreaking Solutions is proud to offer the full range of Rammer boom systems that includes over 40 models from 1,000 kilogram up to 18 tonnes with reaches ranging from 4 metres up to a massive 17 metres.

Rammer has the right boom for every need, plus the Rammer boom system is the only boom system which can be supplied complete with a genuine Rammer hydraulic hammers as a packaged system from a single supplier.

Total Rockbreaking Solutions was established in 2013 by a team of experienced professionals with over 70 years of combined experience in the design, sales and servicing of hammers and breaker boom systems, and has already been awarded with an Australian Rammer Dealer of the Year Award for 2014.

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ICELAND

TAKING FLIGHT AN ICELANDIC CONTRACTOR has switched attachment allegiance to provide the power needed to expand the hard landing strip at the country’s international airport.

Located roughly 50 kilometres from the nation’s capital Reykjavik, Keflavik airport is undergoing a major expansion to accommodate passenger numbers that have risen from less than two million in 2004 to almost five million in 2015.

That expansion requires the extending the hard landing strip beside the air terminal to 7,000 m2. And that work – which requi-res the breaking out of 14,000 m2 of existing hard concrete - has been tasked to leading Icelandic contractor ÍAV which in turn has tasked the heavy breaking work

to a Rammer 4099 hydraulic hammer. ÍAV is a long-time advocate of a competitive breaker manufacturer but, when faced with such a prestigious and time-sensitive contract, the company decided to seek out a more powerful alternative and contacted local Rammer dealer Kraftvélar ehf.

“We lined up the Rammer 4099 on a CAT 330D with another CAT 330D equipped with a competitor’s hammer in the same weight class,” says ÍAV’s Einar Már Jóhannesson. “The results were amazing. Each day, the Rammer broke 40-50 percent more compared to the competitive hammer even though it was exactly the same size, same job site, same material and same excavator.”

” THE RESULTS WERE AMAZING. EACH DAY, THE RAMMER BROKE 40-50 PERCENT MORE COMPARED TO THE COMPETITIVE HAMMER.” - Einar Már Jóhannesson

Jarno Vainikka from Sandvik (left), Einar Már Jóhannesson from ÍAV, Viktor Karl Ævarsson from Kraftvelar, Einar Már Gunnarsson from ÍAV and Jari Paajanen from Sandvik

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ITALY

BREAKING ON THE PORT SIDE

A specialist contractor in Italy is using a Rammer 2577 hydraulic hammer to spearhead a 30 million Euro project to upgrade an important part of the port city of Genoa.

A SPECIALIST CONTRACTOR in Italy is using

a Rammer 2577 hydraulic hammer to spearhead a 30 million Euro project to upgrade an important part of the port city of Genoa.

Eso Strade srl was founded in 1986 as a road paving company but can trace its roots back to 1974. Today, the company is a full service contractor, offering excavation and demolition services to public entities in and around its native Genoa. The company is currently involved in the joint venture Cantiere Bisagno project that will enhance the outflow of the Bisagno River whilst upgrading the local roadways.

Playing a pivotal role in this important project is a New Holland E245 hydraulic excavator equipped with a 1760 kg Rammer 2577 hammer, the arrival of which followed an enquiry to local Rammer dealer Rammit SpA via the dealer’s Facebook page. “We received an enquiry one evening and we responded the same evening with several suggestions including a Rammer 2155, a reconditioned Rammer G 80 and, of course, the Rammer 2577,” explains Rammit sales and marketing manager Alessandro Galasso.

“A prompt visit to the company followed and an order for the 2577 was placed shortly afterwards.”

“The design of the housing on the Rammer 2577 is straight-shaped making it ideal for road demolition jobsites,” says Eso Strade chief executive Sergio Orefici. “The position of the Ramlube automatic greasing device has been well designed and it works really well.”

Eso Strade reports that it owns a Montabert V2500 breaker which is considerably heavier than the Rammer hammer; yet the Rammer breaker consistently outperforms the competitive unit. “On this jobsite, the hammer is demolishing reinforced concrete, so it’s not a really hard test for the hammer,” Orefici continues. “We are looking forward to moving it to the next application where it is going to dig hard limestone.”

As a result of this relatively easy application, Eso Strade has not yet had to call upon Rammit’s after sales support service, although it has placed an order for an additional box of Ramlube grease cartridges which Alessandro Galasso delivered in person. “In general, Rammit has been really present, available and friendly,” concludes Sergio Orefici. “Our relationship is already very strong.

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ENGLAND

THE FANTASTIC

FOUR A UK quarry operator has reaffirmed its faith in the Finnish hydraulic hammer brand with the purchase of its fourth Rammer hammer in the past 10 years.

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IT IS OFTEN SAID that a salesman sells the

first machine while the machine’s reliability and the aftersales service provided by the local dealer sells the second, third and fourth units.

That is very much the case with independent quarry operator Brauncewell Quarries Ltd which has just taken delivery of its fourth Rammer hammer in the past 10 years.

Making the Grade Lincolnshire-based Brauncewell Quarries has been supplying limestone, sand and gravel, decorative stone, topsoil and agricultural lime to the local building and construction

industries, agriculture and the general public across Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire for over 35 years. Depending upon local demand, the quarry sends between 500 and 1,000 tons of material out the gate each working day.

Among the products on offer from the company are a screened product with the limestone fines present that is offered in 0/25, 0/45 and 0/75 mm (one inch, two inch and three inch down) limestone for use in sub-base for domestic driveways, patios, sheds, industrial units, farm buildings.

A clean limestone product with the fines

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ENGLAND

removed and suitable as sub base for domestic driveways, patios, sheds, industrial units, farm buildings is available in 6/25, 25/45, 45/75 and 75/150 mm (one, two, three and six inch) grades A hardcore “as raised” product – a larger, coarser material consisting of the weathered top layers from the quarry excavation and not crushed or screened – is also available for temporary roads, and sub base for areas of hard standing.

In the past, this material was taken from the quarry face using traditional drill and blast techniques. But a switch to primary breaking using the proven Rammer hammers has had a revolutionary and positive impact upon Brauncwell Quarries’ production, product quality and environmental control.

No Point “We used to blast the limestone from the face but that was a noisy process that often resulted in too much dust and fines in the material,” explains Brauncewell Quarries managing director John Dickinson. “We decided to switch to primary breaking partly to reduce the noise but also to control the dust in the finished product. And having enjoyed a long and fruitful partnership with Sandvik on crushing and screening equipment, the Rammer hammer seemed like the obvious choice.”

t “It is powerful and productive and yet relatively quiet and dustfree in operation. It has made a huge difference to our productivity,” says Brauncewell Quarries managing director John Dickinson.

“ THE RAMMER HAMMER SEEMED LIKE THE OBVIOUS CHOICE.” - John Dickinson Dickinson reports that the company bought its first Rammer hammer almost a decade ago.

While operating on a strict three-year policy on all its kit to avoid unplanned downtime and to take full advantage of equipment resale values, the company has since traded out three times. The latest deal brought the new Rammer 3288 into play at the site.

The unit is mounted on a Volvo EC480 excavator and is responsible for all primary breaking duties. While working on faces that vary from one to two metres in height, the Volvo/Rammer combination work systematically long the length of the face followed by a Volvo wheel loader that loads the material into a jaw crusher.

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“The Rammer 3288 is a big hammer but it is perfect for our application,” Dickinson asserts.

“It is powerful and productive and yet relatively quiet and dust-free in operation. It has made a huge difference to our productivity.”

Despite spearheading the breaking operations, Dickinson says that the hammer has proved to be exceptionally reliable. “We are working in a medium to soft material but we are working long hours,” he continues. “But we haven’t even had to change a point yet.

The Rammer hammer just keeps going and going.”

According to John Dickinson, a key reason for this exceptional reliability is the Rammer 3288’s use of VIDAT tie rods and, more

importantly, the Ramlube automatic lubrication system. “Before we had the Ramlube system, our operator was having to grease the hammer two or three times a day but the process was a bit hit and miss,” he concludes.

“Now we know that the hammer is greased correctly at all times and with just the right amount of grease.”

Scan the code and watch Rammer 3288 in action.

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AUSTRALIA

THE USE OF ADVANCED HYDRAULICS, MATERIALS TECHNOLOGY, STRENGTH CALCULATIONS, IMPACT WAVE THEORY AND PRODUCTION TECHNOLOGY HAS MADE RAMMER BREAKERS THE MOST POWERFUL, DURABLE, COST-EFFECTIVE ON THE MARKET.

Victoria’s City Circle Group has bought multiple Rammer attachments, due to great dealer service and support, along with product quality.

HAPPY CUSTOMERS VICTORIA, AUSTRALIA based City Circle

Group recently purchased a Rammer 3288 fitted to a Sumitomo SH300-6 excavator.

Encouraged by the product support and service delivery provided by Walkers Hammers, City Circle Group then went on to purchase another Rammer product, the RC6R Cutter Crusher for a five-tonne excavator operating in a demolition application.

“We’ve probably got eight Walkers Hammers attachments,” Peter Skidmore, Director

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of City Circle Group, says. “Their service is really prompt. If you have a problem they come out on site and get it fixed.

The use of advanced hydraulics, materials technology, strength calculations, impact wave theory and production technology has made Rammer hammers the most powerful, durable, cost-effective on the market – and the undisputed leaders in their class, and happy clients and repeat customers are a great strength of the Walkers Hammers’ business.

“We pride ourselves on outstanding service,” explains Walkers Hammers managing director Mike Coghlan. “Customers immediately get a sense of that service. We get out on site, we have a look at their machine and we make sure that things are going to work properly. We even make sure they know how to operate the attachment. We’re not trainers, but we have a lot of experience. We know what the gear can do, and we try to ease the client into using the equipment in the right way.”

Since its establishment in Dandenong in 1989, Walkers Hammers has focused on providing its customers with the best possible repair and maintenance service. It’s a focus that’s made Walkers Hammers a true ‘one-stop-shop’ for hydraulic breakers and demolition tools today.

With a combined 63 years of accumulated, hands-on knowledge and experience in the breaking and demolition industry, Walkers Hammers offers trusted advice and support to its customers whether they’re purchasing or requiring commissioning, maintenance or repair for their hydraulic equipment.

And it’s not only the big companies that get the benefit of Walkers’ service and longstanding expertise.

“We service a lot of small operators, too.

You know, there’s a lot of people who have a small excavator and can’t get on to a job site because they haven’t got a hammer.

“We feel for those guys. We have the Rammer, our premium product, but we can now offer the Bretec brand as well. Bretec is made in the same factory, but is a great mid-tier breaker that can get these new starters and smaller operators up and running to help them achieve their dream – which is to get jobs and keep working.”

GERMANY

GOING POSTAL A RAMMER 5011 hydraulic hammer has played a pivotal role in the demolition of a former post office in the German city of Mannheim. Located at the city’s central station, the post office formerly served a population of more than half a million people across an area of 600 square kilometres.

Most of the dismantling work on the 42,000 m2 site was carried out by local company InduRec on behalf of Diringer & Scheidel. The contract involved the removal of more than 400,000 m3 of enclosed space; 220,000 m3 on the post office site alone. Around 50,000 tonnes of rubble had to be carried away through the inner city on semitrailers and four-axle trucks. 1,700 truckloads – equivalent to 40 loads per day - were required to transport 20,000 m3 of demolition material to the company’s own recycling plant.

A special challenge was the gigantic underground car park which went down eight metres beneath the site. This was demolished, primarily, by a new Rammer 5011 hydraulic hammer purchased specifically for this project. This purchase followed a detailed and professional presentation of the hammer to InduRec managing director Thomas Lück.

This high-performance hammer proved to be the ideal solution for this difficult demolition task. It has enormous impact force. The automatic pressure control valve in the hammer generates a constant operating pressure, delivering full output for every impact. The Rammer 5011 is reliable and userfriendly, and the manufacturer also offers a long-life guarantee, making it a secure investment.

The vibration and sound-suppressed housing of the 5011 offers greater noise insulation, making it ideal for use in a residential area. In fact, vibration levels were recorded on the Mannheim site and acoustic measurements carried out. These found that the vibration transmission of the 3,900 kg 5011 is substantially lower than in smaller hammers of around three tonnes.

LEFT: Marcel Lucia, Sales person NAGEL Baumaschinen Ludwigsburg GmbH RIGHT: Thomas Lück, Bos Indurec

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AUSTRALIA

RAMMER HELPS SCOTT DIG IT HIGH BREAKING POWER, combined with

low vibration and noise levels, has made Rammer hydraulic hammers the first choice for Sydney excavation contractor.

The company specializes in challenging excavation projects, particularly in prestige properties in Sydney’s Eastern Suburbs where residents and locals can be highly demanding about noise and vibration from construction projects.

Established in 2007 by Scott Remond, Dig It has built a reputation for carrying out difficult rock excavation projects throughout the city’s Eastern Suburbs.

These projects frequently require the involvement of cranes and barges to remove excavated materials from harbour side or steep hillsides in highly built up areas.

Dig It operates a fleet of 15 Komatsu and Yanmar excavators ranging from 800 kg to 24 tonnes, and a matching variety of attachments, including 13 Rammer hammers, along with rock saws, twin-headers, grabs and specialised buckets.

“We have Rammer breakers to suit all our excavators from the 800 kg one up to the 24 tonner, and we’ve been buying them pretty much since day dot,” Scott says.

“We bought our first one nine years ago, and we still have it.”

Dig It’s most recent Rammer hammer is a 2155 delivered in late 2015, and which has been working on a large harbour side singledwelling excavation in Point Piper during the first months of 2016.

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Scott started Dig It some years after deciding to exit his mining engineering degree in Sydney and go driving excavators.

“My background is I’m a country guy who started a mining engineering degree before ending up in the construction scene, working as an operator for a few companies before starting up on my own,” he says.

“I could definitely see opportunities in this fairly specialised market segment; combining my mining engineering studies plus my country upbringing gave me a good background in and around mechanical equipment.

“And I enjoy being hands-on outside and on a construction site.”

Scott opted for Rammer hammers based on his own experience, plus advice from his first employer in the excavation business, who acted as a bit of a mentor for him.

“At the time, Rammer was the strong recommendation from the contractor I’d originally worked for, plus I’d had experience with them working for other contractors.

“I found them a great hammer – and I’d also tried a few different brands. I found the Rammers had a lot more punch, plus the City silenced packages on them at the time meant they were well suited to the type of work we wanted to do,” he says.

“They are all very quiet, have a very quick punch, and the vibrations don’t travel a huge distance, so we have always had great results with them.

“This quietness and lack of vibration works very well with the neighbours; obvi-

“ THEY ARE ALL VERY QUIET, HAVE A VERY QUICK PUNCH, AND THE VIBRATIONS DON’T TRAVEL A HUGE DISTANCE, SO WE HAVE ALWAYS HAD GREAT RESULTS WITH THEM.” - Scott Remond

Dig It’s Rammer 2155 hammer fitted to a Komatsu excavator in the company’s striking blue livery, working on a Sydney harbourside excavation.

ously working in high-profile areas, we don’t want to disturb the neighbours next door either through cracking in their house or vibration through the foundations,” says Scott.

“And because the Rammer hammers are all-hydraulic, unlike some other brands, you always get the same power to the tool, whether it’s high-speed or low-speed operation.

“Breakdowns are also virtually non-existent, unless we have operator error – which is generally just a tool breaking because the operator didn’t grease it properly, or was using the hammer incorrectly,” he says.

Scott gets all his servicing and repairs for his breakers done through Wolfgang Reinhard and his team at GroundTec, the New South Wales Rammer distributor.

“We find their service great,” he says.

“If something is broken, or they don’t have a part immediately available, they will go out of their way to get it to us quickly, which really makes a difference to our operations.”

While his operations have primarily been based in Sydney’s Eastern Suburbs to date, Scott has been expanding into other parts of the city.

“We’ve been slowly getting bigger and bigger, moving into larger and high-end residential and smaller commercial work.

“We’ve recently been pushing into Sydney’s Lower North Shore, and the southern suburbs down Cronulla way.

“While we are not specifically looking for the prestige property work, it does seem to find us. Word of mouth is a very good thing once you get your foot in the door and show you can do a good job,” he says.

“We’ve tended to specialize in the more difficult types of work, where you need to crane or barge in and out equipment and materials, work under houses, that sort of thing.

“We like the challenging projects, where there are lots of rock, or a lot of sand where it needs piling or some form of retaining,” says Scott.

“That helps keep some of the competition away, though it also poses challenges for us in showing our clients – who are mainly large residential builders or smaller commercial ones – that we can meet all their requirements regarding safety and quality before we even step on site.

“But now we’ve proved we can handle these sorts of jobs, we are getting more and more requests to come and quote on them,” he says.

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AUSTRALIA

BOOM IN DEMAND TOTAL ROCKBREAKING SOLUTIONS (TRS)

was only established in 2013, yet it is able to offer customers over 70 years of combined experience in the design, sales and servicing of rock breakers and breaker boom systems.

Indeed, the company – the Western Australia agent for Sandvik’s extensive range of Rammer boom systems and hydraulic hammers - has already won the Australian Rammer Dealer of the Year Award for 2014.

Paul Ingleson, engineering manager and director of TRS, says that the award is not just based on sales figures, but includes recognition for exceptional customer service and product knowledge.

“It was great result for our team as we have worked hard to provide customers with better value, better service and more competitively priced rockbreaker boom systems.”

Ingleson says the team’s high degree of technical knowledge, combined with competitive pricing and a dedication to customer service, has been the key to TRS’s success.

“We are more than just a Rammer sales agent as the team has strong engineering and project management experience and capability.

For example, I have over 20 years’ experience in the mechanical design of materials handling equipment and rockbreaker boom systems as well as the management of engineering and project management teams.”

Others in the team include fellow directors Jeff Jackson, general manager, who has been involved with Rammer products consistently for more than 25 years; and Mark Godsell, service manager, who was employed as a Rammer field service technician for many years and became lead commissioning engineer for hydraulic boom systems and hammers.

Mark Godsell now leads a group of highly skilled and experienced technicians in the newly expanded workshop with a custom-built hydraulic cylinder repair bench to service, repair and rebuild any hydraulic attachment, cylinder or rockbreaker boom power pack.

“We are entirely focused on rockbreaking, boom systems and hydraulic attachments and aim to service this market professionally and competitively,” Ingleson says. “With our engineering and project management resources,

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“ WE ARE ENTIRELY FOCUSED ON ROCKBREAKING, BOOM SYSTEMS AND HYDRAULIC ATTACHMENTS AND AIM TO SERVICE THIS MARKET PROFESSIONALLY AND COMPETITIVELY.” - Paul Ingleson we can provide full turn-key solutions for customers, including rockbreaker support structures, concrete foundations, maintenance platforms and installation and commissioning

services. Other suppliers are able to provide boom systems, but only TRS can supply a boom system with Rammer hammer all factory supported through the one supplier.”

BRAZIL

GOLD MEDAL PERFORMANCE

DURING THE MONTH OF AUGUST 2016, the eyes

of the world were turned to Brazil as it hosted the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. Meanwhile, a Rammer 3288 hydraulic hammer was delivering a gold medal performance in secondary breaking at a granite quarry in the Northern Zone of São Paulo, Brazil’s financial centre and the most populous city in the Southern Hemisphere.

Mounted on a Komatsu PC 350 excavator, the 2,040 kg breaker is owned and operated by Territorial São Paulo Mineração, part of Grupo Agis.

The hydraulic hammer, which was supplied by local dealer Getefer, works alongside a three-stage crusher train comprising a primary, secondary and tertiary crusher. This crusher train produces muchneeded aggregate and sand for São Paulo’s burgeoning construction industry.

According to Territorial’s Renato Cesar Figueiredo, the Rammer hammer is used to break oversized material to facilitate easier crushing and to maximise crusher uptime by minimising the likelihood of blockages. The unit is currently producing almost 4,000 tonnes of broken material each working day.

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GERMANY

GIRAFFE WITH APPETITE FOR CONCRETE THE FORMER ADMINISTRATION building of

the Regional Finance Office Frankfurt am Main is gone; eaten by a demolition giraffe with an insatiable appetite for concrete.

The almost 60-year-old building on Adickesallee has remained vacant since 2009 after the Hessian authority moved out. Three years later, the Frankfurt School of Finance & Management acquired the premises. As it could not be renovated due to strong pollution, the selective demolition of the building began at the end of 2014. The once listed office building now makes room for a new building of the Frankfurt School which will be constructed between 2017 and 2018.

They assigned demolition company Chantré GmbH & Co. Wiederaufbereitungs KG from Neu-Isenburg who carried out the demolition work in three phases. In the first phase, the swift gutting of the 60,000m³ enclosed space was carried out. Things like doors and windows disappeared from the many small offices of just 10m², elevators and sanitary facilities were removed.

Two Rammer S 25 CITY hammers were selected to spearhead this phase of the demolition process. The 150 kg vibration and soundproofed attachment delivers an impact rate of 800-3,000 per minute, allowing work to progress rapidly and in accordance with the specified plan.

After the gutting, the professional pollutant clean-up began. This was quite the challenge for this old office building in the Main metropolis, because pollutant-rich materials were used for renovation work in the 1970s due to ignorance. In addition to using ground adhesives containing naphthalene, loose cladding panels, for example, were

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“ WE DO NOT GO EASY ON ATTACHMENTS SO THEY MUST BE STRONG AND RELIABLE.” - Alexander Chantré

fixed with PAH-contaminated tar adhesives at that time. But also materials containing asbestos had to be disposed of by the demolition experts within the scope of the pollutant clean-up.

In accordance with the Ordinance on Transport Licences, the company from Neu-Isenburg is authorised to professionally transport all waste to the corresponding specialist companies for further processing and disposal.

Little by little, phase three eventually brought about the building’s fall. The 18 cm

thick walls were just what “Carla the Giraffe” was waiting for. The 42 metre Liebherr high reach excavator - painted in a distinctive giraffe pattern livery - powerfully and relentlessly bit through the enclosed space of reinforced concrete totalling 15,000 m³. The giraffe’s head is a Rammer RC 22 concrete and steel shear attachment.

“We do not go easy on attachments so they must be strong and reliable,” concludes Alexander Chantré. “When it comes to attachments, we have been putting our money on Rammer for over 20 years.”

AUSTRALIA

WHEN RELIABILITY MATTERS Western Australia’s Southern Traxcavator has successfully used Rammer hammers for more than 18 years.

SOUTHERN TRAXCAVATOR is currently working at the Lakes Quarry, Western Australia breaking oversize surface granite and needed a breaker capable of delivering constant and high breaking power.

After demoing a competing breaker, Southern Traxcavator returned to its initial choice, which they have owned and operated for over 18 years: Rammer.

Encouraged by the product support and service delivery by Total Rockbreaking Solutions - the authorised Rammer dealer in Western Australia - and having seen the reliability of Rammer in the previous applications, it was an easy choice for Southern Traxcavator to stay with Rammer.

“With Rammer I can keep output consistent whereas the competing breaker’s impact energy

was directly proportional to the gas pressure,” explains Marc Veccia, Director of Southern Traxcavator. “When they started to leak gas, they started to lose power and eventually it took ten blows to break a rock instead of five” Rammer’s advanced membrane technology and patented Fixed Blow Energy operating principle ensure constant high breaking power is maintained at all times. Using a positively sealed high pressure membrane accumulator ensures gas leakage is eliminated. The accumulator does not require constant re-filling or regular servicing of special seals, making Rammer hammers a reliable and preferred breaker, particularly in remote locations.

In addition to the high pressure membrane accumulator, the 4099 hammer features Rammer’s revolutionary operating principle,

WITH THE RAMMER 4099 EVERY IMPACT – FROM FIRST TO LAST – IS AT MAXIMUM POWER ENABLING SOUTHERN TRAXCAVATOR MAXIMISE PRODUCTIVITY AND COMPLETE THE JOB WITHOUT UNNECESSARY INTERRUPTIONS.

which combines stroke length, blow energy and idle blow protection.

This allows operating parameters and output to be adjusted to match individual carriers and applications, improving hydraulic efficiency and safety.

The two simple working mode selectors allow the hammer to be specificallymatched to individual applications and materials: a long-stroke setting uses a lower blow frequency for optimum breaking in hard materials, such as granite and reinforced concrete foundations, while a short stroke setting delivers higher blow frequency which is ideal for softer materials, such as limestone.

An Idle Blow Protector on/off selector also allows the operator to easily adjust the working mode to provide protection against blank firing.

With the Rammer 4099 every impact – from first to last – is at maximum power enabling Southern Traxcavator maximise productivity and complete the job without unnecessary interruptions.

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FINLAND

TAMING THE GOLDEN DRAGON A RAMMER 555 scaling hammer is playing a key role at a Finnish gold mine that is owned by an Australian mining company but operated by a local Finnish mining contractor.

Maakasi Oy is responsible for loading, haulage and scaling duties at the Orivesi underground gold mine in Orivesi which is owned by Dragon Mining from Australia.

Maakasi Oy is currently involved in what it describes as “safety scaling” in an area of the tunnel that had experienced some deformation and cracking. “The roof had already been sprayed with concrete but, due to natural movement and pressure, the roof has started to crack,” explains Tomi Tauriainen. “Some additional work was required to ensure the stability of the tunnel and to guarantee the safety of the men working some 700 metres below the ground.” That work was

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carried out by a Rammer 555 scaling hammer mounted on a Komatsu PW118 MR-8 carrier.

Scaling work places very specific demands upon a hydraulic hammer as, rather than working at the optimal 90 degree angle to the target material, the working angle can be anywhere between 5-175 degrees. Rammer’s Range of Scaling hammers are unique amongst other small hammer ranges as they come equipped with channels and piping for grease and air for protecting the hammer’s internal parts against dust. For environmental dust suppression the hammer is equipped with water connection.

According to Tauriainen, working below ground places specific emphasis upon the reliability of equipment. “Getting equipment up to the surface for repair is a major

concern,” he says. “Any form of downtime results in unwanted costs.”

Thankfully, the Rammer 555 has proved to be highly reliable. “Compared to our old Rammer S25, the new breaker is quieter, more powerful and – above all – more reliable,” he continues. “Our local dealer Marakon has added some additional wear plates to minimise housing wear, and the design of the Rammer 555 has eliminated the need for tie rods. This is the best scaling hammer we have had so far.”

” THIS IS THE BEST SCALING HAMMER WE HAVE HAD SO FAR”.

- Tomi Tauriainen

UKRAINE

RAMMER RAISE GYPSUM PRODUCTION KNAUF, one of the largest producers of gypsum in Europe, is using a pair of Rammer Large Range hammers to improve limestone extraction productivity at quarries in the Ternopol and Donetsk regions of the Ukraine.

The decision to choose Rammer was due to the impressive results delivered by a Rammer breaker bought in 2012, and the excellent service the company has received from the local distributor.

Knauf Ukraine purchased its first Rammer 3288 hammer back in 2012 from Rammer’s dealer in the Ukraine, Rock Service. The breaker was fitted to a Volvo EC 460 BLC and was operated at the Knauf Gyps Don-

bass quarry, with Rock Service providing a warranty and full support for the hammers’ operation.

Knauf this year planned to increase its production in the Ukraine, and to do so required two more hammers. The company had little hesitation in again turning to Rammer and Rock Service.

The new hammer comprise of a new 2,800 kg Rammer 4099 which has been installed on a Liebherr R954 excavator for use in Donetsk. The second hammer is another 2,040 kg Rammer 3288 that is fitted to a Liebherr R944 and is used for limestone sledging at Knauf’s Ternopol quarry.

Knauf Ukraine has been impressed by its new purchases: “After three years of successful operation of Rammer hammers, we made a decision to extend our partnership with Sandvik and Rock Service. Formerly, we bought from other suppliers, but frequent shutdowns and constant failures of equipment resulted in severe losses. One of our diggers was heavily damaged and put out of action due to improper choice of a hydraulic breaker.

Another unit was decommissioned because of a faulty piston, cylinder and bushings. However, we haven’t experienced any problems with Rammer.”

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AUSTRALIA

RAMMER HAMMER STILL GOING STRONG AFTER SEVEN YEARS AND THREE CARRIERS DARLING DOWNS-BASED Quarry Products

is continuing to get excellent performance from its Rammer G100 hammer seven years since it went into service, and having outlasted three carriers.

Based in Toowoomba, 130 km west of Brisbane, Quarry Products specialises in the production of a wide range of quality road base, aggregates and crusher dust for use by the construction industry.

It operates two quarries, its Harlaxton Quarry near Toowoomba, which it has owned for over 40 years, and one out of Maitland in the NSW Hunter Valley, with both producing a similar range of products.

At its Harlaxton Quarry, the company runs a range of Caterpillar mobile equipment, including excavators, wheel loaders and haul trucks, plus a Sandvik hydraulic rig for blasthole drilling.

This quarry processes around 500,000 tonnes of material a year.

Quarry Products got its start in 1972 when it acquired the operation of the Harlaxton Quarry when it was offered for tender

by Queensland Rail in 1972. In 1990, the company bought the lease from the Queensland Government.

Today, brothers Tony and Malcolm Frost manage and operate the quarry, and have implemented a range of measures to improve productivity, safety and environmental practices, and employs over 20 people from the Toowoomba region.

The Frost family members are secondgeneration quarry operators with over 50

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years’ experience in the extractive and quarrying industry In 2008, they took delivery of the Rammer G100 – primarily for secondary breaking of blasted material, but also for some primary breaking of quarry face toes to enhance blasting.

Initially it was fitted to a 60 tonne Cat 245 excavator, then when that machine was upgraded to a 75 tonne Cat 375, the G100 went to the larger machine, and more recently it’s been fitted to a Cat 374.

According to Tony Frost, the G100 has performed very well over the years.

skilled team at Precisionscreen’s facility in Wacol.

“During our last overhaul, we found there was just normal wear and tear in the system, and really fairly minimal considering the work it does,” Frost said.

The company has always had the breaker serviced through Sandvik and its dealers.

“When we first bought the unit, servicing and overhauls were handled by Sandvik directly, then more recently that has been looked after by Precisionscreen,” said Frost.

“It’s always gone really well; just a few maintenance-related issues such as replacing

“ WE’RE VERY HAPPY WITH THE PERFORMANCE OF THE RAMMER HAMMER; IT’S BEEN VERY GOOD FOR US, AND WE’VE HAD VERY FEW PROBLEMS WITH IT.” - Tony Frost “We’re very happy with the performance of the Rammer hammer; it’s been very good for us, and we’ve had very few problems with it,” he said.

“It’s possible it’s a bit on the small side for our current excavators, but we find it’s a good match for our operation.

“It easily handles the breaking of the bigger stone, along with any of our primary breaking,” said Frost.

Quarry Products recently had the G100 overhauled by Precisionscreen, which sells, distributes, supports and services all Rammer products throughout Queensland and Papua New Guinea.

The rebuild was managed by the highly

bushings and rubber dampers – but just your typical wear and tear basically.”

The G100 model has now been phased out of production and replaced by the new improved Rammer 4099 hammer.

Proven reliability is the cornerstone of the Rammer brand and this quality with new features and improvements are the highlights of the new range and models.

The Rammer 4099 comes with a lifetime warranty as standard, and which is designed to last the working life of the product.

Rammer’s1000 hour/one year service intervals have been designed to meet the service demands of a product working under normal circumstances and conditions.

Quarry Products’ Rammer G100, which has continued to perform while outlasting three carriers over seven years.

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QATAR

WATER POWER One of the largest construction companies in the Arabian Peninsula has put its faith in Rammer hydraulic hammers to spearhead a two-year contract to extend and improve Qatar’s water network.

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AL JABER ENGINEERING was only estab-

lished in 1995, but it already employs more than 20,000 people and has seen its annual turnover exceed the $1 billion mark. The company has completed a number of prestigious contracts in its native Qatar and beyond, and has developed considerable expertise in highways and road infrastructure; oil, gas, and petrochemical; and pipeline construction.

The company is currently involved in a twoyear landmark contract – Project 374 - that will extend and improve the nation’s water network still further. That project requires the laying of some 50 kilometres of new water pipeline. And this in turn requires the breaking out and excavation of 50 kilometres of hard rock and limestone in the Abu Nakhla area.

Much of this work has been entrusted to Al Jaber’s extensive fleet of Rammer 4099 and Rammer 5011 hydraulic hammers which are paired with a variety of Komatsu and Hitachi carriers.

Despite the harsh conditions and hard rock, the hammers are delivering production levels of up to 6,000 m3 per day, allowing Al Jaber to keep this highprofile and vital contract on schedule.

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QATAR

IN THE PIPELINE A SPECIALIST CONTRACTOR is calling upon

the power and precision of a number of Rammer 3288 hydraulic hammers to spearhead a prestigious 18-month pipe and utility laying contract in its native Qatar.

Al Jaber & Makhlouf W.L.L owns and operates a fleet of 10 Rammer 3288 hammers, each paired with a Komatsu PC400 or a Hitachi ZX330LC-5G excavator carrier.

A number of these hammers are currently deployed on a QAR 180 million ($51 million) contract for client Ashghal in Duhail.

Al Jaber & Makhlouf is carrying out surface water drainage and foul sewer drainage works that require the construction of a number of chambers, manholes, soakaways and gullies. Further works involve the lay-

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ing of pipes and fittings, connections to the existing water network, and electrical works involving the laying of cables and the construction of duct crossings.

All of these works – which extend for more than eight kilometres – require the breaking of hard rock and limestone, making it ideally suited to the 2,040 kg Rammer 3288 hydraulic hammer.

These hammers benefit from a new operating principle that allows stroke length and blow energy to be modified to match individual carriers and applications. A high energy mode uses a lower blow frequency for optimum breaking power in hard materials, such as granite and reinforced concrete foundations; while a high frequency mode

delivers a higher blow rate and reduced impact energy to break softer materials, such as limestone. The Idle Blow Protector works regardless of working mode to provide greater levels of protection.

q A specialist contractor is calling upon the power and precision of a number of Rammer 3288 hydraulic hammers to spearhead a prestigious 18-month pipe and utility laying contract in its native Qatar.

AUSTRALIA

DE Quarry Solutions' recently purchased Rammer 4099 hammer replaced a Rammer G88 which had given excellent service over the past five years.

REPEAT BUY FOLLOWS FIVE GREAT YEARS AUSTRALIAN QUARRYING contractor DE

Quarry Solutions recently purchased a new Rammer 4099 hammer for secondary breaking – opting for a repeat buy following great five-year run with a smaller Rammer G88 hammers.

Owned and established by David Eldridge, DE Quarry Solutions, based in the regional city of Ballarat in the state of Victoria, has been in business for nearly 40 years, providing mobile services to quarries throughout the state, as well as operating its own fixed-plant quarry at Skipton near Ballarat.

The company offers its mobile plant on a contract basis to a range of customers, including local government and private quarries.

It purchased its first Rammer hammer, the G88 (now rebadged as the 3288), which is mounted on a Cat 330B excavator to carry out secondary breaking of oversized blasted material before feeding into a crusher.

“We decided to buy a larger breaker to go on our bigger primary excavator, a Cat 345CL; by putting on this bigger combination, we don’t have to break down the bulk

material quite so much, so it’s faster and more efficient,” says David.

He says he went for his first Rammer breaker for a number of reasons.

“Certainly I was happy with the look of the product, and I’d been told that the brand had a good reputation for reliability and value for money.

“The G88 at the time was a new model from Rammer, and it had some great features I was very impressed with,” he says.

“One thing I’d been concerned about with breakers was the issue of removing the retaining pins to check or change the tool.

“The G88 had a new feature of round retainer pins instead of wedges to hold the tool in – for me that was a really important feature,” David says.

“It works extremely well, as these rotate and don’t get burrs like the wedges, so it’s always easy to remove and check or change your tool.

“I’ve worked with breakers for a long time, and I know the heartache that some operators have had with fixed wedges; if you

didn’t check the tool every week, and take the burr off the wedge, it would get to the stage where you just couldn’t get it out.”

Over the past five years, David has had no problems with the G88, which prompted him to go back to Rammer and its Victorian dealer Walkers Hammers when he was looking for a new larger breaker.

“The G88’s performance has been one of the main reasons we bought the new 4099 recently.

“In addition, Tino Vinella and Mike Coghlan from Walkers Hammers, and the team has given us excellent service and support over the years – so why would we want to change,” says David.

“ THE G88’S PERFORMANCE HAS BEEN ONE OF THE MAIN REASONS WE BOUGHT THE NEW 4099 RECENTLY.” - David Eldridge

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AUSTRALIA

BRINGING DOWN THE HOUSE, RAMMER STYLE! A LEADING SOUTH AUSTRALIAN contractor

recently used a Rammer 777 hammer fitted to a significantly modified excavator for a challenging demolition project at the Adelaide Convention Centre.

Adelaide-based construction, industrial and environmental services provider McMahon Services was engaged to carry out a number of complex demolition projects at the Adelaide Convention Centre, as part of a program of works to upgrade and modernise the facility in the state’s capital city.

The most recent of these, during the first half of 2015, was the deconstruction of the Convention Centre’s Plenary Building built in 1987 – to be replaced with a multipurpose, state-of-the-art facility with plenary capacity of up to 3500 seats, scheduled for completion in 2017.

McMahon Services was engaged by head contractor Lend Lease to undertake this highly complex project, which required a high degree of planning and collaboration to achieve a successful outcome.

Its the Rammer 777, which fitted to a modified Komatsu PC138-8 excavator, that was used in the demolition of the Plenary Building’s four circular stair structures, each

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8 m in diameter and 13 m high, as well as to demolish concrete walls up to 250 mm thick.

To reach these stair structures, the excavator was fitted with a 16 m long-reach boom – requiring the use of a smaller-than-usual breaker for this size carrier to ensure it did not exceed safe working loads.

In addition, because the work required the excavator to work on a suspended concrete slab – which also had to be demolished as part of the project – it was heavily modified with an extended undercarriage system to better spread the weight over the floor area.

According to Ryan Brown, National Business Development and Brand Manager with McMahon Services, the Rammer 777 was purchased and specifically matched to the long-reach excavator just for this project.

“It was important that we had the right weight, power and capacity in the breaker to remove the concrete stairwells and slabs efficiently,” says Ryan.

“We worked closely with Renex, the Rammer dealer in South Australia, to ensure we achieved the best outcomes, fitting in with our existing equipment and helping us develop innovative solutions.

“ IT WAS IMPORTANT THAT WE HAD THE RIGHT WEIGHT, POWER AND CAPACITY IN THE BREAKER TO REMOVE THE CONCRETE STAIRWELLS AND SLABS EFFICIENTLY.” - Ryan Brown

Leading South Australian contractor McMahon Services recently used a Rammer 777 hammer fitted to a significantly modified excavator for a challenging demolition project at the Adelaide Convention Centre.

“It’s not just about picking up something off the shelf, but making sure that the product comes together and works seamlessly with our other equipment,” he says.

Daniel Drew, Renex’s Rammer specialist, says that Renex worked with Komatsu and McMahon Services to ensure that the breaker was properly matched to the PC138-8 – given the extensive modifications to the excavator meant that its safe working capabilities had changed.

“The most critical factor was matching the weight of hammer to the modified excavator, giving close consideration to the length

of boom, length of tracks and width of the track frame to ensure the machine didn’t tip at full reach over the side of the tracks,” says Daniel.

“It had to be able to operate safely in a ‘pick-and-carry’ out the side, which meant the breaker weight was not to exceed 500 kg – and at just 385 kg, the Rammer 777 was well within that weight limit.

“In addition, the PC138-8 is able to have the flows controlled through the ECM as the auxiliary is electronic,” he says.

“Once set, a flow meter was connected to the excavator’s auxiliary circuit to ensure ac-

curate delivery of no more than the breaker’s requirement of 120 litres of oil per minute at 140 bar pressure.”

Ryan says the Rammer 777 supplied by Renex worked very well in this application.

“It helped us to achieve our program, so that we finished the project according to the client’s requirements.

“And the service we received from Renex was outstanding, not only in terms of the advice and assistance in matching the breaker to our particular task, but also its backup and support,” he says.

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MALAYSIA

BREAKING THE UNBREAKABLE A RAMMER 5011 hammer has been successfully used to break extremely hard granite in a Kuala Lumpur residential development, after other brands of breaker were unable to deal with the project’s challenges.

Excavation and site preparation for the project - located in Taman Connaught, Cheras, in KL’s south-eastern suburbs - was being carried out by civil contractor Crescendo Infra Sdn Bhd on behalf of a local developer.

Initially it planned to bring in a blasting contractor to work on the project, but due to the potential impact on surrounding residences and other buildings, local authorities would not allow this option. This meant the only alternative was to bring in rock breakers to carry out the job.

Crescendo Infra tried a number of other breaker brands mounted on 30 and 40 tonne

class excavators, but none of them could make progress on the super hard granite.

In desperation, the company approached Malaysian Rammer dealer Power Ram. “We brought in a Rammer 5011 hammer mounted on a 45 tonne class Volvo E460 excavator,” says Power Ram director Ky Kok. “We were confident that this breaker, which features a long-stroke setting delivering a lower blow frequency, and is specifically designed for optimum breaking in very hard materials, would be suitable for this project.”

Despite the enormous power of the 3,900 kg Rammer 5011, it proved to be a gruelling project. “The granite on this job was so hard that we needed to pre-drill it before we could start breaking the rock. Even then, penetration rates were quite slow. But as we progressed, they started to improve. By the end, we were achieving rates of 11-16 cu m every eight hours,” Ky Kok concludes. “It took us two and a half months to move around 1,040 m3 of this very hard granite. But we got there in the end. It is a great example of how Rammer hammers are able to break rock that other makes can’t even touch.”

FACTORY

“IT IS WHAT IT IS.” THE YEAR IS 1978. The leaders of Egypt and Israel have just signed the Camp David Accords to bring peace between the two nations. The arcade game Space Invaders has just made its debut, spawning a gaming revolution that continues to this day. Moviegoers around the world are flocking to see John Travolta in Saturday Night Fever. And a young engineer with Finland’s Foreign Ministry is heading to Tanzania as part of a major road-building programme.

That engineer was Raimo Mäki-Opas - one of the best-known and most-liked names in the Rammer Global family – who will retire as General Manager OEM at the end of the year.

Not content with building roads, the young Raimo stayed in Tanzania as Kone Corporation’s Chief Engineer in a major mining project.

But as his family – and his reputation – grew, he returned to his native Finland, set-

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tling in Hollola and working with Kone Oy as Purchasing Manager.

In 1989, Raimo met Rammer; and it was a meeting that would change both the man and the company forever.

Rammer had grown to a top three hydraulic hammer manufacturer in the world.

Export activity was lively and Rammer Oy had just been honored with The President’s Export Award.

Raimo Mäki-Opas held many key positions with Rammer Oy. One special milestone in Raimo’s career was the presidency of Rammer Inc. when the company was relocated from Denver Co. to Baltimore Md. More recently, Raimo led the Tools and Logistics department before switching to General Manager OEM Sales where he had many important accounts on his desk. This responsibility and career progression earned Raimo the Cross of Merit of the Order of the Lion of Finland.

Throughout his 38-year career, Raimo has found time for his two passions in life: his family; and golf. “When there is a possibility to take some time for oneself, you have to seize the opportunity,” he says.

So while the end of 2016 marks his departure from the company he has helped shape, Raimo Mäki-Opas has much to look forward to. He can work on his golf handicap; and he can spend more time with his grandchildren.

Everyone in the Rammer Global family wishes him the very best in his well-earned retirement.

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