Demolition specialist SER – Sanierung im Erd- und Rückbau GmbH – from Heilbronn is deploying no fewer than four Case crawler excavators on a large-scale demolition project. The company is currently engaged in clearing the remains of old industrial buildings on the former factory premises of Hansa Metallwerke and rehabilitating the site. As many as three Case crawler excavators from the new C Series are in operation on a surface area of 44,000 square metres, as well as one B Series crawler excavator and a Case wheeled excavator with a sorting grab.
The premises in Sigmaringerstrasse were purchased from Hansa Metallwerke AG in June 2012 by Bouwfonds Immobilienentwicklung GmbH convert the centrally-located industrial site into a mixed urban development with commercial and residential buildings. By the middle of 2013, the site will house Hansa’s new headquarters building and the new Fire Station 5, as well as various commercial and residential units.
The demolition and excavation works were entrusted to the specialist demolition and remediation firm SER from Heilbronn. The contract is divided into two sections, in which a total of 20 buildings with an enclosed space of some 200,000 m3 had to be demolished. To meet the tight schedule, SER opted for the 48-tonne Case CX470B crawler excavators with 362 hp engine power, and three 37-tonne CX370C excavators – each with a capacity of 266 hp – are also in use.
Reiner Kuch, head of Case’s Stuttgart branch office, reports: “We presented the new C Series of crawler excavators for the first time at last year’s Intermat in Paris. So we are particularly proud to have been able to win over the industry leader SER so quickly in favour of the new series. The contract from SER covered no fewer than seven CX370C crawler excavators.” According to SER, it was especially the high capacity and cost-effectiveness of the machines but also their robust construction and reliability that were decisive for the purchase. Moreover, with its new C Series, Case has a new generation of extremely economical crawler excavators in its programme, consuming significantly less fuel with higher engine power.
“Before delivery, we fitted the machines here in the branch office with our demolition package, ROPS/FOPS safety guard, and complete supplementary piping to operate hammers, grabs and shears,” reports Kuch. “The equipment package also included Oilquick quick couplers, superstructure protective panels and bumper guards. And of course all machines were given SER’s typical orange livery.”
For SER site manager Willi Braun, in charge of shifting a total of some 46,000 tonnes of building material residue and some 20,000 m3 of excavated earth, the key factor is the problem-free and fault-free operation of the Case machines. The four crawler excavators operating on the site are sharing the tasks and working with a variety of tool attachments, such as sorting grabs, demolition grabs, scrap shears, magnets, pulverisers and hydraulic breakers. Braun reports this operating flexibility results in a very high level of capacity utilisation for the machines.
As Braun explains, it is also important to keep exhaust emissions as low as possible. For the awarding of municipal contracts, adherence to EU specifications to Stage 3B is an essential prerequisite. And protecting local residents during the building work is also a critical factor. For the operation in Stuttgart, SER therefore also put forward a detailed dust abatement concept. The advantage for SER is that with its CEGR system and particle filter, the Case CX370C exceeds the current emission standards. And the especially low engine noise levels of the new C Series also make for good environmental compatibility.
Site manager Willi Braun sums up the role of the Case crawler excavators for his project: “Good performance, good comfort and otherwise no complaints.”
