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CAPITAL EQUIPMENT NEWS
APRIL 2017
10
COMPACT EXCAVATOR
S
mith Power Equipment (SPE), the
authorised distributor of the Kubota
range of compact excavators
in South Africa, has expanded
its mini excavator range available for the
local market with the launch of the new 8 t
KX080-3 Super Series. The new model joins
two smaller models – the 3 t U30 and the
5 t U50 – which made their debut locally back
in 2014.
The new KX080-3 comes at a time when
the general sentiment across the local
construction industry is that the compact
excavator is the next big thing. While the
market is still small in South Africa, predicted
by Tom Bloom, SPE’s general manager for
Construction Equipment, to be around 160
units per year, the compact excavator is fast
growing as a tool of preference on South
African sites. Bloom predicts this market to
increase year-on-year by 20%moving forward.
The first big driver of compact gear
is urbanisation. As towns continue to
grow, space is at a premium at many
construction sites, hence the need for a
smaller machine that can get the better of
space constraints. The second driver is the
change in application. Away from mining
and infrastructure where you need big-
sized excavators, there are more jobs in
applications such as landscaping, sewage,
trenching and cabling. These applications
are continuously growing and compact
equipment becomes a big need. While
South Africa has gone down the compact
route further than most of its African peers,
Bloom is of the view that is still lags behind
the rest of the major users of compact
excavators globally.
However, he is upbeat about the
prospects of growth for the smaller tool,
and through education, he believes that
local contractors are slowly, but surely
grasping the potential benefits of the
compact excavator. “Unfortunately, the
‘bigger is always better’ mentality still
rules in South Africa. But, in challenging
economic conditions, cost saving is very
important. A compact excavator’s major
benefits over most conventional solutions
include fuel economy, lower capital outlay,
ease of transportation compared with
bigger options, as well as versatility,”
reasons Bloom. “We also see a lot of urban
construction going on locally, and often in
confined working environments, and this is
where the compact excavator excels.”
Key features
A key feature of the KX080-3S is its
A new Kubota 8 t compact excavator from local supplier Smith
Power Equipment is available for South African contractors looking
to keep a lid on operational costs and get the better of space-
constrained working environments, writes
Munesu Shoko.
BEATING SPACE
CONSTRAINTS
compact size that allows it to work in
very tight spaces, but offering high power
performance to execute a range of jobs
that normally call for larger conventional
machines. The machine comes with
Kubota’s pioneering 360 mm tight tail
swing, and thanks to the contoured, tight
tail design, the KX080-3S is said to be
more stable and can work in areas where
space is at a premium than conventional
tail swing excavators.
“With its compact size, the machine can
still achieve a high level of industrial per-
formance on space-constrained construc-
tion sites, making it a unique proposition
for local contractors seeking substantial
power on space-restrained urban sites,”
says Bloom.
Its compact size also makes it easier to
transport between sites. With its 2 200 mm