Capital Equipment News October 2015

EARTHWORKS & CIVILS

MarMAC PLANT HIRE AND KOMATSU: a dynamic duo

T he Martin Fourie Group’s MarMac Plant Hire business has achieved enormous growth in little more than a decade and Komatsu is proud to have as- sisted in the development of this young and dynamic company. It all began in 2003, when newly matricu- lated Martin Fourie joined his father in the family’s property development business in the small farming town of Balfour, Mpum- alanga. A few years down the track the company bought a TLB backhoe loader for a specific project and, upon completion, this valuable piece of equipment stood idle. So what to do next? This was the moment Martin’s inventive mind kicked into gear, beginning with the leasing of this single unit, the first stage in the creation of MarMac, his flagship plant hire business that has created jobs for more than 70 permanent employees. Komatsu came onto the scene in 2007, when MarMac invested in four Komatsu WB93R-5 backhoe loaders and a PC350-7 excavator followed, in 2008, with the ac- quisition of two more Komatsu products, a D65E-12 dozer and a WA150-5 loader.

contractors engaged in building infrastructure for mining operations in the Witbank coal- fields, Gauteng and North West provinces. Service is the cornerstone upon which Mar- Mac has been founded and this relies on key suppliers like Komatsu. “Our reputation depends on being able to supply our customers with reliable products built by leading brands like Komatsu, which we see as a partner in our business. Our relationship has developed as a result of ex- cellent product support and parts availabil- ity,” he says. “Komatsu provides excellent service, and not only keeps in close contact with Mar- Mac but with our hire customers to ensure that their equipment is working at peak per- formance. This standard of communication and service fosters smooth running and efficient operations and encouraged us to grow our Komatsu fleet with the purchase of a WA320-6 wheel loader and a GD675-5 motor grader.” He adds that the latter purchase was ex- pedited using funding through Rentworks which provided an efficient and speedy ser- vice to ensure that the product was available and up and running well in time to meet his customer’s deadline.

Martin predicts an optimistic scenario for the remainder of 2015 and stretching into 2016. “We see some good opportunities coming forward in the near future as our custom- ers are anticipating new and important con- tracts from various players in the mining in- dustry. This will no doubt, see us expanding our Komatsu fleet still further.” Unique features of the Komatsu GD675-5 Mobile Grader: • New 163 kW Tier 3 emissions rated engine • High pressure common rail fuel injection system delivering outstanding fuel efficiency • Equipped with an 8-speed fully automatic transmission with a standard torque converter and lockup clutch • A hydraulic driven cooling fan with reverse function for ease of cleaning of the all new aluminium coolers • An updated and refined hydraulic system offering exceptional load sensing hydraulics ensuring accuracy and precision while grading • Fitted with Komtrax, which is Komatsu’s remote equipment and fleet monitoring system. b

The greater part of MarMac’s business in- volves the hire and support of equipment to

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CAPITAL EQUIPMENT NEWS OCTOBER 2015