HCR1500-EDII

Motivation to the market

In August of 2017, FRD and FRD's Australian distributor, Porter Group ("Porter"), delivered a hydraulic crawler drill, the HCR1500-EDII, to Hanson's Quarry at Williamsdale on the border between New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory. This was the first time in 10 years that a hydraulic crawler drill had been delivered to Australia. In the past, we had delivered six crawler drills in a single year. However, in Australia, safety regulations for machinery used for construction and development are becoming stricter every year. Consequently, it is increasingly difficult for us to produce machinery with specs that comply with these changing regulations. Demand for these drills had also dropped since the global economic crisis triggered by the Lehman Brothers' bankruptcy in 2008, and we had subsequently been forced to scale down sales in our Australian market. However, knowing that we had this record of six deliveries in a single year in the past, and that the customers had been very happy with our products, we felt very motivated to approach our customers in Australia once again. Porter and FRD got together to discuss the drill market in Australia and we decided to relaunch our business there so that we could once again make our Australian customers happy.

Background

One day, in 2016, Porter received an inquiry from Southern Explosive Supplies (SES). The reason they gave for the inquiry was that they had heard good things about FRD drills. SES is a blasting and drilling contractor that owns many drills. Porter saw this opportunity and did everything it could to satisfy SES's requirements. They communicated many times with SES about issues such as worksite conditions and the specs required for the drill. Porter brought this information to FRD and together we decided that we would be able to meet SES's needs. After persistent efforts at the negotiating table, we received an order for the HCR1500-EDII.

Training

Before delivering the drill, Porter and FRD provided SES with delivery instructions and engineering guidance. On the first day after the drill was delivered, engineers from Porter and FRD held a classroom-style technical seminar. On that afternoon, and for several days afterwards, Porter and FRD engineers went to the SES worksite, and using the drill, taught the operators how to operate the boom and maintain the drill, before instructing them on actual drilling. In a drilling test at the worksite, the new drill achieved a drilling speed that was 30% faster than the drill currently being used.

Professionals

At the end of the delivery instruction and engineering guidance phase, SES's director Brian Grigg was impressed with the classroom-style seminars. "The seminar materials were very easy to understand and the excellent presentations provided us with a thorough, in-depth understanding of the drill," he said. The drilling seminars were also paced so that the operators' understanding was verified at each step. This proved highly beneficial in the practical training, which progressed very smoothly. The drilling seminars were also popular among the operators and were carried out in a warm and friendly atmosphere. One of the reasons for this was that the teaching method used by Porter and FRD and the high degree of understanding attained by SES's highly experienced operators helped to create an environment of mutual respect between skilled people.

User comments

"Unlike other drills, this one is easy to operate, drills quickly, and has a very comfortable cab," said Matt Chalker, SES's head driller, when asked about the HCR1500-EDII. "It's even powerful enough to drill though the hard basalt at our worksite. We work in 12-hour shifts, but the Furukawa drill works all day without a break. The Furukawa drill also has excellent mobility. The rear view camera in particular makes it very easy to maneuver around the worksite. The bit can also be replaced quickly and easily, which is great for us."
The success of the seminars was the result of Porter and FRD's determination that the seminars would be successful, their technical abilities, and the positive attitude of the SES operators.

Repeat order

The following year, another HCR1500-EDII was ordered by SES. SES has been extremely satisfied with the performance of FRD's drill and Porter's technical support over the past year. The order for a second drill is testament to this. SES knows that they made the right decision in choosing FRD. This also reaffirms our belief that we took all the right steps in this project.