The first DA45-7 articulated dump truck (ADT) from Develon, formerly Doosan Construction Equipment, has been sold in Italy and is at work in the chalk basin of Roccastrada. The machine was purchased as it was seen as the best suited for the movement of rock in the region’s so-called ‘Chalk Valley’ quarries.
The DA45-7 ADT is working in the province of Grosseto, in the heartland of the Tuscan Maremma, home to one of Italy’s largest chalk deposits, renowned for the purity and the whiteness of its stone. The new machine is owned by Fibran Group, a Greek multinational, with production sites in seven European countries and commercial activities in over 60 countries around the world, which purchased its first chalk quarry and processing plant in the area back in 2009.
The optimisation of quarry machinery plays an important role in the management of extractive operations. The movement of earth and chalk rock is a crucial part of the process and recently required the addition of a new dump truck to the Fibran fleet.
At the ‘Chalk Valley’ quarry, the DA45-7 transports both chalk rock and waste soil from surface excavations over an average in-out distance of four kilometres. This type of work demands a fast-moving, highly manoeuvrable vehicle and the DA45-7 has proved to be just the job.
Like all Develon ADTs, the permanent, six-wheel-drive DA45-7 model stands out for the front-mounted turning ring, which ensures equal load distribution even under tight steering. Working in conjunction with free-swinging rear tandem bogie, the machine’s configuration ensures even weight distribution on the tyres and guarantees permanent contact and traction at all six wheels.