Customer Success – Galco Group, Australia

From Ireland to Down Under

Declan Cunningham had been working with the Irish rail contractor, Dixon Bros, a company operating a large fleet of hi-rail excavators. Back in 2006, the company had seen the success of tiltrotators throughout Scandinavia and was starting to use these to improve efficiency and safety, while significantly reducing costs.

“When I decided to move to Australia, I had accumulated years of experience using engcon tiltrotators, which have a reputation as the best in the market”, said Declan.

“My view of the quality and reliability of these attachments was borne out through testing. We had dismantled an engcon tiltrotator after it had been on equipment for eleven years, being used on some very tough job sites. Surprisingly, even after this time, the internal components looked ’as new’ and showed no sign of wear or damage!

Galco Group

Following the move to Australia, Galco Group was established as an equipment hire and contracting organisation that services the rail and civil construction markets. The company employs seven skilled operators.

“Our equipment fleet is predominantly excavators; wheeled, hi-rail adaptions and standard tracked equipment. Being accustomed to using Liebherr equipment, we started with two rubber-tyred Liebherr excavators, the first purchased in 2017. Liebherr is considered the leader in wheeled machines and experienced in supplying engcon tiltrotators as part of the equipment purchase, including full warranty.

“Most recently, we have added a new rubber-tyred Liebherr A 922 Rail Litronic excavator, a very versatile dual-purpose hi-rail machine, which was supplied with a factory-fitted engcon EC219 with a Q-Safe® S60 Quick Hitch.

Tiltrotator benefits

“When we started the business in Australia it was natural for us to use tiltrotators. As far as rail work is concerned, there is no other way you can operate efficiently. Our first EC226 engcon tiltrotators are essential for any rail work. The introduction of the Q-Safe® S60 Quick Hitch has added another dimension when it comes to safe handling, while reducing the time for attachment changes and set-up.

“The key driver for the move to the tiltrotator was the incredible efficiency boost delivered by these attachments. The bottom line for the prime contractor is we can achieve twice the amount of work done in less time, and at a greatly reduced cost. Using the engcon tiltrotators has given us an excellent return on investment.

“On this site in Victoria, we’re laying sleepers and placing rails with our rail lifter. This has the capability to lay 20 metre sections of rail 20-27 metres in length, while positioning them with accuracy and safety.

“From a safety and efficiency perspective, tiltrotators have reduced the need for personnel and handling equipment. Wth the engcon tiltrotators, it is now a one-man operation to lift rail sections and swing them around for quick and accurate placement.

“We simply couldn’t run this business without the engcon tiltrotators. There is no way the tasks required of railway infrastructure contractors could be done without these”, Declan concluded.