The Cantera Can Orvay quarry in Ibiza which uses Caterpillar equipment: haul roads reach a grade of 60%
Forty years ago the father of Juan Cardona, the current owner of the quarry Cantera Can Orvay on the island of Ibiza, Spain, started extracting limestone.
Today, with 20 employees and a daily output of 3,000tonnes, the company, Áridos y Prefabricados, has grown to become the biggest family owned quarry in the island.
"When my father asked if I'd like to study or work, I said I'd like to work. And so I've been working here for 27 years. Since my father's retirement, I've been in charge of the quarry," Juan Cardona explains.
Cantera Can Orvay supplies four concrete plants out of the six located on Ibiza: 50% of the quarry's production goes to these plants. The rest is supplied for road construction, asphalt plants and prefabrication. Extraction is done by drilling and blasting.
When it comes to operating a quarry, Cardona highlights the attention that he thinks should be paid to productivity.
"I think many big companies make a mistake when only looking at the initial purchasing value of a machine. It's important to estimate the long-term reliability and operator comfort as these bring the productivity that a quarry needs," he said.
178 Caterpillar machines have always been part of the quarry equipment. The fleet consists of one 345C and two 325B hydraulic excavators; 966GII, 966H and 972H wheel loaders; two 735 and one 740 articulated trucks; 941 and 955 track-type loaders and two 3412 810 KVA electric power generator sets driven by a Cat engines.
"My father bought 955 and 941 track-type loaders 40 years ago. They still jumpstart." During the past three years Juan Cardona has invested in nine new Cat machines, he says the dealer service capabilities of the Spanish dealer Finanzauto are important. He has a maintenance contract with Finanzauto for all the quarry's machines.
In addition to the durability and dealer services, Juan Cardona also mentions job site safety and security as a priority.
"We use a subcontractor who comes in every three months to give safety training. We've never had any serious accidents and want to avoid them in the future as well".
One of the challenges is the steep haul roads with the steepest reaching a grade of 60%. This requires a lot from the equipment, and Cardona recently bought the Caterpillar 740 and two 735 articulated trucks.
Despite the challenges, Juan Cardona mentions that it is hard to compare today's quarry to that of 40 years ago.
"Working at a quarry has always been a tough job. However, today the job has become much easier thanks to the developed, well-adapted equipment. I also believe in the new technology and can see the value particularly when training new operators."
Today, with 20 employees and a daily output of 3,000tonnes, the company, Áridos y Prefabricados, has grown to become the biggest family owned quarry in the island.
"When my father asked if I'd like to study or work, I said I'd like to work. And so I've been working here for 27 years. Since my father's retirement, I've been in charge of the quarry," Juan Cardona explains.
Cantera Can Orvay supplies four concrete plants out of the six located on Ibiza: 50% of the quarry's production goes to these plants. The rest is supplied for road construction, asphalt plants and prefabrication. Extraction is done by drilling and blasting.
When it comes to operating a quarry, Cardona highlights the attention that he thinks should be paid to productivity.
"I think many big companies make a mistake when only looking at the initial purchasing value of a machine. It's important to estimate the long-term reliability and operator comfort as these bring the productivity that a quarry needs," he said.
"My father bought 955 and 941 track-type loaders 40 years ago. They still jumpstart." During the past three years Juan Cardona has invested in nine new Cat machines, he says the dealer service capabilities of the Spanish dealer Finanzauto are important. He has a maintenance contract with Finanzauto for all the quarry's machines.
In addition to the durability and dealer services, Juan Cardona also mentions job site safety and security as a priority.
"We use a subcontractor who comes in every three months to give safety training. We've never had any serious accidents and want to avoid them in the future as well".
One of the challenges is the steep haul roads with the steepest reaching a grade of 60%. This requires a lot from the equipment, and Cardona recently bought the Caterpillar 740 and two 735 articulated trucks.
Despite the challenges, Juan Cardona mentions that it is hard to compare today's quarry to that of 40 years ago.
"Working at a quarry has always been a tough job. However, today the job has become much easier thanks to the developed, well-adapted equipment. I also believe in the new technology and can see the value particularly when training new operators."
