Hitachi excavators are being used at a Pigeon Carrières granite quarry
A major French quarrying company has shown confidence in the aggregates market by ordering two new large 233 Hitachi excavators.
Brittany-based Pigeon Carrières has taken delivery of the ZX870LCR-3 for one of its large granite quarries, and an identical Zaxis machine is being used at one of the company’s limestone quarries.
The 50-hectare granite quarry near Rennes employs 52 staff over two shifts. The new machine has joined a Hitachi ZX670LCR-3 in loading blasted rock on to rigid dump trucks. A Hitachi ZW310 wheel loader has also been supplied by local dealer, Cobemat, for loading 3,000tonnes of aggregates on to 150 delivery trucks per day.
An independent family-owned company based in North-west France, Pigeon Carrières has clocked up 80 years of involvement in regional town and country planning activities.
With 60 companies, 115 agencies and production sites, and more than 2,300 employees, the Group’s main activities are quarrying, public works, lime, concrete, the trading of construction materials and processing of plastics.
Quarrying is its main business and employs 420 staff. The 49 operating sites provide an annual production of 10.5million tonnes and contribute to a quarter of the Group's non-consolidated sales. Its turnover was €100.3m in 2010.
Thierry Pigeon,3909 Group Pigeon chairman, said: “We have been very happy with the different generations of Hitachi machines that we have bought over the past 24 years. They offer high levels of reliability and productivity, with minimal downtime, and our operators love working with them."
Mr Pigeon said that despite fears over global economic uncertainty, there were exciting business opportunities in France.
“The construction of the TGV between Le Mans and Rennes on the high-speed rail network is going to be a very important project,” he said. “We also expect a new metro line to be built in Rennes and there is the possibility of a new airport in Notre Dame des Landes, between Nantes and Rennes."
Brittany-based Pigeon Carrières has taken delivery of the ZX870LCR-3 for one of its large granite quarries, and an identical Zaxis machine is being used at one of the company’s limestone quarries.
The 50-hectare granite quarry near Rennes employs 52 staff over two shifts. The new machine has joined a Hitachi ZX670LCR-3 in loading blasted rock on to rigid dump trucks. A Hitachi ZW310 wheel loader has also been supplied by local dealer, Cobemat, for loading 3,000tonnes of aggregates on to 150 delivery trucks per day.
An independent family-owned company based in North-west France, Pigeon Carrières has clocked up 80 years of involvement in regional town and country planning activities.
With 60 companies, 115 agencies and production sites, and more than 2,300 employees, the Group’s main activities are quarrying, public works, lime, concrete, the trading of construction materials and processing of plastics.
Quarrying is its main business and employs 420 staff. The 49 operating sites provide an annual production of 10.5million tonnes and contribute to a quarter of the Group's non-consolidated sales. Its turnover was €100.3m in 2010.
Thierry Pigeon,
Mr Pigeon said that despite fears over global economic uncertainty, there were exciting business opportunities in France.
“The construction of the TGV between Le Mans and Rennes on the high-speed rail network is going to be a very important project,” he said. “We also expect a new metro line to be built in Rennes and there is the possibility of a new airport in Notre Dame des Landes, between Nantes and Rennes."
