East Malaysia has long had a large market for material handling applications, palm oil, cement and aluminum smelting being a few examples. Wheeled Loading Shovels have traditionally supported these applications; however, more companies are turning to JCB Telescopic Handlers, appreciating the added versatility they provide.
This has been the case with Ta Ann, where local dealer Pansar JCB spotted an opportunity for a JCB Telehandler to replace an existing Wheeled Loading Shovel in their dry kernel factory. Pansar JCB supplied a
541-70 demonstration unit to Ta Ann to prove the concept, and the benefits were quickly realised and appreciated. However, the 541-70 was deemed slightly too small for the application, but after many negotiations, Ta Ann took delivery of a 560-80 which was more suited to the output levels required.
During peak hours, the 560-80 is working up to 24 hours a day, with 3 non-stop shifts of 8 hours each. The first 100 hour service was completed just a week after initial delivery. In just 3 days, the 560-80 managed to load over 8,000 tonnes of material, ready for export to Japan.
The Managing Director of Ta Ann is delighted with the performance of the 560-80, and is considering whether to add to the fleet with more units. Additionally, the 560-80 is priced very competitively against the premium brand of Wheeled Loading Shovel that was conducting this job before, reducing the initial investment cost.
The operators have also reported the machine is easy to use, fast to operate and able to pick up heavy loads with ease.
With Ta Ann being a highly respected and influential company in East Malaysia, others are taking note of the shift from Wheeled Loading Shovels to JCB Telehandlers. Pansar JCB are currently working closely with many other enquiries from the material handling sectors in the region.