My
My name is Thomas Rudeck and I am an operator at BioSaar in Saarland, south-west Germany. The company is wholly owned by Entsorgungs Verband Saar (EVS), a regional organisation that is responsible for waste disposal.
BioSaar has two sites at Waadern and Ormesheim. The facilities here at Ormesheim opened in 2007 and employ 14 people. Approximately 130,000 houses supply biodegradable waste to the site, where it is mixed with an annual 3,000 tonnes of garden waste to produce compost.
I operate a Hitachi ZW140 wheel loader to load garden waste into a crusher. I also use it to load lorries with compost.
HITACHI
The ZW140 was delivered to BioSaar in December 2008 and is the company’s first Hitachi wheel loader. It is fitted with a special bucket attachment, so it can lift higher than standard models and load lorries up to 3.4m high.
The cab has been equipped with a filter to protect the operator from fumes produced by rotting waste. A green light on the outside of the cab shows that the filter is working.
Experience
The Hitachi ZW140 is a versatile, fuel-efficient and reliable machine. It is compact so it can negotiate tight corners on site, yet it is still powerful enough to do the job.
I find it easy to operate and the cab has a comfortable seat. It feels more stable than the company’s previous wheel loader and provides good visibility. The most important features for me are the filter and air conditioning. Temperatures inside the main hall can reach 50°C in summer, so I couldn’t work without the air conditioning.
Daily maintenance is simple with the ZW140 because oil levels and filters are easily accessible. When I come to work, I’m happy to know that I’ll be working with a machine like the ZW140.
GERMANY > ZW140 > EARTHMOVING