Liebherr excavators play a prominent part of labour specialist Cat 5 Rail’s operations.
Category 5 was founded in 2009 in Port Hedland, Western Australia, by chief executive officer and owner Sam Sycamore.
With more than 15 years’ experience gleaned in the mining and resources sectors, and having been involved with some of the biggest recruitment companies in the country, Sycamore saw an opportunity to provide a more tailored solution for both clients and candidates.
It was this recognition, combined with a passion for the recruitment and labour hire industry, that saw Category 5 born. From commencing initially as a sole operator, over the past 10 years some of the best teams in the recruitment business have come on board, allowing Category 5 and its rail section, Cat 5 Rail, to expand their expertise and service offering throughout Australia as well as New Zealand.
The Cat 5 Rail family are dedicated to building a business that creates long-term, and sustainable opportunities for both their clients and their employees.
“I have been directly involved in the rail industry for close to 18 years,” Sycamore tells Rail Express.
“Even prior to this, rail had always been part of my life as my father was a train driver in the Pilbara, working for BHP on their heavy haul network. He retired a couple of years ago after 32 years in the role.
“We started Cat 5 predominantly as a labour hire business, supplying skilled rail workers to construction and maintenance projects in the Pilbara.
“In 2017 we expanded into Perth and Melbourne. Today we now have depots in Port Hedland, Karratha, Perth, Bunbury, Brisbane, Orange, Moree, Sydney, Melbourne and Auckland and are very fortunate to be working on some of the largest infrastructure projects in Australia and New Zealand.”
Sycamore said that in 2019, Cat 5 made the decision to add specialised rail plant to its capability, with the fleet growing to include more than 20 hi-rail excavators, 12 loaders, hi-rail elevated work platforms, hi-rail crane trucks and mobile flashbutt welders.
And towards this end, Liebherr has played a major role.
“We would not have been able to grow the way we did, if Liebherr hadn’t supported us with a reliable supply chain and quality after-market service,” Sycamore said.
“For this reason, Liebherr has become our preferred supplier of hi-rail excavators, standard excavators and loaders.
“Our relationship with the team at Liebherr has enabled us to confidently commit to work and deliver quality results for our clients across Australia.”
THE LIEBHERR DIFFERENCE
Sycamore said the initial reason for buying Liebherr was the fast turnaround from placing an order to delivery.
“The sales team I dealt with were knowledgeable and to be honest, called me back when others didn’t. It was a difficult time due to the pandemic and they made it a lot easier,” he said.
“The biggest point of difference I noticed was with the factory-fitted hi-rail guidance system; not only were they able to supply significantly faster than anyone else, the machines are designed and built to operate in the most efficient and reliable way possible. This has proven to be true over the past three years.
“I was fortunate to tour the factory in Germany where the machines are made and I saw the attention to detail that goes into each excavator, with some components still hand-made.
“We work in demanding high paced environments and extreme weather conditions, from 50 plus degrees in the Pilbara to minus degrees in Victoria. Every piece of plant we own is put through its paces and the Liebherr machines have stood up to the challenge.”
Sycamore said the power and reliability of the machines, combined with fuel efficiency, has enabled the company to “do almost anything on track” in some of the most remote locations in Australia, day in and day out.
“They are good for the rail industry because they are one of the only machines that are factory built with a rail guidance system,” he said.
“Compared to other machines where the hi-rail components are added after market, you know that they have been built and designed to the highest standard.
“We have also found the Liebherr excavators to be very efficient. The fuel and oils usage is very minimal compared to other plant on the same jobs, and this has helped us with tendering for new projects and delivering work.
“We have been really happy with the productivity and reliability, which are both key areas of focus for us due to the remote areas we are working in.”
Sycamore said the Cat 5 operators and maintenance teams enjoyed working with the Liebherrs because they combined amazing technology with a top quality build.
“We know that when we take delivery of a new machine it’s going to be very well made and will be able to go straight to work,” Sycamore said.
After-sales service was also an important factor for Cat 5.
“Where other companies have struggled to provide a decent after-sales service, Liebherr has maintained regular contact and actioned any queries quickly,” Sycamore said.
“Over the past three years we have built solid relationships with a number of people from Liebherr, which has provided a very personalised service.
“When an issue has come up it has always been dealt with quickly and we have had minimal downtime.”
The confidence in Liebherr equipment is so strong that Cat 5 plans to use the machines in every maintenance and construction scenario it can.
Sycamore said their versatility, combined with some innovative attachments, have meant that the business can reduce the amount of manual handling and “plant vs person” interaction.
“Our Liebherr machines have enabled our worksites to become safer without compromising on productivity,” he said.
“We have actually been able to do more during shorter windows of work.
“We are using Liebherr equipment daily to carry out re-rail, undercutting, re-sleepering, plug installation, constructing new track including laying new sleepers at a rate of over 3000 per shift, installing new rail with our extendable rail grabs that move 25m lengths of rail with one machine, drain cleaning, and a lot more.”
EXCAVATOR EXCELLENCE
Cat 5’s Liebherr fleet includes the outstanding excavator models, the A 922 Rail Litronic and R 914 Rail Litronic.
- The A 922 Rail Litronic
Because it is a railroad machine, the A 922 Rail is suitable for use on railway tracks and for road construction, and is fast, thanks to the mobile undercarriage.
A rail travel drive is mounted on both sides of the undercarriage. When entering the rails, the rail travel drive lifts the tyres to rail height. The inside wheels of the dual tyres ensure travel of the excavator on the tracks.
The development of the A 922 Rail is the result of decades of experience and striving to create products with the highest level of efficiency and performance.
This new generation of Liebherr railroad excavators impresses with the higher level of efficiency. The new 120kW/163 PS engine ensures that the A 922 Rail achieves even higher working speeds with the usual fluid equipment movements.
The innovative hydraulic concept of the A 922 Rail consists of a Liebherr variable displacement double pump with independent control circuits.
High-performance, hydraulic attachments can thus be operated independently of the working and travel movements of the Liebherr railroad excavator.
The delivery rate of the proven Liebherr variable displacement double pump was increased to 2 x 220l/min for even better performance.
The heavy ballast was also redesigned to yield the best bearing load values with improved weight distribution and a more compact rear dimension of 2000mm.
The A 922 Rail offers various undercarriage versions with different track widths and rail wheels, which make it possible to use tracks worldwide. An independent variable displacement pump for the rail undercarriage provides the best traction and safe propulsion at all times.
The spacious double cab with its modern interior design and standard roll over protective structure (ROPS) offers the best conditions for comfortable, focused and productive work.
Entry lighting eases the access to both seats. The generous use of glass combined with standard rear and side cameras provide an exceptional view of the working area.
The touchscreen colour display, as well as the other control elements on the console and the operator’s seat, are ideally and ergonomically coordinated with each other, forming a perfect unit.
The service-oriented machine design of the A 922 Rail guarantees short maintenance times and minimises the maintenance costs incurred thanks to the time savings.
All maintenance points are easily accessible from the ground. Air, oil and fuel filters, the main battery switch, the lubricating grease zerk for the oscillating axle and the pilot valves for emergency actuation are easy to access.
- The R 914 Rail
The smallest Liebherr crawler excavator, the R 914 Compact, is also available in a rail version.
With its powerful diesel engine and extraordinary sensitivity, the R 914 Rail provides the same maximum precision and power on rails as its big brothers.
The short tail crawler excavator, with a rear slewing radius of just 1550mm, is designed to work on the tracks of constricted construction sites or where access may be difficult.
This all-round excavator is powered by a four-cylinder in-line engine, which accelerates the hydrostatic rail travel drive to speeds of up to 25km/h.
For more information, please visit www.liebherr.com.au
