by Kyle Molyneux | Mon 04 Nov 2019
Liebherr excavators as tough as granite
Earlier this year, a granite excavation company in France acquired two new Liebherr R 956 crawler excavators for use in quarries.
When it came to choosing a machine for two of its quarry sites, company Petitjean prioritised fuel consumption and productivity. In economy mode, the 55-tonne Liebehrr R 956 swallows an average of 29 litres per hour, making it ideal for the job. Despite this low consumption, the R 956 runs a Stage IV compliant engine boasting an impressive 340hp. Increasing its appeal further still was the specially extended and narrow (1,600mm wide) shovel, which provides a better grip on granite blocks. Since March, the excavators have racked up over 500 hours service positioning heavy weights before mining, loading trucks and moving heavy rocks.
The Liebherr machines are in operation in two quarries in La Bresse and Senones, where the granite types ‘Gris bleu des Vosges’, ‘Feuille morte de Senones’ and ‘Rouge corail’ are mined. The annual production of 5000 m3 of end and processed products is primarily intended for urban development (flagstones and cobblestones) and funeral monuments. In addition to the materials mined, 15,000 tonnes of gravel and 40,000 tonnes of stone debris are recycled and produced in La Bresse.
The Petitjean granite factory is a family business going back almost 100 years, which today employs 80 workers. Petitjean is the last company to mine granite blocks in the Vosges. It aims to reuse the local, natural raw material in order to conserve mining. In 2003, the company joined the Barrière group. The subsidiaries of the Barrière group are active across the entire value creation chain in the fields of construction materials and public construction work.
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