“THE DEMOLITION SPEC CAB HAS A 30° TILT , SO I GET A NATURAL OPERATING POSITION WHEN DECONSTRUCTING THE HIGHER LEVELS OF THE BUILDING.”

From skip hire to demolition, clearance and hazardous waste handling, Director Jay Mould and his team have never been afraid to adapt to meet the changing needs of customers in Reading and the surrounding area. Investing for the future is also a priority for the business, with their £2 million materials recycling facility helping them deliver a full removal and processing service.

These principles apply to one of their latest projects for SEGRO, a developer of sustainable industrial spaces. The former O2 headquarters building in Slough was a landmark in the town, with its 63m-long link glass and steel pavilion and 250,000 sq ft campus. To make way for new building work, the site needed to be demolished down to ground level, cleared, all the materials removed and the ground prepared.

Sustainable deconstruction

Continuing the eco-friendly ethos which drove SEGRO’s design of this building, more than 15,000 tonnes of material is being segregated for recycling. This includes light and heavy iron, plus alloy materials. These are being removed from the concrete framed car park and office building, plus the steel frame that links the two areas and supports the whole workplace structure.

Hardcore waste is being crushed on site using a Kobelco SK850LC-10E excavator and a mechanical pulveriser to remove metal contamination such as rebar before the aggregate is crushed using their Finlay J-1170 jaw crushers, also purchased from Molson. It is then transported to another project in Slough to raise the level of the pad foundations as part of the circular economy.

As Stuart Townsend, Site Manager for J. Mould, explains, “This is a 24-week project which involved exposing the underground car park. The materials in this void then needed to be processed and backfilled before the heavy plant could move in and finish the job. Having a Kobelco SK550DLC-11 excavator with an ultra long attachment on-site in addition to another high reach machine in our fleet has increased the speed and efficiency which we can process the separate materials.”

Taking demolition to new heights

With arm attachments available in two different lengths, 6.1m and 8.7m, a height of between 21.5m and 27.5m is achievable. This has made it possible to dismantle the triple-height O2 building from top to bottom. Jay also sourced the machine, complete with a Genesis GXT 225R rotating shear, which weighs in at 2,400Kg. This powerful hydraulic shear attachment is yet another brand represented by Molson in the UK, with the 225R offering an impressive jaw opening of 457mm with an advanced jaw geometry that features short primary cutting blades that position the apex closer to the rear of the jaws for greater cutting force, giving it plenty of power to tackle the metal frame on this project easily.

The J. Mould team also has a basement arm attachment which could be interchanged and used for other projects. All attachments can be connected quickly to the main boom with the NEXT joint system. A hook joint on the back and left-right separated manual pins on the belly makes assembly and disassembly quick and safe. “The modular attachments give great versatility,” Jay explains, “They allow the machine to be used even when the high reach work phase has finished.”

There are extra features which help machine operator Adam Marshal perform tasks efficiently. He explains, “The LED worklight on the attachment and top of the cab make it easier to see in gloomy weather. The demolition spec cab has a 30° tilt, so I get a natural operating position when deconstructing the higher levels of the building. The cab’s also really comfortable, with an air suspension seat and simple, well-lit controls that make even long days feel like a breeze.”

Boosting business operations

There have been wider business benefits to switching to Kobelco models too. Despite the 64 tonne operating weight, the counterweight can be removed. This makes it easily transportable between sites on J. Mould’s two low loaders and hiab. An object handling hook is also equipped as standard, meaning it can lift the ultra long attachment by itself, removing the need for a loading crane during disassembly or when preparing the machine for transport.

“This means the counterweight can be dropped in, the arm fixed on and the attachment mounted within 30 minutes when the machine gets to site,” says Jay. “This quick assembly and ability to move the machines with our own transport rather than third parties saves us lots of cash. It also separates Kobelco out from other brands on the market.”

The fuel efficiency of the business’s 17 Kobelco models has also been consistently noticed by Jay. This doesn’t just help J. Mould and its customers reach sustainability goals, but helps them save on fuel and keep costs low.

It was Kobelco’s high performance reputation that attracted Jay to these models in the first place, he says, “Plant hire business M O’Brien gave a positive reference on the Kobelco product. This set me off starting discussions with Tristan Dorey in the sales team at Molson.

“The Molson team is really easy to deal with and offers sales packages to suit whatever I need. There are a variety of products offered, both new and used. We’d already purchased two Finlay crushers from them and haven’t been disappointed with the service this time around either.”

Tristan adds, “J. Mould’s values of sustainability and quality customer service fall perfectly in line with ours. We’re proud to help meet their business’s specialist needs and ensure they remain profitable as well as innovative, something which has been key to their success for the last 50 years.”

Adam Marshal Operator J. Mould Demolition