Blue Group supply Powerscreen machines to Groundwork Services for the SST 3 project in Sunderland.

Blue Group are the leading provider of material processing equipment across the UK and Ireland, offering a range of products for the Quarry and Demolition, Energy, Recycling, Scrap and Port Industries...

With eight strategically placed offices across the UK and Ireland, Blue Group offer a wide range of high-quality products from some of the most renowned brands on the planet.

 Our Demolition range includes products from; Powerscreen, EvoQuip, Rammer, Fortress, Rammer and Allu. Crushers and Screens are a great option for those dealing with demolition waste. We supply a huge range of both Powerscreen and EvoQuip, crushers and screens, meaning the customer can size the end product to the exact specifications they are looking for.

Murray Plant, a Blue Group Company, also offer a range of attachments used in the demolition industry, from some of the world’s leading brands, including; Rammer, Fortress, Pladdet, Allu and Excentric Crusher. Their attachment portfolio includes; hydraulic hammers, pulverisers, shears, grapples, screening buckets and crushing buckets, meaning there is an attachment for every demolition application you can think of.

Blue Scotland recently supplied a Powerscreen PT 400X crusher and a Powerscreen Warrior 1400X screener, to Groundwork Services, who are working on the SST 3 project in Sunderland. The case study can be read below.

Established over 30 years ago by Fred Barron, Groundwork Services (Durham) Limited take great pride in being a family run business that has substantially grown and maintained its family values and robust reputation as a credible civil engineering contractor. The company now offer a comprehensive range of services, including; roads and sewers, pathways, car parks, plot works, concrete site preparation, drainage and foundations.

North East Earthworks is a new business set up within the Groundwork Services group of companies, to provide innovative solutions to all earthwork requirements. This led to them recently taking on the SSTC3 (Sunderland Strategic Transport Corridor Phase 3) project, working in partnership with ESH Construction as the principal contractor. The SSTC project is a five-phase project providing a dual carriageway, which links the A19 right through the City Centre, to the Port of Sunderland. North East Earthworks are working on phase 3, which is a critical 2.4km stretch of road that links the Northern Spire to the City Centre and is due for completion in 2021.

Previously, Groundworks Services were hiring Crushers and Screens, however as the business has grown, new and bigger contracts have come through. This meant that rather than continuing to hire, they saw the opportunity to purchase new machines, as a more suitable alternative. Blue provided that alternative, in the form of a Powerscreen PT 400X Crusher and a Powerscreen Warrior 1400X Screener.

The realisation was that there was a lot of made ground which couldn’t be used as engineering fill in its current condition, so the material needed to be screened to remove the bigger particles. Groundworks were previously using a screener from a different supplier; however, it wasn’t really up to the challenge it was faced with, which resulted in production and throughput being poor. With Blue since supplying them with a Powerscreen Warrior 1400X, their process has become a lot more efficient with throughput being around 500 tph.

Groundwork Services decided to upgrade their previous smaller crusher to a Powerscreen PT 400X. This is because the project would require up to 80,000 tonnes of hard material (including concrete and tarmac) to be loaded, therefor, a more heavy-duty machine was needed. The PT 400X is part of Powerscreen’s Jaw Crusher range and are amongst the most advanced and reliable in the market and are highly productive in a variety of applications. With its large hopper and throughput at 400 tph, the machine was ideal for the project.

The on-site operators are already seeing the benefits of the two new Powerscreen machines, as productivity has increased significantly. Director of North East Earthworks, Ben Johson, added: “The guys are loving the machines and are finding them very easy to use, in comparison to machines we have been previously utilising”.

Ben goes on to explain why they chose to go with Blue and Powerscreen: “We first met Blue at the Plant Worx event and have built a good relationship with them ever since. The service, support and backup that they offer is the best on the market and we know that with the support of Kyle, if we ever have a problem with one of the machines, an engineer will be on site straight away to fix the problem. We have seen a huge difference in throughput and performance since the new Powerscreen machines have been on site, and we have been impressed by the reliability of both machines”.

Kyle Mills, Salesmen for Blue Scotland, commented: “It’s been an absolute pleasure dealing with Groundwork Services. I first met with Fred & John Barron to discuss the project requirements and what it was they wanted to achieve. Once we completed our site assessment, we agreed the PT400X and 1400X Warrior were the correct machines for the job. We had many competitors trying to get onto the site but due to the service Blue Machinery provided they decided to stay with us. I’d like to take this opportunity to once again thank Groundwork Services for their businesses, it’s much appreciated. Here’s to continuing a happy and healthy working relationship”. 

Groundwork Services will now be working hard on this project over the next two years, to make sure completion is achieved by 2021. Both the Powerscreen PT 400X Crusher and Warrior 1400X screener will play a big role in making sure the process runs smoothly.