The first Sany SY500H excavator in Ontario has arrived at its new home.
The London, Ontario-based Bre-Ex Construction recently purchased the machine from Canadian Port.
The 50 tonne machine was officially presented to Bre-Ex at its head office on Sept. 20.
“You’ll see this line really start to take over,” said Scott Boumeester, vice president of industrial sales and business development at Canadian Port.
Bre-Ex Construction was founded in 1964 by Gerry Brekelmans.
Today, the company is owned by his grandchildren, and securing about $50 million in projects annually.
“It’s blossomed pretty well. It’s been a lot of work but we’ve got some great people,” said Bre-Ex President Cory Brekelmans.
The company also boasts a fleet of about 85 machines alongside about 100 employees.
“It’s great to see a company that’s been around this long continue to grow,” Boumeester added.
Operating throughout Southern Ontario, Bre-Ex Construction has grown to specialize in the construction of water supply, sewage and storm water infrastructure.
“There’s not a lot of guys in town that like to do the deep dirty stuff, but we’ll take care of it,” Brekelmans said.
“We have a lot of good men that can handle it and we have the work ethic to take it on. It’s not easy to do that stuff, but if you do it enough, you get used to it.”
The first job for Bre-Ex’s Sany SY500H will be constructing the Dingman Creek Forcemain in London.
The project requires installing 750 mm pipe at a depth of 4 to 5 metres for a 3.5 km span.
The Sany SY500H
The Sany SY500H features an operating weight of 54,500 kg, an 8.2 metre dig depth and a breakout force of 61,822 foot pounds. As well, its load sensing hydraulics improve operating efficiency by up to 5 per cent and fuel efficiency by up to 10 per cent. The main hydraulic pump delivers 720 litres per minute of operating flow.
“This thing is the real deal through and through,” Brekelmans said.
Touring the Sany factory
Before purchasing the Sany excavator, Brekelmans travelled to China with Canadian Port to visit the manufacturer’s factory.
“I was blown away at how they operate and how its structured,” Brekelmans said. “The culture at the factory; everyone wanted to be there, everyone wanted to help out. When they were getting that thing up the line there was so much pride.”
Sany was founded in 1985 and has grown to include 25 manufacturing bases and more than 100 offices worldwide. The company also owns Putzmeister and an equal partnership in Palfinger.
“When they started in the 80s, four men from China went to Germany and met with engineers,” Boumeester said. “They built a factory in Germnay and they designed their first excavator. They still have that factory building machines.”
Boumeester added the company bucks the notion that machinery made in China is subpar.
“Chinese companies have come to Canada and the United States and failed, but not Sany,” he said. “It’s the attention to detail.”
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Suman Mukherjee, the Canadian sales manager for Sany, added the SY500H is assembled with globally-sourced parts.
“This machine is built with a Cummins Tier 4 Final engine and many of its components are from Kawasaki,” Mukherjee said. “It’s a machine that’s built with a lot of global components from leading global suppliers.”
The SY500H is the second Sany machine purchased by Bre-Ex Construction. The company had previously purchased a 5 tonne excavator from the manufacturer. For Mukherjee, the repeat business speaks volumes.
“It proves that fact that our machines stand the test of time,” Mukherjee said. “It’s a great satisfaction for us that we are able to deliver on what we talk about and what we deliver to our customers.”
