Ready for Take-off

Ground preparations for a new runway at Bangalore’s airport were completed at record pace with support from 18 machines from Volvo Construction Equipment, delivering 25% time saving.

Once the new runway at Kempegowda International Airport (KIAB) opens it will be the third airport in India with an annual passenger capacity of 20 million (after Delhi and Mumbai). Bengaluru International Airport Limited (BIAL), the consortium that operates KIAB, began expansion work in 2016 to keep pace with growing demand for air travel.
An aggressive timeframe has been set for construction, with the local government keen to ensure Bangalore has the infrastructure it needs as one of India’s fastest-growing cities. Prior to construction starting, large scale levelling was needed to ensure ground stability, and here a host of Volvo machines proved vital, completing the mass excavation and compaction work 25% ahead of schedule.
Two contractors, R Balarami Reddy & Co. and SV Engineering Constructions, employed a variety of units on the earthworks. SV Engineering Constructions had Five Volvo excavators on the project: five EC300DL units; while R Balarami Reddy & Co. also selected the popular EC300DL for its work, running five units and one unit of EC480DL. Between the two contractors there were also six Volvo SD110 compactors at work.

Minimizing Downtime
Tasks for the equipment included the excavation, transport, ground-distribution and compaction of materials. Each machine had to work seamlessly alongside others in a near-continuous construction cycle. Any breakdown had the capacity to cause major disruptions, with the work schedule allowing very little scope for delays. Volvo’s machines are well-known for the productivity and reliability, and on the KIAB project they certainly proved their worth.
Vinod Reddy, Managing partner of SV Engineering Constructions, said that aside from machine performance he also appreciates the high quality customer support his company receives from Volvo. “We have been working with Volvo for the past 18 years,” he explains. “Aside from the high uptime and superior technology they offer, the technical knowledge and professional attitude of Volvo’s personnel – and their dealership – are a major reason for our long partnership.”

Encore Heavy Machinery is the local Volvo dealer in Karnataka working with SV Engineering Constructions and R Balarami Reddy & Co. On the KIAB project the company’s service team provided a detailed monthly report for each machine in addition to its usual maintenance duties. Most repair or maintenance issues were resolved within a few hours, giving peace of mind to both contractors and allowing them to concentrate on the task at hand.

“The efficiency of Volvo’s equipment coupled with the dedication of their service personnel is a huge competitive edge,” says R. Sreenivasulu Reddy, Managing Partner, R Balarami Reddy & Co. “The low cycle time of the Volvos makes them a superior choice.”

Powerful Performance
The powerful EC300DL crawler excavator is well-suited to high volume earthmoving and can offer a maximum digging outreach of 11.32 m as well as a maximum digging depth of 8 m. Its Volvo D7E engine with a 169 kW power rating ensures the heavy duty EC300DL delivers powerful performance along with excellent fuel efficiency best in its class; at times EC300DL has produced 250-300 bank cubic meters per hour at 22-24 litres per hour.
The EC480DL is the best-selling large excavator in India, with a maximum breakout force of 284 kN. Equipped with a Volvo D13H engine, the machine has the largest bucket capacity in its class at 3.1 m3, offering high productivity – particularly useful on a job where deadlines are tight.

The SD110 soil compactors, each powered by a Volvo Tier 3/Stage III D5 engine, also play an important role given the importance of a high quality finish for the runway. The model is engineered to efficiently and effectively compact all types of soil, from granular to cohesive, and its close control and responsive operations ensures it delivers the performance that’s required as Volvo offers Variable frequency that other competitors don’t offer.

Ready for Takeoff
The new 4,000 m x 60 m runway at KIAB is designed to accommodate Code-F aircraft such as the Airbus A380 superjumbo. Running parallel to the airport’s existing runway, the new strip is also designed to meet CAT-III certification requirements, allowing it to operate in lower visibility conditions such as fog. Given the current runway is only CAT-I compliant, and that fog is relatively common in Bangalore, this new runway will both improve efficiency at the airport and boost capacity.

The second runway is expected to complete by September 2019, and the current runway is being upgraded
at the same time. A new airport terminal, Terminal 2, started constr­uction last year.

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