CASE Construction Equipment and Luserna stone share a city: Turin. In the interwar years, around 90% of the city’s stairs and pavements were constructed from this durable and attractive stone, with the Mole Antonelliana using slabs to support its looming brick tower. Turin is also CASE’s European headquarters and, therefore, the birthplace of the company’s CX370D excavator that has been so effective in quarrying Luserna stone in Bagnolo Piemonte, Cuneo, Italy for the longstanding company Vigilanco Alfredo e Fratelli.
Quarrying Luserna stone requires brute force and nimble machine operation. Once explosives have loosened stone from the quarry face, the CASE CX370D moves in to haul the several tonne payloads onto safer ground, providing the ideal mix of power, precision and speed. As Alessandro Fresia, CASE Marketing Manager, Italy, notes: “CASE excavators offer the perfect balance between performance, operating costs and productivity, making them ideally suited to heavy earthmoving and quarrying. These are key markets for CASE, with many of the heavy line machines specifically engineered to cope with the conditions present at these jobsites.”
Accurately moving payloads of this size, and at such speed, requires a high level of operator skill, which is then enhanced by the CX370D’s Auto Power Boost function. This feature increases hydraulic pressure automatically to match operational needs, guaranteeing the level of safety and productivity necessary when working in such demanding conditions. Three power modes combine with Auto Power Boost to cater for all aspects of the job: ‘A’ mode allows for precise levelling and lifting; ‘H’ mode strikes the perfect balance between productivity and fuel economy; ‘SP’ mode delivers maximum power, ideal for the hauling of the freshly quarried Luserna stone.
The CASE Intelligent Hydraulic System (CIHS) ensures force is matched by manoeuvrability, delivering impressively adaptable and smooth control by ensuring that energy is saved in every cycle phase. The operator controls the machine’s huge power with precision and the stone is retrieved from the blast site quickly, efficiently and safely.
Mario Righi from CASE dealership Iveco Orecchia, Turin, explains how he supplied the excavator to Vigilanco Alfredo e Fratelli: “This CASE CX370D excavator was exactly what the client needed for the quarry: powerful and large, but not too cumbersome. The client told us they have been able to lift single rocks weighing 20 tonnes, and thanks to its powerful lifting and breakout force offered by the two-piece boom, operators could push the machine to achieve more in each cycle.”
Alongside this, the CX370D offers the levels of operator safety and comfort that such high-stakes working conditions demand. Rear and side-view cameras, combined with a wide-screen, result in outstanding visibility, while a soundproof, pressurised cab with ample legroom delivers a smooth ride and quiet work environment.
Righi went on to say: “The client and the operators gave us really positive feedback on the speed of operation afforded by the hydraulic system, the low fuel consumption and extremely comfortable cab.”