Is the opinion of father and son team, Phil and William O’Rourke, proprietors of Portsmouth based O’Rourke Infrastructure Services Ltd (OIS) as they take delivery of their third Volvo P6870C wheeled paver.
Established in 2010, this family-run business started with Volvo by purchasing a second-hand Volvo paver which had been factory rebuilt and then soon replaced with a brand new one, and has just replaced that with their third P6870C paver.
“It’s all about the support and back up,” says Phil. “Don’t misunderstand me – the P6870C is an excellent paver, it lays an exceptionally good mat and is a reliable machine but it’s SMT’s ability to support us when we need it which is the underlying reason for continuing with Volvo pavers.”
As son William points out: “SMT’s engineer Jay Bridgstock always goes the extra mile to help us resolve any issues when they occur. We simply cannot fault this level of support – it’s first class. And our SMT contact, Colin Mackenzie is always ready to deliver what is promised and to rectify any issues without fuss. His knowledge and passion for the brand is very reassuring.”
The P6870C is powered by a Volvo D6 Stage-IIIB compliant 175hp engine, and at its heart features the EPM II – an electronic paver management system which incorporates a ‘Settings Management’ system allowing the operator to store up to twelve parameter settings for the major functions such as screed temperature, tamping & vibrating, conveyor, auger & paving speeds. The machine has other unique features such as ‘Smart Power’, offering optimum power for the job in hand together with 6×6 ‘Smart Drive’ technology for unparalleled continuous independent traction-control over all six wheels. Even on the most difficult bases, tractive forces are automatically adjusted according to the weight of material in the machine’s 12-tonne capacity hopper.
Screed performance is a distinct feature on Volvo pavers. The P6870C has a variable screed width of between 2.5 and 5 metres in standard configuration but can be fitted with optional extensions to provide a generous width of 9 metres. The machine has a theoretical output of up to 700 tonnes per hour at varying screed widths and depths.
The machine demonstrates a high degree of manoeuvrability thanks to the ‘Active Steering’ feature with an inside turning radius of just 2.5 metres. “As a machine operator, I’m really impressed with the machine’s adaptability from working on car parks, school playgrounds and leisure complexes, to full scale production output for road surfacing contracts,” says Phil. “Since we started up, we have prided ourselves on offering an efficient service for our clients which is helped by operating efficient and reliable equipment which is well supported.”
O’Rourke Infrastructure Services Ltd is a Portsmouth-based family-run multi-disciplinary contractor specialising in surfacing contracts across the whole of the south of England. The company regularly contracts to ‘blue chip’ companies such as Aggregate Industries, Colas, Thorne Group and Hobart Paving to name but a few.
SMT GB markets Volvo Construction Equipment products which include wheeled loaders, articulated haulers, hydraulic excavators, Volvo utility equipment and Volvo road equipment products in Great Britain. There are eight strategically placed Customer Support Centres, a dedicated National Used Equipment Centre and a network of utility equipment dealers to ensure high quality customer support is maintained throughout the country.
