Porter Press: Dixon LGR

PORTERGROUP

A vital component of the Dixon group of companies, Dixon LGR, is going from strength to strength in the ever-busy metropolitan Sydney market, supplying sand and sandstone products to a growing array of customers. With an expanding portfolio of business, however, comes the need for a machine fleet that’s up to the task. Dixon LGR has entrusted Hyundai excavators and wheel loaders to help it achieve success on the road ahead

It isn’t often a company can trace its foundation back to not only a specific date, but also a time of day. But Dixon group of companies founder, Ken Dixon, can.

“Dixon Sand essentially commenced operations at 4.00am on NRL Grand Final day in 1991,” says Dixon LGR operations manager Jayden Rejtano.

“Ken’s son and company owner, Dave Dixon, is a big Penrith Panthers supporter and 1991 was the season when Penrith defeated the Canberra Raiders in the Grand Final. It was in the early hours of that memorable day that Ken and Dave first ‘put a shovel in the dirt’ at Dixon Sands in Maroota.”

From that first shovelful of sand, the modern company has only grown from there, with Ken at the helm of the company from 1991 until 1999, when his son Dave took over.

Although the family-owned business actually started quarrying sand at Agnes Banks, around 60km north-west of Sydney, back in the 1960s, it was under Ken and Dave’s direction that larger-scale expansion began.

Today, the group of companies is well regarded throughout New South Wales for its stone cutting services and products, marquee stone construction operation, and as a major supplier of specialty and construction sands to the busy Sydney metropolitan market and Greater New South Wales. Far left: Both the Hyundai HL760-9 (left) and HL740-9 (right) are recent additions to the Dixon LGR line-up Left: The 18-tonne HL760-9 wheel loader hauls sandstone logs from the excavation site to the stock yard

Dixon Sand essentially commenced operations at 4.00am on NRL Grand Final day in 1991.

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Heavy-duty Hyundai machinery has been a part of Dixon LGR since the start. What began with Jason Galea as a one-man-one-machine operation – running a 38.2-tonne Hyundai R380-9 excavator – has now expanded to a skilled team of eight.

“That original 380 is still with us and hasn’t had any issues to date,” says Rejtano.

“In fact, it’s the reliable performance of that machine that has directly led to us investing in further Hyundai equipment for certain areas of the operation as the need has arisen.”

Dixon LGR’s Hyundai fleet has grown with five more machines in recent times, now incorporating three Hyundai HX350L excavators and two wheel loaders – a recentlypurchased 12-tonne Hyundai HL740-9 and a bigger 18-tonne Hyundai HL760-9, which has been on the fleet for six months.

Both wheel loaders are tasked with specific jobs, explains Rejtano.

“We use the 18-tonner to haul sandstone ‘logs’ and blocks from the excavation site to the stock yard, while the 740 loads these onto semi-trailers for distribution. Both loaders are fitted with forks for these tasks, although thanks to quick hitches, buckets can be reattached as necessary,” he says.

“The Hyundai HL740-9 is smaller and nimbler around the yard, but still has plenty of power and can load multiple 1.2-tonne logs without any dramas at all.”

The additional product lines of sandstone logs and block that Dixon LGR has brought to the market have proven especially popular.

Rejtano says sandstone is more cost-effective than concrete for a lot of applications and, as a natural product offering a softer aesthetic for many landscaping projects, is growing in usage with councils, developers and landscapers. The company has almost doubled sales in the last 12 months and anticipates doubling them again in the year ahead.

Taken together, the company’s products and services underline the company motto: ‘Dixon LGR: guaranteed pleasure with every load.’

“The Dixon group of companies has approval to extract approximately 50 million tonnes of sand over multiple sites in the Greater Sydney area, so we need reliable machinery that is

fit-for-purpose and is going to allow us to keep up with demand,” continues Rejtano.

“To put it bluntly, a lot of our projected growth is going to rest on the backs of the machinery we use to complete that extraction and rehabilitation.”

Reliability and pure muscle are obvious aspects of the Hyundai equipment the company utilises that need to meet and exceed expectations, but Rejtano says that operator safety is also paramount. To this end, Dixon LGR runs pressurised cabs on its machinery, as there is a high silica content in sandstone during the cutting process.

The camera systems on the Hyundai excavators and wheel loaders have also impressed Rejtano and his team. In a busy quarry environment, or when loading trucks with heavy sandstone logs and blocks, the operator’s ability to see any obstacle and be aware of their surroundings is crucial.

“We really cannot fault the Hyundai machines we use,” says Rejtano.

“The reliability they offer our team has been flawless, they meet our requirements for attachments and hitches, and they offer genuine value when you look at both the initial outlay and the running costs over the life of the machine.

“We’re not only very happy with our Hyundai excavators and loaders, but we are also looking to add to the fleet as the business expands further. We’ll certainly be looking closely at the Hyundai HX400L that has recently arrived on the market as a potential next step for us.”

Rejtano says that Porter Equipment territory manager, Lee Hayes, and workshop manager, Chris Tierney, always make plenty of time to assess the company’s needs and have formed great relationships with the Dixon team.

“We really couldn’t be happier with Lee and Chris. Everything they have promised us, they have delivered on – we couldn’t ask for anything more than that. When you call them, you know they’ll be there for you and offer exceptional service.

“Also, a machine that offers quality performance is a safe one in our eyes, and Porter Equipment supplies us with top quality equipment.

“Overall, we are very excited about the future growth that Dixon LGR is capable of; we’re growing as a team and will have a total of four operational sites online in the coming months. We’re looking forward to having Porter Equipment on this path with us as well.”

And with the Panthers looking like the on-form NRL team this season, things are looking up outside the quarry gates as well.

For more details about the equipment available through Porter Group, visit www.portergroup.com.au.

PORTERGROUP

Opposite left: The 12 tonne Hyundai HL740-9 wheel loader is smaller and nimbler around the yard than its 18-tonne counterpart Left: One of the three Hyundai HX-350L excavators to join the Dixon LGR fleet Opposite bottom: Dixon LGR owner Dave Dixon, left, and operator Paul Wolkinson

A lot of our projected growth is going to rest on the backs of the machinery we use.