Louhinta Kääntä contracts approximately 5 million tonnes of aggregate annually across Finland. Rammer hammers and Marakon's service have proven to be the most efficient and reliable combination.
Louhinta Kääntä carries out quarrying work for municipalities, construction companies, and private landowners alike. Worksites range from aggregate quarrying to levelling building foundations and individual natural rock blasting. Practically every worksite requires a hydraulic hammer for breaking up larger boulders – and for Louhinta Kääntä, that unequivocally means Rammer.
"We have had Rammers since 2009, and there was already experience with them before the company was founded. We have tried other brands, but Rammer and Marakon together have proven to be the most reliable solution," says Tuomo Kääntä, CEO of Louhinta Kääntä.
The company has 12 Rammer 3288E hammers in use, three of which have just been purchased new. The familiar model is ideal for aggregate sites.
"The operational reliability of the Rammers is excellent – they are durable and dependable. Since all the hammers are the same size and model, servicing and spare parts are easy to arrange. The Rammers fit all our excavators and low-loader transport works without any special arrangements," Kääntä lists the advantages.
Marakon's fast service keeps breaking operations running
The reliability of hydraulic hammers and effective maintenance are absolutely critical. According to Kääntä, clients' schedules are tight, and an unreliable piece of equipment could prove extremely costly, as the Alavieski-based company's worksites can be located anywhere from northern to southern Finland.
Marakon's personal customer service, functional maintenance, and fast spare parts service have convinced the quarrying contractor. Marakon has always found a solution that prevents unnecessary interruptions to operations.
"A part broke on a hydraulic hammer at a worksite late one afternoon. I called Marakon's service, and the spare part was put in a taxi in Lahti, which delivered it directly to the worksite. Work was interrupted for only a few hours and continued immediately after the part was replaced," Kääntä commends.
Simple structure, easy maintenance
Rammer's simple structure makes maintenance easier. The operator can carry out basic servicing themselves, and the unit notifies of upcoming maintenance needs 50 impact hours in advance.
"The Rammer's casing holds up well against rolling rocks, and if needed, you can even weld iron onto it yourself. You don't need to have your hands covered in oil or measure gas pressure every other day – the Rammer just works the way it should," Kääntä notes.
Power on site – noise limits challenge profitability
On the day of filming, Louhinta Kääntä was contracting a private aggregate site in Korpilahti, where approximately 15,000 tonnes of aggregate were being extracted. The blasting went well, even though the rock was quite hard. The Rammer 3288E carried out its task effortlessly alongside a mobile crushing machine.
"In sparsely populated areas, the environmental permit time limits for noise are generally flexible, which allows for longer working days or two shifts, unlike at urban sites. Travel-based work easily drives up costs through accommodation and labour expenses if the working days are kept short."
According to Kääntä, however, most people understand the nature of the work.
"When the work has to be done, it has to be done, and there may be some noise for a while."
Technology alerts for maintenance and impact series
Rammer's technology also supports operators: in addition to monitoring service intervals, the system tracks impact series, which helps guide usage.
"The ideal impact series lasts 4–5 seconds, after which the rock needs to be repositioned. You can see from the computer if the same spot has been struck too many times – that's useful for operator training," says Kääntä, who employs seven excavator operators of his own.
Excavator operator Ari Haapakoski is very satisfied with the performance and impact power of the new Rammer 3288E. Together with the Volvo EC300EL Hybrid, valuable benefits have been achieved.
"The Volvo EC300EL Hybrid and Rammer 3288E are a well-matched pair for breaking, with enough power even for larger worksites," Haapakoski states.
As an entrepreneur, Kääntä is particularly pleased about the fuel savings brought by the hybrid technology and energy recovery.
"The combination saved 3–4 litres of fuel per hour in certain applications. The savings are significant, given that we have at least 40 operating hours per week and five hybrid Volvos," Kääntä calculates, also mentioning the emissions reductions.
A sound investment over the long term
Kääntä also values the good resale value of the Rammer hammers. It was easy to trade in the well-maintained units with Marakon.
"The equipment is deliberately kept relatively new to avoid downtime. We use the Rammer for breaking rock – and the others for making bird baths," Kääntä concludes with a grin.
Louhinta Kääntä
- Aggregate quarrying, building foundation excavation work
- Founded in 2009.
- Operating area covers all of Finland.
- 5 million tonnes of aggregate per year.
- Staff of 20 employees and a couple of subcontractors.
- 12 Rammer 3288E hammers in use.
