Major dairy facility in Malaysia adds ten Volvo excavators to ensure work gets off to a strong start

A fleet of 10 EC550EL excavators from Volvo Construction Equipment (Volvo CE) is hard at work on a major new dairy farm for food and beverage giant Fraser & Neave Holdings (F&N). Located in Gemas, Negeri Sembilan, the F&N Agrivalley project commenced work in August 2023 and aims to be completed in 2027. The dairy farm will cover over 2,726 hectares and cost RM 1 billion (US$200 million) to build. When operational, it will be home to 20,000 cows, producing 200 million litres of fresh milk yearly for the local and international markets.

With huge amounts of earth to be moved and a tough work schedule, ten Volvo CE EC550EL excavators were selected by main contractor Menta Construction Sdn. Bhd. to get the project off to the best possible start. The site is particularly challenging due to an abundance of clay in the soil, but this is no problem for the Volvo machines thanks to their durability, high productivity rates, and their ability to work with a large bucket of 4.0m³. These are the biggest bucket sizes in this machine class and a critical component of ensuring work stays on schedule. The machines are able to extract high bucket heap load of 1.4 times the size of the bucket, facilitating the removal of large amounts of soil during a shift. Working for an average of ten hours per day, the machines will remain on the site for the next two years, at which time they will be deployed to a new project location.

“The EC550EL excavators were the best choice for this project, not only for their large bucket size and durability, but also for their low fuel consumption and prompt aftersales support. As a long-term customer, we had full confidence in the capabilities of the machines and their ability to get the job done, efficiently and effectively at this challenging work site,” said a representative from Menta Construction Sdn. Bhd.

Setting new industry standards

Shorter cycle times and stronger performance means the 55-tonne EC550EL machines deliver output more commonly associated with a 60-tonne machine. The machine’s impressive engine power, as well as reinforced digging equipment with a large bucket size provide optimal performance. The EC550EL can manage the tricky site conditions at the Agrivalley job site thanks to the long, wide frame and robust undercarriage, which combine to deliver superior levels of stability and durability.

As an optional extra, customers can take further control of productivity output, ensuring the optimal amount of material is loaded, thanks to the On-Board Weighing feature, part of the Dig Assist suite of tools. The system provides real-time information to eliminate under and overloading of haul trucks and records total tonnage for complete production management.

Menta Construction Sdn. Bhd. has a long and fruitful relationship with Volvo CE. In addition to the 10 units of the EC550EL excavators, the company has purchased 6 units of the EC380DL and 30 units of the EC480DL crawler excavators from local dealer, Volvo Construction Equipment Malaysia.

“The EC550EL provides high levels of durability, performance and uptime making it the perfect choice for heavy-duty digging, mass excavation and large site preparation such as the Agrivalley job site. Our on-going partnership with Menta Construction Sdn. Bhd. is a testament to the confidence that we place in ensuring that our machines provide the maximum benefits to our valued customers, providing confidence that projects with large productivity targets can be delivered to the highest standards and on time,” said Wee Kim Wei, Head of Market, Malaysia, Volvo Construction Equipment.

Discover more about Volvo machines and services at www.volvoce.com/asia.