Hitachi ZX350LC-7 SLF transforms regeneration project

The Swedish contractor Steffes Schakt AB has been specialising in the usage of Hitachi super long front (SLF) excavators on infrastructure, dredging and decontamination projects for just over 30 years. One of these ten special application machines, a ZX350LC-7 SLF, is working on a regeneration scheme in Stockholm’s Meatpacking District.

An urban development

The area in the south of the city is being transformed into a destination for food, culture and experiences that will be completed within the next ten years. Work has already begun on the urban development for 3,000 residential units, 14,000 workplaces, commerce, and other services.

Skanska, one of the world’s largest construction companies, has been commissioned by the City of Stockholm to carry out some preparatory work in this district. The project is to lower and level the ground, where there are currently height differences of up to ten metres, and this is expected to be completed by the summer of 2024. This also includes extensive work to lay cables for electricity, fibre optics, water, sewage, and a vacuum waste collection system.

Equipped with Leica machine control

Steffes Schakt AB is working as a subcontractor for Skanska on a 250-metre section of water, drainage and sewage. This process started in November 2023 and the Ekerö-based company has commissioned the ZX350LC-7 SLF with Leica machine control for the work.

Operator Oliver Zacryander is digging a trench to a depth of 5.5 metres and width of approximately 10 metres. “At this depth, the materials are soft and there is too much water penetration,” he explains. “So, to prepare the trench for the pipework, the materials have to be excavated and loaded on to articulated dump trucks, before it is reinforced with 90/30 mm aggregates.

“We then lay a water pipe, an 800 cm drainage pipe and a 300 cm sewage pipe – all in sections – and finish with finer 0/8 mm materials under and over the pipework. Another team then returns the ground to its original state and this will form part of the regeneration area.

“I use the tiltrotator and quick coupler for most of my work, but not when I’m excavating the harder materials. I also use a variety of attachments for everything from breaking the surface to loading the trucks, and from handling large rocks to digging under the pipes.”