Cat Triple Threat

Three new Cat mini excavators are proving to be a triple threat for Marton-based Andrew Morriss Concrete & Works, and mean a greater level of productivity for the business both on and off the job site.

Andrew Morriss Concrete & Works has purchased a range of Cat compact equipment from Gough Cat in recent years, including new Cat 301.7DCR, 302.7DCR and 305.5ECR mini excavators which are all playing a key role in the recent expansion of the operation over the last 18 months.  

For a company that is presently thriving on ‘growth’, the addition of these three Cat machines plays a central role in stimulating that growth and increasing the business’ levels of productivity, while receiving only positive feedback from within the ranks.

Contractor Andrew Morriss purchased his first Cat machine back in 2004 and his trusty 304CR is still working hard within his operation. However times have changed greatly since then when Andrew hired gear to work in his business.

Andrew takes up the story, “I’d had enough of hiring gear from other brands that kept breaking down and giving me reliability problems. If I was being serious about making a go of it, I reckoned it was time to buy my own machine, and after careful consideration I decided on a Cat 4 tonner [excavator] from Goughs. It was a big investment for a 24 year old back then, but that purchase has paid off in spades.”

Operating throughout the Rangitikei region but working as far north as Okakune and south to Waikanae, the company specialises in concrete, driveways, and general earthworks, and also subcontracts to Rangitikei District Council, Higgins, and Downer.

While keeping the company busy, these key relationships with other businesses have also developed opportunities to do additional private work and Morriss’ has since expanded into road and farm contracting including drainage and culvert work.

As the amount of work has grown, it has allowed the contractor to expand his fleet.  It now includes six trucks and seven diggers, with the three new Cat mini excavators being acquired since the start of 2014. The operation has also just added a low hour Cat 906 loader and 311CU excavator from Goughs.

Andrew’s most recent new purchase is a 1.7 tonne Cat 301.7DCR mini excavator, and in the few months it’s been in his fleet, the unit has certainly impressed.

“It’s a mighty machine - for the compact size of it, it’s amazing what it can do. With its tilt bucket and powerful slew, I find it can do the work of a heavier excavator. Our operators love it and we haven’t looked back.”

The machine’s ability to cope with an intense workload stems from the engine which has the largest output of any excavator in its class, producing 24 horsepower. Also, the efficient design of the hydraulic system reduces fuel burn of the machine and ultimately improves its multi-functioning capability.

Gough Cat Territory Manager Carl Southee says the 301.7DCR outperforms the competition in many key specifications.

“The 301.7DCR is the most highly equipped excavator in its class, and the feedback I continually get from customers is that the multi-functional capability of it is superior to others.

“Most of the competitive machines in its class aren’t capable of more than two tasks at a time, and the Cat 301.7DCR can operate the boom, stick, slew and tracks simultaneously,” Carl says.

“Given that it is a compact radius machine with zero tail-swing, and that class of machine is where the big growth in the market is, we are definitely seeing a growing interest in this type of machine over those with a conventional counterweight.”

Andrew Morriss has become a great advocate for Cat products, not only for the performance of his machines but how they improve his business for the long term.

 “I’ve learnt over the years that reliable equipment is the most important factor for my operation. Buying cheaper equipment doesn’t pay off in the long term. I’m a big proponent of ‘Spend more, get more’ and it will benefit your business. That’s where Cat is second to none in my opinion.”

“I often get asked ‘why do you buy Cat, isn’t it more expensive?’ You might pay a bit more, but from my perspective, a contractor has to look at more than the cost price of equipment. It’s about the total cost of ownership and what a supplier can provide in terms of reliability, productivity, parts and service support, not to mention resale value. In my experience Cat and Goughs are second to none here.”

“As a contractor we all have problems from time to time with machines, however it’s how they’re resolved that’s key. The Gough field service team out of Palmy is very responsive and onto anything that needs doing as quick as, even if it is just a general question around a component of the machine.”

 Carl Southee says that for many contractors the difference between the initial purchase price of a Cat machine and that of its competitors can sometimes be a difficult pill to swallow. But that gap narrows when you consider the importance of reliable parts and service support to busy contractors like Andrew Morriss is paramount when unscheduled downtime is just not an option.

 “The price [of Cat] might seem high initially, but the difference becomes very little when a machine is down – heaven forbid- and you consider how quickly you could have had it up and running again rather than waiting, sometimes weeks, for parts.”

 “The suppliers who are our main competitors in this class of excavator do not have the same parts & service coverage that Goughs does. Our warehouses and branches can give our focus to supporting a single brand of parts products, unlike many of our competitors. We source and supply 87% of parts from within NZ, and 97% are sourced and supplied from within Australia and New Zealand; our competitors cannot make the same claim.

 “Downtime is time and money that you simply can’t get back, and we want to give our customers the best chance of keeping their machines up and working.”

Andrew Morriss Concrete & Works has been a customer of Goughs for over a decade, and the working relationship between dealer and customer has remained strong.

 “With eight Cat machines in total, our company has invested a lot into the brand, and the effort Carl Southee has gone to accommodate us in these deals is tremendous,” Andrew says.

Of his three recent Cat mini excavator purchases, the 302.7DCR is Andrew’s favourite.

“Like the 301.7DCR, this Cat has awesome breakout force for its compact size. It works with a lot of hard materials and I find it’s more powerful than my older four tonne 304. The tilt bucket is fantastic, I wouldn’t be without it.”

“The 305.5ECR now has about 900 hours on it, but it still feels like a brand new machine. It’s a 6 tonner and we use it for a lot of our footpath works and our operators find that it’s so responsive. It’s an operators dream with everything on your controls and the computer control panel right there.”

Andrew is referring to the COMPASS control panel in the cab. Now standard on all models, and designed by Caterpillar specifically for Cat E Series Mini Excavators, this integrated system gives the operator the convenience of all performance, maintenance and operating functions right at their fingertips.

Under the direction of Andrew Morriss, his staff numbers are going from strength to strength. There is now an accomplished team of 13 people and business opportunities are surfacing throughout the region.

 “The Cat machines are vital to our core business and I want quality gear to expand the fleet, encouraging the business to keep heading in a positive direction,” Andrew says. “I have an experienced, reliable crew and they’re great. They appreciate working in comfortable new machines and I know the new Cat gear helps to create a sense of pride in their work. I see the recent Cat purchases as not only an investment in my fleet, but also an investment in my people, and that’s important to me.”

 “Plus the fleet looks great, and adds to the professionalism of the business.”

“My customers want reliability. They need this because they have a job or a problem that needs doing in quick time. Cat machines ensure I can do that for them. When they get the result they want, it means I’m doing my job, and they’ll be back again with more work the next time.”

“I’m really pleased with our three new Cat mini excavator acquisitions – I feel they are a key reason for our business taking off and increasing our workload. We’re getting everything back on our investment and then some.”

“It’s amazing where we’ve come from that first Cat purchase as a pretty green 24 year old. With the Cat fleet we’ve got, we’re definitely looking forward to the future with confidence.”

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