Demolition Men – Isuzu meets Delta Group

As Australia’s population continues to expand, finding an unoccupied piece of land is virtually impossible, especially in our city centres.

Knocking down old buildings and structures is a central component of urban renewal and development. Clearing the old land before the new can be constructed.

So, when you want an old site deconstructed, decommissioned or demolished where do you go? You make your way to demolition companies, like Delta Group.

With over 600 employees nation-wide and an impressively diverse work portfolio – including contracts for some of Australia’s largest construction builders, mine and energy projects – Delta Group is a unique Aussie success story, which last year celebrated its 30^th anniversary.

Dominic Santullo is the general manager of Delta Group’s recycling and logistics, getting the final say over which new trucks the organisation purchases.

“We’re primarily a demolition and civil earthworks company with many other divisions that compliment the business,” Dominic said.

“But we also offer hard rock quarry crushing services, concrete and timber recycling, asset recovery, waste transfer, heavy equipment hire, bio-remediation and rehabilitation, decommission, site closure consultancy, and contract crushing and quarry operations.”

Such diverse work calls for a diverse range of trucks.

“Delta has 15 Isuzu trucks, which are mostly Tippers that work in demolition, earthworks and quarries,” Dominic said.

“We’ve also recently bought an Isuzu FYX 2500 10×4 model with a hook lift.

“We chose it because of its extra-carrying capacity, which can add to our efficiency. It’s all about getting more work from fewer trucks.”

The Isuzu FYX 2500 10×4 has a GVM rated at 35,000 kg, a GCM of 42,500 kg, 257 kW @ 2,000 rpm and an impressive 1,422 Nm @ 1,400 rpm – making it an ideal choice for any application requiring a resilient truck that excels in tough conditions.

“The turning circle on the FYX is very good,” Dominic said.

“Demolition and earthwork sites require a lot of power. They work in quarries, landfills and green fill sites where there aren’t any roads, so we require tough trucks.

“Delta has over 60 drivers, and I always get good feedback about the Isuzus. Our drivers are happy with the trucks and the performance.”

For the transmission, the FYX 2500 has a smooth-shifting Allison 4430 series 6-speed automatic with 5^th generation electronic controls and adaptive shift. It also has an Isri 6860 air-suspension seat with pneumatic lumbar support, which provides unparalleled comfort for the driver.

“Delta’s trying to move towards automatics, which takes the strain off the driver and the truck itself,” Dominic said.

“The FYX also boasts features like cruise control and a Digital Audio Visual Equipment (DAVE) unit with a 6.2 inch LCD touchscreen, digital radio, Bluetooth with voice recognition and 4GB of internal storage for music files.

“We’re doing different types of work all the time,” Dominic said. “But on average our trucks do between 10,000 and 15,000 km a month.

“Running smoothly without any injuries is our top priority. Airbags, braking systems including engine brakes and driver protection are what we look for.”

The FYX’s impressive array of safety features includes an ECE-R29 compliant cab, Anti-lock Braking (ABS), a driver airbag with seatbelt pretensioner and an ECE-R93 compliant Front Underun Protection Device (FUPD).

Delta’s focus on its employees and continual, sustainable growth sets it apart in the contracting industry. As with any national company however, Delta’s brand recognition is vital.

“We stand out because of our brand,” Dominic said proudly. “We’re recognised by our blue and red logo, the bright orange Hitachi machines and our blue, white and red trucks.

“The way the Isuzus are set up is a great look for our business.

“We’ve been buying Isuzus for the last 10 years and we have models that, after a decade of very hard work, are still going strong.”