In South West WA, there is only one name that comes to mind when paving work needs doing and that's Malatesta - a name that is synonymous with the city of Bunbury. In this new story, Earthmoving Equipment Magazine catches up with the team from Malatesta.
This story was produced by Caterpillar and originally published as an interview case study in Earthmoving Equipment Magazine. It has been republished (with permission from EEM).
The Malatesta name is synonymous with the city of Bunbury and its surrounds. The business has had a hand in developing the locality through the provision of asphalt, quality road sealing and surfacing applications and associated services since 1978.
Indeed, one could say that pretty much any thoroughfare traversing the region has had the Malatesta magic applied to it.
Malatesta Group is renowned for completing any size job, from the driveways right up to Main Roads WA projects and airports.
The list of its projects is seemingly endless: car parks for Big W and Centrepoint, Simcoa, Worsley Alumina, the main street of Bunbury, the Koolan Bay Resort and its air strip, Wespine Bunbury, Busselton Hospital, CBHs depots, as well as various local government projects for the cities of Bunbury and Busselton, and the adjacent shires of Dardanup and Augusta/ Margaret River.
The success of the company reflects a triumphant progression for the locally owned family business founded in 1978 by Robin and Maxine Malatesta, and managed today by their daughter Teresa.
It started with just one asphalt plant, one asphalt crew and a low loader trailer employing seven people in total.
By 2015, it owned a quality laboratory to test construction materials for roads and concrete; built the state-of-the-art Benninghoven plant; and constructed a bitumen bulk storage facility, signalling a major competitive advantage and an era of growth and continued business success.
Malatesta’s fleet had grown to include trucks ranging from six-wheels to live bottom semi-trailers, three asphalt pavers and a comprehensive range of machinery including loaders, rollers, and a grader.
And as Malatesta Operations Manager Todd Garbin explains, the company does more than just lay asphalt or spray seal.
“We supply ex-plant asphalt to a range of contractors and Main Roads WA for them to be able to complete their own works using our quality product,” he said.
“We recycle all old roads and profilings into road base hardstand material."
“Malatesta is the leader in the asphalt industry in the South West, completing many specialist jobs for our clients and the eight local shires we have contracts with."
“Many companies in this industry only have one asphalt team and contract out spray seal services, while some have only spray seal. In- house, we have two asphalt crews and our own seal crew. It’s a one-stop shop for asphalt and spray seal jobs.”
With such a pedigree behind it, the company is very discerning in its choice of equipment. This currently consists of four prime movers equipped with brand new floats to move the machines from site to site; three asphalt pavers; a fleet of more than 20 rigid trucks with trailers; multiple steel drum rollers, multi-tyre rollers and front end loaders; pocket rocket profilers; and skid steer loaders.
“We look for reliable machines with good back-up service and easy parts selection in Australia if we have breakdowns and maintenance needs,” Todd said.
One such piece of equipment that ticks all those boxes is the Cat AP400 Wheel Asphalt Paver, one of which was snapped up by Malatesta after being released last year.
Among other features, the unit boasts better mobility, more flexibility, bigger paving ranges, easier transport on trailers, smoother material flow and more comfortable operations, all in a compact size.
“The AP400 meets all our needs in regards to size for transport, but also for larger scale jobs,” Todd said.
“It offers great visibility for the operator, with easy screed controls for the operators on the ground, and has lots of power for uphill runs."
“The 4.7 metre paving range is also great.”
When it comes to after-sales service, Todd has no complaints.
“WesTrac Bunbury, where we bought the unit from, has exceptional field service and quick turnarounds for any job,” he said.
“We also use fluid sampling at WesTrac to make sure our equipment stays in its best shape and stays reliable for our projects.”
“I can say that we have been very impressed with the AP400, and that adding another to our fleet is definitely on our list for the future.”
WesTrac Construction Account Manager Anthony Garic said he was delighted at helping Malatesta acquire the Cat AP400.
“I have been dealing with Malatesta for 20 years as a representative for WesTrac and Caterpillar®, and I have known the Malatesta family all my life,” he said.
“Before the AP400 was released, Caterpillar did not have a paver configuration that met Malatesta’s requirements.
“Malatesta had always communicated with me that they wanted a machine the size of the AP400."
“So when it was released, we discussed the new machine and we realised it was the perfect fit for the company’s operations.”
Anthony highlighted many of the features that made the paver so flexible: the compact size, versatility on small jobs such as driveways through to busy highway construction, the ability to transport to site sharing the float with small rollers and other required machines, and the finish of the laid hot mix.
“The Cat AP400 is the only paver in this size class offering exceptional manoeuvrability, visibility and safety while still delivering high productivity from the large 5.9 cubic metre hopper and 4.7m rear mount screed with fast warm-up times.”
Anthony reiterated WesTrac’s excellent machine servicing and parts support.
“Our support is WA-wide with regional branch networks and resident mechanics available to customers in these areas. Our operational footprint is very customer focused,” he said.
Anthony also commented on preventative maintenance support for the machine, provided via a WesTrac FitFleet® Customer Value Agreement (CVA).
“The AP400 has a FitFleet Essentials CVA included for 36 months as standard. FitFleet Essentials provides data driven insights into the hours, health, and performance of the machine,” he said.
“WesTrac condition monitoring analysts also track machine usage and advice on servicing schedules.”
