It is early in the morning in the old, working-class district of Majorna in Gothenburg. The only thing that can be heard are children on their way to school and the familiar ringing of the number 11 streetcar leaving the stop at Mariaplan. A few minutes walk, Ärlegatan winds up and over Gråberget, and along the way there are barriers, fencing and warning signs warning of ongoing blasting work. This is where 13 000 cubic meters of rock will be blasted away to make room for 52 condominiums spread over two buildings.
At the top of the hill that will soon be transformed into gravel stands Kevin Linnér, CEO and founder of KPJ Bergarbeten AB. His company specializes in complicated projects and works almost exclusively in this type of heavily populated areas in central Gothenburg.
“Everything that is easy to build in Gothenburg has already been built. Only the more difficult areas remain, and we are glad to take on these types of projects with high technical requirements. Roughly 90 percent of the jobs that we do are these types of projects.” says Kevin Linnér.
Apart from the unbelievable view over the Gothenburg Harbor, at first glance, the location looks like any other construction site. But there is one detail that is noticeably different from other construction sites. KPJ’s equipment fleet includes two Epiroc FlexiROC T30 R with noise reduction kit, which makes the sound level unusually low for this type of work site. While the drill is running, it is encapsulated in hydraulically controlled aluminum shutters, which reduce the sound level by up to 10 dB – corresponding to half of the experienced sound level.
“It is unbelievably nice to work with the noise reduction kit, and our operators are overjoyed. Honestly, I think that noise reduction should be a requirement for all jobs that are performed in densely populated areas,” says Kevin Linnér.
"It is a competitive advantage that allows people to choose us over somebody else."
Another advantage with the new drill rigs is that customers who did not have a noise reduction requirement are always positively surprised.
“Everyone appreciates less noise, so obviously our customers are very thankful when we arrive with these types of machines. There have even been people walking by who have commented that they appreciate that there is not so much noise."
