Stéphane Poullard is Chairman of the business that bears the family name, founded by his father, Alain Poullard, in 1979. The company is based in Lèves in the Eure-et-Loir region, a few kilometres from Chartres. Specialising in landscaping, roads and utilities infrastructure and demolition, the company has just acquired its first machine from Hyundai, a HL970A Wheel Loader, from a local dealership, Inter Locations Matériels.
"The Poullard company was founded by my father, Alain Poullard, towards the end of 1970s. Our headquarters is located near Chartres and we specialise in digging and demolition projects, as well as in road building and the creation of utilities networks. After my father's decision to start his own company, our business initially focused on equipment hire for companies such as Colas. As the years went by, the size of projects grew in tandem with the expansion of the business", explains Stéphane Poullard, the current CEO of the company.
"I started working full time in the company back in 2000, originally as a foreman, then as works director. Back in those days, our company had around ten employees. Now Poullard has 25 employees and an annual turnover of 4.3 million euros", adds Poullard, now 43 years old. Our company operates mainly in the Eure-et-Loir region of France, and to a lesser degree in the Yvelines and Essonne regions. "Although the scope of our activities extends over a radius of 40-50 km from our headquarters, we do everything in our power to keep transfer times within 1 hour for return trips," he adds.
Our company's expansion has been constant over the years, and in 2005 we opened the Granudem recycling centre in thevillage of Poisvilliers, near Chartres, which is run by Aline Poullard. In 2014 we founded the Chartres Amiante company, specialising in asbestos removal and the decontamination of manufacturing plants, the disposal of lead pipes and dust collection.
Stéphane Poullard uses a number of different machines for this work (crusher, bucket, etc.) from a variety of manufacturers. Recurring issues with his previous loader prompted him to invest in a Hyundai HL970A wheel loader purchased from Inter Locations Matériels. "I hire a lot of equipment all year round from Franck Hoyau at Inter Locations Matériels. I have known him for over twenty years, so naturally I asked for his advice when I was looking for a new machine. I had the chance to visit the Hyundai plant in Tessenderlo in Belgium, to try out the machines first hand, and I must say this helped me a great deal in taking the decision" says Stéphane Poullard.
Delivered at the beginning of the year, the new Hyundai HL970A wheel loader has certainly won over its new owner. "The feature I love most is the full visibility offered by Hyundai's 360 degree monitoring system. The main strength of this machine is safety – something I take no chances with. Our machine is mainly used in the company's recycling operations. It features a weighing system and a 4,500 litre bucket, both perfect for our work", he says.
The HL970A Wheel loader is a flagship model: a new generation of construction equipment that complies with the European Stage V emission standards. It is designed for long-term ruggedness and reliability to reduce the costs of business operations and improve productivity.
It offers an operating weight of 24,200 kg and is fitted with a Cummins L9/EU Stage V engine that delivers a gross power of 325 horsepower (242 kW) at 2,100 rpm. Its bucket capacity is 4.20 m3 (heaped) and 3.60 m3 (struck). The bucket's maximum digging force is 21,715 kg
"Comfort is a key feature in this model. Workdays are long for many heavy machinery operators. It is essential that they feel comfortable in their control cabs, as this is a factor in reducing downtime. There is nothing better than a spacious and comfortable cab! The manufacturer has shown it is well aware of this", said Scherzer.
The Hyundai brand offers equipment operators exceptional comfort with this model. Like the entire HL-series loaders, the HL970A offers a large, comfortable seat with air suspension and heating as standard. The seat and armrest are fully adjustable. The instrument cluster is optimised to provide simple, quick, easy access to machine status information as you work. It is fitted with a very easily readable and user-friendly touchscreen.
Photos: Hyundai/AMO
