Västerås is roughly 60 miles north-west of Stockholm in the region of Mälardalen and is Sweden’s sixth largest city. Vemmab AB employees 45 staff and, with its impressive and diverse fleet of 80 vehicles, has the capacity to take on tasks for clients in various parts of the region, including TMA work, ground work, and tree care, as well as winter and sweeping services.
Today, Furat Kadhem is supervisor at Vemmab AB in Västerås. But this was not always the case. When he started at the company in 2005, he was a maintenance and service employee for the Wasa Combi in the company’s workshop. He has therefore become very familiar with the Wasa line over the years and even started driving them himself in 2007. Since then, however, he has witnessed many changes at the company, including the evolution of the Wasa from the Wasa Combi to the Wasa 300 and finally to the Wasa 300+. In his current capacity as supervisor, Furat oversees a fleet consisting of four Wasa 300+ and one Wasa 300.
The Wasa 300+ is mainly used by Vemmab AB for sweeping footpaths and cycle paths, car parks and various surfaces in residential areas. The sweeper is mostly used in the spring for collecting the sand left over from when the snow has melted, and it is also used in October and November to clear fallen leaves before the first major snowfall. The debris is swept into the centre by two side brushes and then onto the central cross brush at the rear. From there, it is passed onto the elevator and into a 3 m3 storage container. This allows the vehicle to handle up to 48,000 m2 in one go.
The hydraulic raising and lowering mechanism for the disc brush and the cylinder brush drive at the rear can be conveniently adjusted and adapted using the simple and intuitive control panel in the cab. This not only makes work easier and more driver-friendly, it also saves on maintenance costs as the brushes are used less and therefore do not need to be changed so often.
“Because the Wasa 300+ is not only easy to operate but also relatively easy to drive, I can quickly train up new drivers for sweeping tasks, giving me the flexibility and efficiency I need for my team,” adds Furat.
The Wasa 300+ is also highly efficient: it produces outstanding, high-precision sweeping performance – not least due to the 12 water spray nozzles on the sweeper unit, which are supplied by a hydraulic water pump with up to 36 l/min from the plastic water tanks on the left and right with 1,100 l of storage capacity.
At Vemmab AB, the Wasa 300+ is mainly pulled by 5R and 6R series John Deere tractors, which work in perfect harmony with the sweeper. The slim drawbar provides excellent manoeuvrability and allows for tight steering angles, ideal for sweeping in confined spaces.
Even today, maintenance of the fleet mostly takes place at the company’s workshop, where Furat started his career. “Maintenance is our top priority and, as all the relevant parts are easily accessible, it can be done in no time,” explains Furat. “First of all, we lubricate the moving parts and check the condition of the hose and brushes.”
And what happens if not even Vemmab AB can fix the problem? “We have a very good relationship with the service department at Aebi Schmidt in Skänninge. We always get an answer to our questions and the help we need. In addition we also had the opportunity to share improvement ideas and tips from the market. This information exchange is very valuable for us.”