Aggregates Manager Digital Magazine
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/562664
15 AGGREGATES MANAGER September 2015 ings — one red and one blue. All of the processing equipment is labeled accord- ing to which MCC building contains the controls. Conveyors are named C1, C2, C3, etc.; crushers are CR1, CR2, CR3, etc.; screens are named S1, S2, S3, etc. The names are printed on each piece of equipment in red or blue, which is deter- mined by which MCC building contains those controls. "If you go into an MCC building to lock out a blue C2 and you see everything in red, you know you're in the wrong building," Wolaver explains, adding that this simple procedure helps to prevent confusion. The plant has had two automation systems. Wolaver refers to the first auto- mation system as a "real fancy pushbut- ton" type. A second automation system is in operation now, but he wants a better system that will allow an operator to start up the plant, hit a few buttons, and then sit back and watch it run. So, plans have been made to install a third auto- mation system sometime during the next year or two. "We had a big tour for our board right after the new plant opened," Wolaver says, explaining that many of the board members don't get out to see a quarry. "We stationed employees around the en- tire operation to explain what was going on in each location." This spring, the old pugmill control sys- tem was replaced with a new automated control system that allows truck drivers to drive up and pull a rope to fill their own trucks. The pugmill is positioned over a scale, so the drivers can control how much is loaded into their trucks. Ideally, an employee wouldn't be need- ed at the pugmill, but Wolaver says the customers tend to overload their trucks, and contractors want different amounts of water in their mixes, so it's better to have someone there. When there are three or four jobs going at the same time, one job runs out of the pugmill and the other jobs run off the ground. The quarry stays six months ahead on stripping and keeps a shot lined up to ensure that rock is always on the ground in the pit. "We blast once a week, usu- ally about 45,000 tons," Wolaver says, adding that they crush 25,000 to 30,000 tons a week, depending on demand. "We PLANT PROFILE