Aggregates Manager Digital Magazine
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/742224
16 AGGREGATES MANAGER / November 2016 PLANT PROFILE document about his section throughout the day, and then signs it and turns it in at the end of the day before clocking out. "We pick up the paperwork the next morning, and if there are any deficien- cies, we'll hand it to our lead repairman to decide if it's something that needs to be taken care of right then, before we produce another ton, or if we can hold off," Johnstone explains. "It depends on what it is. So, there's somebody looking at every piece of the pit, the plant, the roads, the berms every single day." "There's a strong sense of pride and ownership in their zone," says Tina Lau, area environmental manager for Lehigh Hanson's Western Region. "It gives them the leadership to take it on themselves to make improvements and to make suggestions." Working with the environment and the community California is heavily regulated environ- mentally, and Lehigh Hanson strives to go above and beyond those regulations, Lau says. "Mission Valley Rock received the Energy Star certification from the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) in 2013," she notes. "We were the first aggregate facility to get that certification. We had to demonstrate a reduction of at least 10 percent of our energy consump- tion over the course of five years. In just one year, we brought it down 12 percent. It really was a team effort. Everyone talked about where we could make efficiencies. We switched the times we ran production, did some variable-speed drives, and even changed some lighting." Mission Valley Rock also participates in PG&E's base interruptible program. In this program, during times of high power demand, the electric company will request that the plant curtail operations. Employees will then shut down any motor larger than 50 horsepower within 45 minutes to an hour of the call. By en- rolling in the program, the plant is able to get rebates to reduce its operating cost. "We stop pumping water, we clear out the plant, and shut the pit down," Zacharisen explains. "Basically, the only things still running are the offices and loadout. The asphalt plant still runs also. It's not on the program, because if we're in the middle of a paving job, we can't just stop." Keeping open communication with the neighbors has helped the plant maintain good relations with the com- munity. The Sunol Community Action Committee is a group of local community Once the material is sorted, it is placed into the various stockpiles by radial stackers. In the processing plant, the raw material is screened, washed, and sorted into one of the final product.