Aggregates Manager Digital Magazine
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/917007
18 AGGREGATES MANAGER / January 2018 Don't overwork people or equipment W hen gearing up to increase production, pro- ducers should evaluate the additional material needed and current plant assets, explains Paul Mclaren, technical sales manager for Kleemann/Wirtgen America. "This means looking at whether it is a short- or long-term requirement and whether it is something that can be done with the equipment currently in the plant or if additional equipment needs to be brought in." If the current equipment at the plant is suffi cient, producers also need to determine whether the aggre- gates operation has the capacity to produce the ton- nage required. "Even if you add a shift, do you have the additional staff available to maintain the equipment?" Mclaren says. "It is not only about the equipment, but also the surrounding infrastructure." This includes de- ciding whether to increase the number of hours worked or whether another plant with different staffi ng require- ments is brought in to assist with producing additional material and if dump truck drivers and other equipment operators are available. "You need to have enough drivers to keep the plant properly fed," Mclaren notes. "The cycle time of haul trucks also has to be at a consistent enough point to get material to feed the crusher." If additional haul trucks would be needed on the road, whether the road has the capacity to handle the extra traffi c and weight — and if local ordinances would allow it — must be considered. When you take everything into account," Mclaren says, "all the pieces need to fall into place." Another key factor is taking care of the operation's equipment and the crews, says Patrick Pfeiffer, general manager for Consolidated Materials Inc., part of Sunset Logistics. Pfeiffer says his operation will ramp up to 12 hours per day, if necessary. However, he makes sure to cap work at eight hours on a Saturday and 65 hours per week or less during the peak of the season. "You start to lose productivity after that," he says. "You don't want people to come to work and be like robots. The employees need to be focused on making a good product or you'll sacrifi ce quality." Producers also need to be realistic and not promise a customer material if they aren't able to fulfi ll the order. "Sometimes you just have to tell the salesman, 'No, we cannot do it,'" Pfeiffer says. "That's an honest answer. You don't want to disappoint the customer." For example, if a customer says 60,000 tons of a spe- cifi c material is needed, run the math to see if it's possi- ble, Pfeiffer suggests. "If we're only capable of providing 40,000 tons I tell them that," he says. "I think customers respect that. Give them an answer as quickly as possible so they can start looking elsewhere, if needed." Increasing production goes beyond just crushing When the number of production hours are in- creased, ensure there is enough staff to cover the additional shifts without pushing both crews and equipment beyond their limits. Running equipment past its capacity or putting off necessary scheduled preventive maintenance to increase production ton- nages may result in downtime and premature fail- ure of bearings, which also means downtime and decreased production. Overworking crews, such as going from 10 to 16 hours per day, may cause burn- out. This affects their ability to safely and effi ciently perform the necessary tasks for production. Some jurisdictional ordinances may determine whether additional production hours are allowed. 1