Aggregates Manager Digital Magazine
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/917007
20 AGGREGATES MANAGER / January 2018 F or a small, independent aggre- gates operation, ramping up pro- duction means just trying to stay ahead of producing material, says Lyle Bushman, owner and superintendent of Eagle Creek Quarries. Bushman and his wife, Sandy, each run one of their two Illinois locations. As a small producer, keeping up with production is challenging, so ramping it up takes careful planning and close attention to details. "The biggest thing for me is running more hours if we're short on material," Bushman says. "The easiest way for me to compete is to stay ahead. It is hard to work from behind, because the harder you push equipment, the more it breaks down." Bushman says when he decides to increase the hours of operation to make additional material, he brings in a local, retired aggregates operation manager who is "on call" to help load trucks when necessary. Having someone like this available is invaluable to a small opera- tion, he notes. Both Eagle Creek Quarries locations try to keep stockpiles of inventory on hand so they are able to absorb an unexpect- ed need for material and rebuild the stockpiles during a slow time, Bushman says. "Every once in while, we run out, but we try to stay ahead of the game," he says. "We sometimes have to second guess what is needed." Occasionally, a job requiring aggre- gates comes up that Bushman says he isn't aware of until a contractor calls to bid on material. "When the contractors call and ask what I have on hand, some jobs will adapt to what I have in inventory," he says. "If I don't have it, they may go to another quarry or just take what is avail- able. They usually don't go away empty." If a handful of contractors request a specific product and are able to market it well, Bushman says he'll increase pro- duction to make the requested product. P ushing an aggregate plant's equipment beyond its capabili- ties may increase production in the short term, but can cause problems in the long term — and, ultimately, neg- atively affect production. "If you push a plant or crew from 10 to 16 hours per day and expect the same guys to perform at the same level, it will cause problems," says Paul Mclaren, technical sales manager for Kleemann/ Wirtgen America. "Their general ability to accomplish work is decreased. A lot of mistakes can happen when you expect a plant already at capacity to do more." There is also the maintenance aspect. Each piece of equipment has scheduled maintenance and it comes up more quickly when production is increased. "If you forget about maintenance, you will have premature wear and failure of bearings," Mclaren points out. "When working for production numbers, sched- uled preventive maintenance sometimes gets pushed back, and equipment and crews are pushed past their limits." This is when producers need to eval- uate whether it makes sense to bring in a track mobile plant instead of relying on a primary stationary crusher, Mclaren explains. A mobile plant may only need two or three people to operate it, if it's positioned directly at the quarry face. "You need to determine whether to bring in a track mobile crusher or change the size of the stationary plant," Mclaren says. If the primary plant is already at max- imum capacity, a secondary or tertiary crusher with screening incorporated can be brought in to help increase produc- tion and efficiency to fulfill customers' needs. "A lot of it comes down to under- standing what equipment and options are available," Mclaren says. "Material volumes and being able to move mate- rial away is equally important. You can feed the crusher as much material as you want, but it becomes a bottleneck if you can't take it away." A s sales increase or a producer receives new projections, pro- duction needs to be balanced against the hours needed to work and adjusted accordingly, says Patrick Pfeiffer, general manager for Consol- idated Materials Inc., part of Sunset Logistics. That being said, Pfeiffer explains, pro- ducers can't only rely on sales projec- tions. He says they are a "good tool," but customers want product to be made for them so they overestimate the buy-ins. "They want to secure a commitment to get it from you," Pfeiffer says. "Every- one with sales projections also knows that you have to be responsive when the time comes." It becomes an issue of making the material, having it available, and selling it the next year if there is a surplus. "At a smaller company, you don't have the option of always ramping up produc- tion," Pfeiffer notes. "You have to build up inventory when you have the chance. You can cut back on it the next year, and you won't have to work as hard in production." There shouldn't be concern about having a surplus, Pfeiffer adds, be- cause, historically, material will sell if it has been produced. "My dad was in the business for 50 years," he says. "I learned from him that you can't sell it if you don't have it. There is no need to think about cutting back until you have a really large inventory." At Pfeiffer's operation, the material production is seasonal. He says the plant uses the winter season to ship off stock- piled material, install different equip- ment, and adjust to the market choosing which products to make. "From December through March is when you really want to see projections, if the operation is seasonal," Pfeiffer says. "Although it really comes down to crushing material, it's not just about that. It's also about life balance — not burning everyone out or sacrificing quality or safety." Voices of Experience Lyle Bushman Paul Mclaren Patrick Pfeiffer