INNOVATION EAGLE

There’s always something new at Eagle Crusher. Eagle Crusher consistently leads the industry in new product innovations and 2023 will be no exception. Join us at CONEXPO-CON/AGG, and see our newest equipment and technologies on display, including the UltraMax®1600X-OC Portable Impactor Plant and the 8x20 Screen Plant with Integrated Feed Conveyor and Blending Gates.

Learn about the many plant options for asphalt producers from our expert personnel in the booth. Outstanding plant options include onsite RAP systems for crushing and precise screening, allowing product consistency with a minimum of white rock and a minimum of fines. Also available are highly portable plant options for larger-sized jobs with high volumes of material at- or near-spec, allowing most to be removed before crushing to increase overall production and reduce wear.

CWMF, Waite Park, Minnesota, and the conveyor between its two new silos.

Prior to the installation of the Honey Badger, ASCO outsourced its RAP processing. However, the company estimates it will use around 140,000 tons of RAP in 2023. ASCO usually runs 30% RAP for base course and 15 to 20% RAP for surface course, depending on the job.

“Now, we’re able to take our millings off our jobs and put them straight into the plant instead of it sitting around for months waiting to be processed and getting soaking wet,” Watson said. “Not only will we save that $5 a ton on processing, but also the energy cost to dry it.”

Furthermore, they are able to limit the space RAP takes up at the plant. “We have limited room, and not building a 40,000-ton pile makes operations smoother,” Watson said.

Watson chose the Honey Badger system after seeing it first at a trade show. “I did a bunch of research, spoke to some people that had one, and I knew CWMF makes really good equipment so I was just really comfortable with that choice,” Watson said, “especially given the level of service you get from them.”

Watson said he often seeks input from other plant operators about equipment he’s considering—and vice versa. “Sometimes someone will reach out to see if they can come by to see a new piece of equipment we’ve bought and we’ll have lunch and I’ll tell them all about our experience with it,” Watson said. “One reason I love this industry is the guys on the ground at the plants tend to help one another. We’ve bought parts off each other to keep each other going. We all know the struggle of running an asphalt plant and we’re here to support each other with advice, parts, pieces.”

Saving the phone numbers of everyone Watson meets in the asphalt industry is one of his best pieces of advice to newcomers to the industry.

“Whether they’re a plant operator or part supplier, I’ve tried to build relationships with everyone and learn what I can from them, even if it’s what not to do,” Watson said. After 16 years in the industry, he has someone to call for almost every problem he might face.

Watson said the biggest challenge related to ASCO’s recent investments was bringing together all the pieces within the company’s preferred timeline while minimizing downtime related to equipment installation.

“The hardest part is ensuring that [the new piece of equipment] can be installed on the day allotted for it,” he said. “With the way the world is right now, it’s extra challenging to buy the equipment soon enough to ensure it’s there when you need it.”

“You’re relying on multiple companies and trying to give each a window of time to do what they need to do,” Watson said. “And we’re so busy, we can't go to another plant for a month while people work on it.”

So far, the company has stayed on schedule with all repairs and installations, Watson said. “Delays are inevitable with the weather, but we hope to finish our winter maintenance and be back running production by the first of March 2023.”

Already, the equipment investments and policy changes Watson has implemented have been working. Historically, the plant had averaged 10 to 15 breakdowns a year. By 2022, that had dropped to three. Wat-

Employee cross-training also plays a role in minimizing down days. The staff at ASCO’s plant (plant operator, loader operator, mechanic, lab tech) are all crosstrained to ensure they can fill in for one another as needed.

“I've seen plants have to be down because the plant operator called in sick and there's nobody available to run it,” Watson said. “At every asphalt plant I’ve ever worked at, that’s something I’ve always done. Everyone needs to be able to do every job position.”

Not only does cross-training eliminate downtime, but Watson said, “it also teaches employees the why behind best practices.” For example, if the loader operator knows how to run the plant, he knows why he needs to stay out of the water at the bottom of the piles. If he understands mix design, he knows why he needs to feed the right types of aggregate. “Crosstraining is very important, so everybody understands what they do, how it affects the final product and how that affects our paving crews, too.”

That also mirrors Watson’s approach to training, which focuses heavily on ensuring everyone knows how the plant works so they are empowered to make their own decisions. “If the lab guy knows how to run the plant, he knows how his decisions are going to affect how the plant runs,” Watson said. “He knows he can’t throw dusty rock into the mix to get the air voids right because it might clog up the baghouse.”

Watson also strives in his training to imbue employees with the same passion for the industry that he has. “It’s hard enough to find workers, but it's especially hard to find workers who are passionate about running the plant well,” he said, but ASCO is heading into the 2023 season strong. “I have an excellent team backing me up and they are the backbone keeping this plant producing quality mix.” son’s goal is to get to zero during the 2023 paving season.

In the future, ASCO plans to invest in a third 300-ton silo and perhaps eventually two lanes of 300-ton silos. Watson also wants to eventually replace the plant’s elevator system with a drag slat. “ALmix set up our second scale and silos in the exact location to fit a drag slat conveyor,” he said. “That might be two or three years down the road, but there’s room there for future expansion.”

And the plant is going to need to expand if its paving operations continue to grow as they have been. ASCO anticipates even higher tonnage in 2023 than 2022 due to the continued growth of Libs Paving, who owns ASCO and is the plant’s primary customer.

“We have already made huge strides, but our goal for this plant is to optimize efficiency in every way, because at 425,000 tons a year, every penny counts.”