VOLUME 23 | NUMBER 1 | 2018
mixequipmentmag.com
GALASSO MATERIALS
REPLACES TWO BATCH PLANTS WITH A 500 TPH HMA FACILITY WHAT’S INSIDE EMISSIONS MAJOR CONCERN OF MEXICO CITY’S ASPHALT PRODUCTION SITE
MOBILITY IS KEY TO PAULSEN’S SUCCESS
UNMATCHED DESIGN
Heatec has been designing and building tank farms for over 40 years and each project has been unique in some way. That’s because each customer is unique. You have your own business model that may be slightly different or dramatically different from the other guys’. That’s why at Heatec we take a comprehensive approach to designing your tank farm. That means we look at the materials you will be using, all the equipment that needs heat, the piping, and even future plans for expansion. Then we design a system that works for you. And we make it efficient and simple to operate. Heatec is unmatched when it comes to designing heating and storage systems for your asphalt plant. To find out more about our approach, visit us at www. heatec.com or give us a call at 423-821-5200.
WHAT’S INSIDE VOLUME 23 | NUMBER 1 | 2018 Copyright 2018
ON THE COVER Tully Group’s Success with High RAP Projects in New York Prompts New Plant Purchase for its Connecticut Galasso Materials’ Operation
Mix Equipment is published by the family companies known as Astec Industries, Inc. Our mission is to provide members of the HMA industry with up-to-date news about HMA and WMA technology and the recent advances in the industry.
EDITORIAL STAFF Editor Andrea Bate Staff Photographers Brandon Meredith (Astec) Scott Lee (Roadtec) Danny Shelton (Astec) Charles Alexander (Astec)
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Director of Advertising Brandon Meredith (Astec)
WHY REPLACE TWO BATCH PLANTS WITH A 500 TPH HMA FACILITY?
Editorial Board Malcolm Swanson Steve Claude Chris Frost
SUBSCRIPTIONS Contact Information If you would like to be added to our free subscription list, just call, fax, or write: Subscription Services Diane Hunt 423.867.4210 dhunt@astecinc.com Mix Equipment c/o Astec 4101 Jerome Avenue Chattanooga, TN 37407 Phone: 423.867.4210
www.astecinc.com www.astecused.com www.mixequipmentmag.com
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PERSPECTIVE Commitment to Our Values
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EMISSIONS MAJOR CONCERN OF MEXICO CITY’S ASPHALT PRODUCTION SITE Astec Engineers were Tasked with Designing a Plant that Would Maintain High Production Levels at a Site Elevation of 7,200 Feet, Using an Aggregate Supply Containing Seven Percent Moisture Content.
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MOBILITY IS KEY TO PAULSEN’S SUCCESS New Astec Portable Double Barrel Asphalt Plant Keeps Paving Contractor on the Move Delivering High-Quality Mix for Major Road Projects Throughout Western Nebraska THE RECON CENTRAL SYSTEM HELPS C.W. MATTHEWS KEEP CONTROL OF INVENTORY Joe Hines, Superintendent of Asphalt Plants for C.W. Matthews, Says Controlling the Movement of Liquid Helps Prioritize Trucking Schedules
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CONTINENTAL PAVING DELIVERS SMOOTH FINISH Huge New Hampshire I-93 Multi-Contract Road Rehabilitation Project Benefits from Gravity-Fed Asphalt Paver
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ADVANCED CUSTOMER SCHOOLS With Record-Setting Attendance at the Recent Education Sessions, Astec Continues to Build on Its Industry-Leading Training Program
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ASTEC NEWS Astec Exhibiting at Intermat 2018; Astec Industries Inc. Acquires RexCon; New Promotions and Products
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SPOTLIGHT Paul Michaels Makes Customer Happiness His Main Objective
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PERSPECTIVE
COMMITMENT TO OUR VALUES I n December, 2017, a copy of Astec Industries, Inc.: A Proud Heritage of Innovation and Unparalleled Customer Service was placed on my desk. Flipping through the pages, the rich history of our company comes to life, chronicling the dedication of all individuals who have made this company and its subsidiaries what it is today. What struck me most, however, was the depth our core values run in the Astec Industries story. Reflecting on my six years at Carlson Paving Products, I can see the direct impact our core values have played in our own success story and that of our customers. No more so than our fourth that states “Preserving entrepreneurial spirit, innovation and focus through decentralization.”
INNOVATION THROUGH DECENTRALIZATION In an industry of Goliaths, Carlson is an anomaly. With nearly all major paver producers designing and building their own screed platforms, the thought of a manufacturer that only builds screeds ought to be seen as fantastical. Yet, today Carlson is the North American market leader in screed sales and development, regardless of the tractor decal. How did we get here? One answer to that question is the unwavering devotion, hard work and pride our employees showcase every day in producing world-class products. Another, an underlying yet ever present fact, is the ability for Carlson to forge its own path through decentralization. With an ability to create solutions and innovations generated from jobsites and contractor input, Carlson has been able to pursue new technologies that
enhance roadway and worker safety, prolong lifecycle of asphalt roads, and give contractors reliable platforms with greater uptime and bonus awards. Rather than a top-down approach, Carlson’s innovative platforms are designed from the grassroots of the industry and have helped solidify the brand as the market leader in highwayclass asphalt screeds. The freedom granted to Carlson has also lent to our ability to push boundaries, achieve innovations and enter into new markets. In 2008, we released the CP90 commercial asphalt paver, an organic design that addressed many of the long standing complaints of contractors in this underserved market. Fast forward to today and Carlson is now a major influencer in the trajectory of the commercial paver market, introducing heavier duty platforms, attaining higher quality asphalt mats, and bringing innovations once reserved to highway-class contractors to the commercial market. Now with a full line of four commercial platforms, all of Carlson’s pavers are born out of the independent initiative and entrepreneurial spirit that decentralization lends us.
VALUE DRIVEN GROWTH While decentralization has allowed Carlson to grow its product lineup to meet the needs of its customers and attract new ones, it has also allowed the company to grow in other areas. From 2012 to 2017, Carlson has doubled its sales, a testament to the dedication and hard work of everyone at the company, but also to the ability of the company to fully capitalize on
its entrepreneurial spirit. That success has translated to a need for physical growth to maintain pace with demand. We are excited to announce the ground breaking in the coming weeks on a massive new expansion to our facility that will see our factory increase 80,000 square feet to a total of 125,00 sq. ft. right here in our hometown of Tacoma. With this new expansion, CARLSON’S we are poised to write a new INNOVATIVE PLATFORMS chapter in Carlson’s history ARE DESIGNED FROM THE to meet the needs of more GRASSROOTS OF THE contractors here and abroad INDUSTRY.” Since that first day I was hired by the late Dr. Don Brock, I have been immensely proud to be a part of this story and this company. With continued growth, opportunity and optimism, the story of Carlson’s success is poised to continue, driven by the Core Values we proudly espouse. I am excited for what is still to come, and equally excited to have Carlson play a continued and growing role in the history of Astec Industries for years to come.
Sincerely,
Chris Colwell President Carlson Paving Products
The Milestone plant consists of a 10 ft x 14 ft (3.05 m x 4.27 m) 12-compartment cold feed system and triple 10 ft x 14 ft (3.05 m x 4.27 m) recycle feed bins. mixequipmentmag.com
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PLANTS
EMISSIONS MAJ OF MEXICO CITY’S A
AJOR CONCERN S ASPHALT PRODUCTION SITE ASTEC ENGINEERS WERE TASKED WITH DESIGNING A PLANT THAT WOULD MAINTAIN HIGH PRODUCTION LEVELS AT A SITE ELEVATION OF 7,200 FEET, USING AN AGGREGATE SUPPLY CONTAINING SEVEN PERCENT MOISTURE CONTENT.
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W
hen a municipality shuts down its own asphalt production facility because citizens living in adjacent neighborhoods complain of the emissions, equipment agent Ramon Garcia, owner of DIMAQ, knew he would have to rely on the expertise of a plant manufacturer to convince the government that all requirements could be met with the right design and modification of the asphalt production components required. The final solution is an Astec Relocatable 8-ft. by 40-ft. 250 TPH Double Barrel with a Warm Mix System that is both unique and significant because it is a very “green” plant that the IT’S THE government FIRST PLANT IN of Mexico City LATIN AMERICA wanted. It’s WITH A V-PAC located in the TEMPERATURE middle of the city, CONTROL close to the famous SYSTEM.” Estadio Azteca —Moises Esquivel, Soccer Stadium director of sales for and surrounded Latin America and by residential Caribbean, Astec neighborhoods requiring good roads, but more importantly, a quality of life that is not polluted by unnecessary asphalt emissions. The asphalt director and the director of Mexico City’s Department of Public Works decided to go with an Astec plant based primarily on the fact that it’s an environmentallyfriendly plant to operate. It’s the first asphalt plant in Latin America with a V-Pac Stack Temperature Control System, according to Moises
The Double Barrel Green System features an Astec Phoenix Talon II Low Emission Burner with an air intake silencer.
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Esquivel, Astec’s director of sales for Latin America and the Caribbean. The V-Pac controls stack temperature through use of V-flights and drum variable frequency drive. This feature allows a plant operator to make changes from a RAP mix design to a virgin mix design with reduced flight changes, while increasing drum efficiency in the process. The plant also features Astec’s Phoenix Talon II low emissions burner that can be fired with either natural gas or diesel oil, with a combustion air blower silencer, which reduces excess noise during operation. It’s capable of producing mix designs with up to 50 percent recycled asphalt pavement (RAP), and is also equipped with Astec’s Green System capable of producing warm mix, which further reduces emissions by reducing the heat and fuel required during production. Other notable components include four cold-feed bins, dual recycle feed bins, a 68,194 CFM Pulse Jet Baghouse that includes aramid fiber bags for precise dust control, a variable frequency drive compatible exhaust fan, a 350 DBL dry additive system, three 200 ton
New Generation Storage Silos capable of holding mix for up to four days, a large control center equipped with PMII-B Continuous Mix Blending Controls, dual 2 MMBTU Heatec Hot Oil Heaters, three CEI 10,000-gal. AC tanks (two equipped with mixer agitators capable of storing polymer asphalt binders), and a twin pump asphalt metering system. “The complete plant is capable of maintaining production at an operating elevation of 7,200 feet and using an aggregate supply containing 7 percent moisture content,” Esquivel says. “Most asphalt producers in Latin America rate their asphalt plant production with a 3 percent moisture content; within the US it’s 5 percent; and we rated this plant at a 7 percent because of the high moisture content in the aggregates due to the annual rainfall Mexico City receives.”
A UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY For Garcia, the equipment agent who coordinated the plant transaction by working with Astec in addressing the specific needs of the city’s asphalt and public works operations, the project presented a unique opportunity to help
mixequipmentmag.com
the city address its asphalt needs in a way that would enhance the entire quarry site. “The plant we replaced worked and produced the mix the city needed, but it failed to meet the environmental concerns citizens demanded. That’s why the city decided to shut it down three years ago,” Garcia explains. “It’s a very unique location in the center of city. It used to be an active quarry with four operating asphalt plants. The quarry operation was shut down 20 years ago and older batch plants were shut down since then. Eventually the one remaining continuous drum plant in operation was replaced with another continuous drum plant, and that’s the one officials shut down when the surrounding neighborhoods voiced their unhappiness.” That action forced the Mexico City government to rely solely on independent asphalt producers to support its paving crews, but the asphalt director and public works director continued to push city officials to consider investing in another plant that would supply a large portion of asphalt
mixequipmentmag.com
for the need to move more heated air to dry the aggregate in a high-altitude environment. “Paving operations are conducted at night when streets can be shut down. They (asphalt and public works operations) wanted a 250 TPH that could produce the quantity of material required to complete a project between 12 and 4 a.m.” he adds. “This operation has three different and distinct operations throughout a 24-hour period. The 250 TPH plant is specifically During the day much of the production designed for high altitude, high is for patching work. Then the plant moisture aggregate production. switches over to main paving projects by producing and stockpiling mix needed before the overnight work begins.” for the city of 20 million residents, As Garcia points out, the new plant who expect their roads be kept in good system allows operators to easily switch operating condition. mix designs because of the automatic “I’ve sold Astec products (Roadtec controls for drum rotation and the pavers and Shuttle Buggies) for over V-flights that produce a wider veil of 40 years, so I felt pretty confident their material in the drum. engineering people could design and “I think the authorities involved build a plant that would meet the site in operating the plant, as well as the restrictions and produce quality mix government officials who supported the without adding unnecessary emissions acquisition of the plant, all support the to the area,” Garcia says. advantages cutting-edge The site constraints are technology offers and due to the fact that the I WAS are willing to investigate city officials wanted to CONFIDENT ASTEC leading production and use three-fourths of the COULD DESIGN A paving approaches, like quarry location for park and PLANT TO MEET SITE warm mix and high-RAP,” recreation facilities since it RESTRICTIONS.” Garcia says. “The plant is surrounded by residential produced approximately neighborhoods. —Ramon Garcia, owner, DIMAQ 500,000 tons during The production issues, its first year (2017) of on the other hand, are operation and I expect next year the directly related to the high moisture demand will be much greater. They content and site elevation. know they now have a green facility “It rains five months of the year and that reduces the emissions, and they the aggregate stockpiles have a high will further explore increasing the use moisture content that has to be dealt of warm mixes and high-RAP mixes to with,” Garcia says. “The elevation further promote an environmentallyis another issue. The drum and friendly operation.” baghouse components must account
Along with a new “green” asphalt plant, the quarry site will also include a new park and recreation area to further enhance the surrounding residential neighborhoods.
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Improved Efficiency INCREASED PRODUCTION V-Flights Shower Material Along the Edge of the Notch as Well as the Tip
V-flights Allow for a More Even Veil of Material
FOR MORE INFORMATION VISIT ASTECINC.COM/VPAC
V-PAC
S TA C K T E M P E R AT U R E C O N T R O L S Y S T E M V-Pac U.S. Patent No. 8,863,404 B1
To meet market demand, we change mix design often. The frequent changes push our plants to the limit. ASTEC suggested we add the V-Pac stack temperature control system. We started using the V-Pac system and, without a doubt, it has improved efficiency and increased our production capability.
Clarke DeHart,
Production Manager, CR Jackson Inc. Operating the V-Pac Stack Temperature Control System since 2011
PLANTS
WHY REPLACE TWO BATCH PLANTS WITH A
500 TPH HMA FACILITY?
TULLY GROUP’S SUCCESS WITH HIGH RAP PROJECTS IN NEW YORK PROMPTS NEW PLANT PURCHASE FOR ITS CONNECTICUT GALASSO MATERIALS’ OPERATION.
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The Double Barrel Drum keeps the six 300-ton storage silos supplied with a variety of mixes.
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f you’re somewhat familiar with The Tully Group, one of the nation’s largest privately held construction firms, then you know investing in quality and productivity is at the core of this perennial player in the Northeast’s infrastructure development. With extensive experience in a wide range of construction projects, including dam and reservoir, environment, large utility, highway, bridge, airport, transit, site work, disaster and recovery, and treatment plants, the Tully Group also has a successful track record in operating asphalt plants. Established more than 80 years ago, the family-owned company is managed by the third generation of progressive leaders who continue to pursue innovative approaches to best serve customers, while delivering infrastructure solutions in the market. The Tully Group’s Tully Construction Company has been a major asphalt producer/contractor in the New York construction WE WERE ABLE TO landscape, involved in INSTALL A NEW 500 TPH many prominent projects HIGH RAP DOUBLE over the years. It’s recent BARREL HMA PLANT BY success in producing and SHUTTING DOWN TWO placing high reclaimed BATCH PLANTS.” asphalt pavement (RAP) —Ryan Bush, in the New York City Regional Sales Manager, Astec Metropolitan area has been instrumental in forming the foundation for the future of its asphalt paving approach in its tri-state market of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. When the Tully Group purchased the Galasso Materials operation in East Granby, CT, from members of the
The 9-ft. by 57-ft. High RAP Double Barrel Drum Mixer can produce mix designs with up to 60 percent recycled asphalt.
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Galasso family in 2015, three batch plants were located at the quarry site. It presented an excellent opportunity to expand operations in Connecticut. “We were able to work with the Galasso operation to install a new 500 TPH High RAP Double Barrel XHR HMA plant at the East Granby quarry by shutting down two batch plants,” notes Astec Regional Sales Manager Ryan Bush. Current permit guidelines require plants be located away from water sources,
schools, and other sensitive areas. At the East Granby location, the Tully Group made a joint agreement with CT Department of Energy and Environmental Protection to surrender the operating permits for the two oldest plants on the site as part of CT DEEP’s approval to allow Tully to permit and construct the new Astec high-production drum plant. Asphalt production in Connecticut is based on air permit conditions or plant registrations on a plant-by-plant basis.
mixequipmentmag.com
The 101,225 CFM Pulse Jet Baghouse is equipped with Aramid fiber bags.
This joint effort brought about the replacement of two inefficient plants with cleaner burning, state-of-the-art technology.
SIGNIFICANT UPGRADE Ken Tully, who manages the Tully Group’s asphalt production business, knew exactly what he wanted to replace those two batch plants. With four paving crews working in Connecticut and the hope to increase RAP in mixes being placed, Tully’s mixequipmentmag.com
experience with his Astec plant in Queens, NY, was the basis for his new plant in East Granby. “Ken is very progressive in his NY markets, producing mixes with 60-70 percent RAP content on a daily basis,” Bush says. “In New York City alone, paving projects are required to contain a minimum of 30 percent RAP to meet environmental guidelines. “Ken’s approach to producing and using high-RAP mixes on a lot of New York projects helped us in developing plant capability that could meet that kind of demand,” Bush adds. “The use of stainless steel and an external mixer with a Double Barrel design all were aided in the development process based on the work Ken was doing with highRAP projects in his market.” When you’re producing a 60 percent RAP mix, the initial 40 percent virgin aggregate must be heated to a higher temperature to sufficiently heat the RAP without direct flame. Direct flame on the RAP could burn off some of the existing binder in the RAP material. “With our plant in Queens, we typically use up to 60 percent RAP on private commercial projects that require a minimum of 50 percent RAP,” Tully notes. “When we were awarded a city parking lot project that was designated a green drainage project, we produced 10,000 tons of high RAP (up to 60 percent) to meet the ‘green’ requirements. We currently use 20 percent RAP on state and federal agency projects, but I see those agencies increasing RAP usage in the future.” Currently, 80 to 90 percent of Tully’s asphalt work is for road agencies, with the remaining focused on commercial work. “In New York we’re required to use 30 percent RAP on city streets,” Tully states. “In Connecticut we can use 15 percent RAP (up to 20 percent with specific engineer approval) in all surface courses for all road agency work. But as agencies realize the cost benefit of using more RAP, along with the environmental aspects of recycling more material back into a project, I think we’ll see higher RAP designs.”
PLANT PERFORMANCE The new 500 TPH plant has been in
production since this past July and it’s delivering everything Tully expected. “We ran it at approximately 80 percent of capacity this past season and that supplied most of the material our four paving crews needed on the projects we built. With six 300-ton storage silos, we plan to make this our primary plant, producing 90 percent of all asphalt coming out of the East Granby location,” Tully states. “Eighty percent of all production at that location supports our crews, with the remaining 20 sold to independent asphalt contractors. And WE PLAN TO with three recycling bins, MAKE THIS OUR we’re set up to incorporate PRIMARY PLANT, as much RAP as agencies PRODUCING 90 and our other customers PERCENT OF ALL will allow.” ASPHALT COMING Other major components OUT OF EAST supporting the 9-ft. by GRANBY.” 57-ft. mixer drum, fired —Ken Tully, asphalt manager, by a Phoenix Talon The Tully Group 125 MMBTU per hour combination gas/#2 oil burner, include a seven-compartment cold feed system, a dual deck scalping screen, twin shaft asphalt mixer, a 101,225 CFM Pulse Jet Baghouse, a low-profile truck scale, a pilot control center equipped with the Total Control II-HMA PLC Control System, a Heatec 2 MMBTU per hour gas/oil heater, and three 10,000 gallon vertical insulated asphalt tanks. “We’ve really been happy with our Queens’ plant that we brought online in 2007 and have modified to increase our RAP production, so we invested in this new plant to be able to increase RAP production in our Connecticut market as customers allow based on their investment dollars and performance requirements,” Tully says. “We really think this plant will serve our needs for a long time, producing from 300,000 to 500,000 tons per year.”
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Three 10,000-gal. Heatec liquid asphalt tanks keep the plant supplied for maximum production.
Dependable Performance CONSISTENT MIX
FOR MORE INFORMATION VISIT ASTECINC.COM/UNIDRUM
DILLMAN UNIDRUMÂŽ
When it was time to buy two new plants, a Dillman UNIDRUMÂŽ plant was the best fit for us. We like the Unidrum because of its very consistent, homogenous mix and very low maintenance. The Unidrum plants provide more uptime with less routine maintenance.
Slavic Mokienko,
General Manager, R. E. Pierson Materials Corp. Operating Four UNIDRUM Plants
PLANTS
MOBILITY IS K PAULSEN’S SUC
S KEY TO UCCESS
NEW ASTEC PORTABLE DOUBLE BARREL ASPHALT PLANT KEEPS PAVING CONTRACTOR ON THE MOVE DELIVERING HIGH-QUALITY MIX FOR MAJOR ROAD PROJECTS THROUGHOUT WESTERN NEBRASKA. mixequipmentmag.com
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It’s not uncommon for Paulsen to move its new portable plant six or more times during the paving season.
THE 400 TPH PORTABLE PLANT IS IDEAL FOR PAULSEN PROJECTS.” —Ken Mayo, Regional Sales Manager, Astec
W
hen it came time for Nebraska asphalt contractor Paulsen Inc. to replace an older Astec/ CEI portable plant, it was an easy decision to do so with a state-of-the-art Astec 400 TPH 8-ft. by 38-ft. Double Barrel Drum Mixer powered by a Whisper-Jet 100 MMBTU per hour gas/#2 oil burner. “Paulsen operates two portable plants that give them the advantage of moving wherever the work is,” states Ken Mayo, Astec regional sales manager. “They’ve been very satisfied with the
A five-bin cold feed system and two RAP bins supply the portable drum plant.
and gain any technology enhancements
has been crucial in building a positive
by replacing everything.”
partnership with Astec and a successful
As Mayo notes, Paulsen, a family-
paving business for Paulsen.
owned business now led by the third
“We’ve been able to rely on the
generation, and Astec have enjoyed a
Astec brand and the customer service
close relationship. “We’ve been doing
behind the brand to build our business,”
business with them for a long time and
Nordmeyer says. “With this new plant
that relationship enables us to know what
acquisition, we were able to upgrade with
works best for them and how they like to
a much more user-friendly facility. The
operate.” Mayo says.
V-Pac Stack Temperature Control System
TECHNOLOGY BENEFITS Paulsen’s six decades of asphalt
(equipped with a set of v-flights and a variable frequency drive) automatically adjusts drum rotation speed based on inlet
two Astec portable plants they were
experience has demonstrated the need for
and outlet temperatures to maintain mix
using and decided to stick with what’s
quality equipment and excellent support.
quality production temperature.”
been performing well for them. The 400
From major paving projects on I-80 and
TPH portable plant is ideal for the size
primary highways, to city streets and
has proved important for Paulsen
of jobs Paulsen produces, and they tend
parking lots, Paulsen has built a strong
when producing different mix designs
to move a portable plant many times a
reputation for quality, owner satisfaction,
that meet different state road agency
year. They decided to trade in the old
and lasting relationships.
requirements. Fortunately, Paulsen’s
plant, replacing all the components.
For Kane Nordmeyer, equipment
Basically, they wanted to mirror their
manager for Paulsen, that relationship
existing plant with similar components
and the ability to leverage new technology
As Nordmeyer points out, that feature
two paving crews and two plants work primarily in Nebraska. “Each state has its own guidelines based on the available aggregate. In Nebraska, we use crushed river rock to meet state specifications for our mix designs,” Nordmeyer states. “If we were to take this plant to any other state, we have the ability to adapt to different materials while still efficiently maintaining mix temperatures and mix quality, which is second to none.” But for Paulsen, the two portable plants are used predominantly on state highway projects west of Grand Island, NE.
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mixequipmentmag.com
The V-Pac Stack
“Most of our projects are in the 35,000
Temperature Control System with v-flights and variable frequency drive maintains mix quality and reduces operator fatigue.
to 50,000-ton range and having automatic temperature control makes it easy for a plant operator to efficiently maintain production throughout the duration of the project,” Nordmeyer says. One hundred percent of Paulsen’s asphalt production supports two paving crews. The new plant was gradually brought up to full production during the 2016 paving season. Additional components that support the drum and V-Pac technology advantage include a five-bin cold feed system, a 69,685 CFM Express Baghouse, a portable self-erecting surge bin, a portable power house with continuous mix blending
work. Surface course mixes are limited to
that should be used to resurface our new
controls, a Weigh Mate 2000 Truck
35-45 percent.
projects throughout the state,” he says.
Loadout and Management System, and a
“Most of our projects are mill and fill,
With the new plant and the other Astec
Heatec 30,000-gallon portable asphalt tank.
where we’re just replacing the surface
portable plant that was put into service
“With every new plant you’ll always have
course,” Nordmeyer says. “It’s pretty
in 2010, Nordmeyer
a few glitches to work out, and that was
common for us to mill right in front of the
is confident increased
the case with this plant as it relates to the
paving operation, with our truck drivers
RAP will continue to
efficiency of the burner fuel and aggregate
delivering new mix to the paving crew,
lead to more work.
loss,” he notes. “We were able to produce
then taking on a load of milled material,
between 190,000 and 200,000 tons with
hauling it back to our plant and then
plant, which has
the plant in 2016, and more during the 2017
taking on another load of new mix before
undergone some
season we’re wrapping up.”
returning to the jobsite.”
modifications over the
MORE RAP MILL, FILLS Both portable plants have performed well with mix designs incorporating reclaimed asphalt mix content. In
As Nordmeyer explains, the Nebraska
AUTOMATIC TEMPERATURE CONTROL MAKES IT EASY.”
“Our other older
—Kane Nordmeyer, equipment manager, Paulsen
years, ran at 400-450 TPH this past season
Department of Roads has been pushing to
and I’m certain the newer plant can do the
increase RAP content to expand budgets
same if we need it to,” Nordmeyer states.
in order to complete more work.
“We plan to keep these plants busy in the
“The state realized the existing
years ahead; and the design and quality,
Nebraska, mixes with 50-60 percent RAP
pavement milled on our projects contains
along with customer support, should
can be used in base courses and shoulder
valuable asphalt content and aggregate
allow us to do that.”
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ï…‚ PLANT
KEEP CONTROL O
JOE HINES, SUPERINTENDENT OF ASPHALT PLANTS FOR C.W. MATTHEWS, SAYS CONTROLLING THE MOVEMENT OF LIQUID HELPS PRIORITIZE TRUCKING SCHEDULES.
THE RECON CENTRAL SYSTEM HELPS C.W. MATTHEWS
L OF INVENTORY mixequipmentmag.com
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THE RECON CENTRAL SYSTEM GIVES C.W. MATTHEWS A BIRD’S-EYE VIEW OF ALL THEIR PLANTS WITHOUT HAVING TO LOG IN TO DIFFERENT PLANT LOCATIONS.” —C.W. Matthews
I
t is a real challenge for a company with multiple asphalt plants and asphalt terminals to keep track of the inventory coming in and out. C.W. Matthews Contracting Co., Inc. is no different. They operate 25 asphalt plants and an asphalt terminal in the state of Georgia, and a second terminal in Tennessee. While C.W. Matthews already had systems in place to manage their numerous plants, they looked to the Recon Central Monitoring System from Heatec to make management even easier and more efficient. About two years ago, Heatec created the Recon Monitoring System to remotely monitor hot oil heaters and tanks at asphalt plants. One of the key features of the system is that an operator (or ONE OF anyone else that has OUR LARGEST been given access) can view the status of their OBSTACLES heater and tanks on IS THE a smart phone, tablet AVAILABILITY or PC from anywhere OF TRUCKING. through a web browser. RECON CENTRAL The system will even GIVES US send alerts via email or text messages if there REAL-TIME is a problem. INVENTORY Each Recon LEVELS.” system is installed —Joe Hines, C.W. Matthews at individual plants and operates independently of each other. If you want to survey each of your plants, you have to log in to each plant individually. For companies with a few plants, it’s simply a matter of opening another tab or window in your web browser. C.W. Matthews, however, installed the Recon system at 24 of their plants, making supervision of all their systems possibly overwhelming and cumbersome. That’s where the Recon Central System shines. It gives companies a bird’s-eye view of all their plants on a single screen, so they can make sure everything is working
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properly without having to log in or make a call to different plant locations.
GETTING LIQUID TO THE RIGHT SPOT The Recon Central System really appealed to Joe Hines, superintendent of asphalt plants for C.W. Matthews. “Our workload tends to continuously rotate around our different regions. Currently, one of our largest obstacles is the availability of trucking. Using the Recon Central page, we can quickly assess the real-time inventory level of all our asphalt tanks at all our plants.” Hines continues, “before, the only way we would have been able to determine the same information, was to call each plant individually. Thanks to the Recon system at each Plant and the Recon Central page, we can make hauling decisions within minutes.” Will Wetherbee, Asphalt Plant Superintendent, adds, “When our crews are working around the clock, typically one plant manager has the responsibility of ordering all the liquid. Using the Recon system, I can access detailed information of individual tank farms directly from my smartphone before leaving the house.
PRECISE READINGS
At that time, we can adjust our hauling
Hines trusts the readings from the Recon system. “It’s gotten to the point where, if the Recon system sends an email we believe what the Recon says. We’ve had a couple of heaters show they are in low temp, or they will drop down to a certain temperature and it fires off an email,” he explains. “The Recon is accurate. Our readings between the computers and the Datel readout could be manipulated by humans. But our pressure transmitter is what it is. The Recon is hard set. It’s legit.” C.W. Matthews uses either pressure transmitters or radars to monitor tank levels at their plants. The Recon system helps them keep accurate readings for the devices. Hines explains, “The Recon system’s ability to log historical
needs as necessary. As far as capacities and stuff like that, it’s helped us out big time in my opinion.” Another benefit that Hines finds useful is the trending data that is recorded by the Recon system. They are able to use the trending data to find possible inefficiencies or problem spots in the heating system. Each day, they pull the trending data the Recon system provides and they record it in reports they have created internally. “We can look at three or four days worth of data and graph it, and you can see the cycles of your heater and it shows which ones are running better and which ones need help. It really focused the standardizing of temperatures on heaters and tanks across the board,” Hines says.
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data, has given us the ability to fine UNINTENDED OUTCOMES tune these devices. If we get a false When C.W. Matthews installed their reading within a certain area of our new Recon systems, they discovered tank, the logs let us know exactly where areas for improvement. “It was a good to focus our corrective efforts.” operation for us to go through and Hines adds, “The install these at all of our Recon system uses plants. We were able to thermocouples develop a checklist to INSTALLING to translate confirm that all aspects THE RECON temperatures of our tank farm were SYSTEMS WAS into the system. operating as intended,” A GOOD WAY TO Historically, Hines said. “With the VALIDATE HOW thermocouples do Recon system’s help, we WE WERE not need consistent were able to isolate some calibration. Now, areas of improvement. We OPERATING.” when the Recon discovered that several —Will Wetherby, C.W. Matthews sends an email of the tank heating letting us know that control valves needed temperatures or levels are outside of to be recalibrated so that the optimal our custom set points, we can quickly operating temperature was maintained. address each situation as necessary.” Also, the Recon system allows us the
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C.W. Matthews’ Joe Hines, left, and Will Wetherbee, say the Recon Central System makes it easy to manage the company’s 25 plant operations and two liquid asphalt terminals from one location.
ability to analyze operating temperatures across all areas of the tank farm. Loss of temperature can be related to plumbing, side pump efficiency or faulty valves.” Hines believes the Recon and Recon Central systems are valuable additions to C.W. Matthews’ plants. “Yeah, it’s dependable. We are happy with it,” Hines states, and he looks forward to using it more to aid inventory and operations. For more information on the Recon and Recon Central Systems contact Heatec at 423-821-5200, visit their website at www.heatec.com. ®
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Dedicated to Success.
Untitled-1 1
8/16/17 11:20 AM
ï…‚ PAVING
BY JEFF WINKE
HUGE NEW HAMPSHIRE I-93 MULTI-CONTRACT ROAD REHABILITATION PROJECT BENEFITS FROM GRAVITY-FED ASPHALT PAVER.
CONTINENTAL PAVING
DELIVERS SMO
MOOTH FINISH mixequipmentmag.com
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Jeff Winke is a business and construction writer based in Milwaukee, Wis. He can be reached through jeff_winke@yahoo.com.
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t may sound a bit dramatic, but the New Hampshire Department of Transportation (NHDOT) proclaims that the widening of a 20-mile segment of I-93 between Exits 1 and 5 from the Massachusetts Stateline to Manchester, NH is one of the most ambitious projects that it has ever undertaken. Clearly, I-93 is one of the state’s principal arterials and is considered critical to the economic vitality of the state, region and local communities. The roadwork to be performed is akin to brain surgery. There’s a lot at stake and no room for any screw ups. The gist of the major road project is that I-93 will be rebuilt and widened from two- to four-lanes. According to NHDOT, “The main element of the improvement involves widening I-93 from the existing limited access two-lane highway in each direction to a limited access four-lane highway in each direction
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Continental Paving is involved in the final four contracts covering widening a 12-mile section of the I-93 project. from Salem, NH at the Massachusetts/ New Hampshire stateline heading northerly through Salem, Windham, Derry and Londonderry, and into Manchester, ending at the I-93/I-293 interchange.” The $750 million project was started in 2008 and is anticipated to be completed by the end-of-year 2019. The first phases of the project focused on the clearing and grubbing of the land adjacent to the interstate to accommodate the additional
lanes. Additionally, there was the construction of bridges, on and off ramps, and park-and-ride facilities. “We’ve joined the Rebuilding I-93 project at its final phase where we’ll be completing the asphalt paving on the remaining 12 miles of the project,” states Amy Charbonneau, Continental Paving, Inc., Londonderry, NH. “We are the subcontractor on four separate contracts with three general contractors. The GCs are Audley Construction out of Bow, NH; Weaver Brothers Construction, based in Bow, NH; and Coleman Construction from North Conway, NH.” With 300 to 350 employees, Continental Paving serves the New Hampshire market offering commercial and industrial site development, asphalt paving, and is a wholesaler for asphalt mix and aggregates. Projects have included commercial building sites, residential
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housing developments, roadway construction from town roads to interstate highways, and airport construction.
FLEXIBLE CONTRACTS The Rebuilding I-93 contracts do not cover the entire 20-mile segment being rehabbed. These are the last four big contracts in order to complete the entire widening of I-93 and covers the range from Mile 7 to Mile 19. “Following the terms of our agreements, we are available to work for all of the contractors at the same time based on their needs and what they have ready,” Charbonneau says. “We’ll be building temporary bypasses, lane swaps, and what works for them to keep the big picture moving forward.” The first two contracts of the job site are for Audley Construction and are located on the southern section of
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the project. On these jobs, Continental Paving’s contract includes some reclaiming, milling, onsite crushing, and the asphalt paving. The first Audley contract calls for approximately 140,000 ton of asphalt. The total contract for Audley as a GC is valued at $49 million dollars with a completion date of October 2019.
THE STEALTH IS SAVING ON FUEL COST AND THE PAVER IS GOING TO SAVE US APPROXIMATELY 50 PERCENT IN WEAR PART REPLACEMENT COST ON A YEARLY BASIS, DUE TO THE REDUCED NUMBER OF MOVING PARTS.” —Amy Charbonneau, Continental
“We have used our Roadtec Stealth Paver with a Carlson screed for 90 percent of the work on the project, and when it wasn’t being used it was the Roadtec RP-190e rubber tire asphalt paver with the same MOBA-Matic II grade and slope leveling system on the machine,” Charbonneau says. “The highway through all four contracts is being reconstructed from the base up, and we plan on paving the entire main line portion from gravel up with the Stealth Paver.” The Roadtec RP-100e Stealth Paver is designed to be a low-maintenance gravity-fed paver specifically for operating with a material transfer vehicle. Continental Paving uses a Roadtec SB-2500e Shuttle Buggy material transfer vehicle with a 25-ton capacity to pair up with its Stealth Paver. The Shuttle Buggy stores and transfers hot-mixed asphalt material from a truck to a paver for continuous
Continental paired the Roadtec SB-2500e Shuttle Buggy with the Roadtec RP-100e Stealth Paver to deliver a smooth pavement.
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Supplied by a Roadtec material transfer vehicle, the Roadtec Stealth Paver with Carlson screed delivered a smooth pavement and bonus incentives. paving. A patented anti-segregation auger remixes materials in the MTV just before they are delivered to the asphalt paver. Charbonneau believes the benefits of the gravity-fed paver are tangible: “We do not track fuel costs per paver, but we see that the Stealth is saving on fuel cost and the paver is going to save us approximately 50% in wear part replacement cost on a yearly basis, due to the reduced number of moving parts on the machine itself.”
THE SECOND CONTRACT The second contract with Audley Construction has a $62 million value and requires placement of 116,000 tons of asphalt and a completion date of September 2020. As with all the contracts, Continental is WITH THE STEALTH paving from the PAVER, WE WERE ABLE TO gravel up. “Our paving ACHIEVE NEAR PERFECT calls for the COMPACTION NUMBERS.” placement of three —Amy Charbonneau, lifts of HMA to Continental Paving reach the finished surface,” states Charbonneau. “There are different mix combinations in different sections,to help the state test paved surface longevity. “ The different combinations are comprised of base lifts made with 1¼-inch aggregate base, ¾-inch aggregate binder and a half-inch aggregate top course. “After first using the Stealth Paver on a turnpike mill, fill and overlay in the previous season, we knew its capabilities on the smaller mix designs, but we were interested in seeing if it could perform as well on the 1¼-inch base and also to see if it would rid our mat of any segregation problems that we were having with the bigger base designs,”
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Charbonneau says. “The machine met our hopes on all accounts. We have previously received in the .96 to .99 pay factor with a conventional paver, and with the Stealth on the I-93 project we are currently receiving a maximum pay factor in the 1.02 to 1.05 range. We were able to achieve near perfect compaction numbers also.” Charbonneau adds, “We have found that the Stealth paver lays a consistent mat at a higher than average feet-per-minute with great compaction numbers than with other pavers we use.” With a 90-foot-per-minute paving pace, Continental was able to achieve with the Roadtec RP-100e Stealth Paver a record night for the contractor, when the machine placed 4,100 tons of asphalt at 1¼-inch by the morning, which was an 11-hour shift for the paving crew.
THE THIRD AND FOURTH CONTRACTS The third contract job is for Weaver Brothers Construction. On their site, Continental Paving will be milling and paving. The total contract awarded to Weaver Brothers was for $34 million and consists of approximately 88,000 tons of asphalt with a completion date of August 2019. The fourth contract for Continental Paving requires milling and paving also. The total contract awarded to Continental is $45.9 million and
calls for approximately 115,000 tons of asphalt with a completion date of October 2019. Throughout all four of the Continental Paving contracts a variety of pieces of equipment will be used. A Roadtec SX-8e soil stabillizerreclaimer machine was tested when the contractor had to reclaim a section of the existing highway which required a 12-18” cutting depth. A half-lane Roadtec RX700e milling machine was used principally for transitional tie-ins and shoulder slope adjustments for lane shifts. The cold planer also plays a major role when bringing the lanes of traffic back from their shifts and swaps while making the surface ready and smooth for the top coat of asphalt. The highway is being reconstructed from gravel up so there are not any major sections for Continental to be milled before paving, but on some of the sections where removal of existing highway was the goal the company did mill off a majority of the asphalt to return to their main location for use as RAP in new asphalt production. The whole NHDOT widening of the 20-mile segment of I-93 project was started 8 years ago and these Continental Paving contracts are the last piece of the puzzle. The rehab and widening of this major highway is considered a much-needed infrastructure improvement for the state. ®
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H Y B R I D P R O C E S S R E A DY M I X P L A N T
Dry batch. Wet batch. Portable. Proudly American-made in Albuquerque, New Mexico USA.
Stronger Concrete Per Dollar. The Fusion batch plant from CEI lets you produce superior concrete with lower permeability, using less cement. How much less? Some customers have exceeded strength specs using up to 17% less cement. The Fusion plant blends aggregates in layers, with consistency and precision to reduce voids, lower cement demand, and reduce segregation. Want to mix better concrete AND save on material costs? Give us a call. 800.545.4034. There’s more. CEI is a full-service company, with engineering, manufacturing, setup, training, worldwide parts & service support... all here, all the time, for you.
CEI ENTERPRISES
an Astec Industries Company 245 WOODWARD RD SE • ALBUQUERQUE, NM 87102 USA • 800.545.4034 • FAX 505.243.1422 • ceienterprises.com
An Astec Industries Company
Inc
The Tradition Continues RexCon Mobile 12 SE/CM Self-Erecting Portable Plant
Nothing beats a Rex!
Mobility. Reliability. Performance.
2841 Whiting Road, Burlington, WI 53105 Tel (262) 539-4050 Fax (262) 539-4487 www.rexcon.com An Astec Industries Company
Made In The USA
ADVANCED CUSTOMER SCHOOLS
ASTEC RAISES THE BAR WITH RECORD ATTENDANCE AT 2018 EVENT Strong tradition of education is 40 years in the making
A
stec’s Customer Schools continues a strong tradition of education, as the recent 2018 program illustrated, with a total of 654 students representing 42 U.S. states, six Canadian provinces and five other countries – Ukraine, Poland, France, Kazakhstan and Russia – in attendance at one of the eight sessions held earlier this year in Chattanooga, TN. It was the best attended Advanced Customer Schools since Astec launched the program 40 years ago.
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“We work hard to make the Astec schools experience the best in the industry,” notes Michael Holbrook, Astec service schools’ administrator. “The response to the schools each year is phenomenal. Available spaces always fill quickly after registration opens. We feel like the industry values what our schools offer.” The success of the schools is due largely to the format of lectures backed by actual hands-on applications. “Astec places an emphasis on a
hands-on experience. The ability to learn through doing helps our students understand the troubleshooting, service and maintenance tasks that we teach,” Holbrook says. Providing ready access to plant experts is also a crucial component to the success of the program. “Accessibility is also something important at Astec and it’s on full display during schools. Our classes are taught by service techs and engineers with in-field experience. This provides
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ADVANCED CUSTOMER SCHOOLS
our attendees with invaluable facetime with a team of experts,” Holbrook states. “During class, between classes and at evening events, Astec personnel are available to answer questions and share information.” The added experience of learning with your THE SCHOOL ATTENDEES GAIN A peers also provides ample LOT FROM SHARING opportunity to exchange ideas. WITH FELLOW “We’ve also learned that ATTENDEES.” our school attendees gain —Michael Holbrook, Astec service a lot from sharing with schools administrator their fellow attendees, so we try to make sure those opportunities for open discussion are available,” Holbrook adds.
STRONG LEARNING TRADITION GAINED MOMENTUM
Initial programs were held in hotel confernce rooms before Astec built its own training center.
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According to Astec Co-founder, Norm Smith, the first Astec Customer School was held in 1978 at the Ramada Inn on 23rd Street in Chattanooga. “Blackrock Contracting, West Virginia, bought three batch plants, so Mr. Leo Vecellio Sr. sent a group to the school,” Smith recalled. Ten attendees participated in the first learning event, which became an annual event in the early ‘80s’ and draws hundreds of participants each year. What was the objective of the training — to support customers who owned Astec equipment or something else? The primary objective of the training, first and foremost,
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is to support customers, who experience a reduction in downtime, faster troubleshooting and improved efficiency after attending the schools. An additional benefit is a reduction in service calls. Another benefit,
according to Smith, is that customers have a chance to meet the service, parts and engineering people. “When they call in they have met the person they are discussing their problems with,” Smith says.
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How has the program grown and changed over the years? Smith notes, “Major change has been from all lectures to more hands-on. The tours have always been very popular. The tours made a major improvement when the shop personnel were included to talk about what they did in their areas.” Are there companies who repeatedly send employees to the annual event? “Yes, many companies send employees every year. And some attendees make it a point to return every few years, because of the value they see in the education they receive at the Astec Advanced Customer Schools.” mixequipmentmag.com
Astec’s Advanced Customer Schools continue to evolve, giving participants more hands-on time to apply information presented during lectures. As the images from the 2018 programs show (above and at the right) the education lab environment reinforces curriculum covered during the eight four-day classsessions held earlier this year. What does Astec do to improve the learning experience each year? “Each year Astec evaluates attendee feedback and reviews industry trends to create an evolving curriculum to help each attendee maximize efficiency and production at his/her facility.” ®
NEWS
ASTEC EXHIBITING AT INTERMAT 2018
A
Astec’s premium counter-flow aggregate drum dryer, the Double Barrel XHR, will be on display at Intermat.
stec, Inc., an Astec Industries company, will exhibit at the 2018 Intermat International Exhibition for Construction and Infrastructure April 23-28 in Paris, France. Attendees to the Intermat 2018 are invited to stop at stand 5A E 154 to learn more about the complete range of options available from Astec, including: The Double Barrel® XHR, Astec Inc.’s premium counter-flow aggregate drum dryer with an external asphalt mixer. An exclusive package of features on this drum can produce up to 400 tons per hour of mix with up to 65% RAP/RAS content. The Astec Warm Mix System, the latest generation of the Astec warm mix system simplifies production of warm mix asphalt. The benefits of warm mix asphalt, such as reduced energy consumption, lowered emissions, and elimination of visible smoke, are well-known in the asphalt paving industry. The
Astec warm mix system achieves a lower temperature at a lower cost by eliminating the need for additives or special asphalt cement. Instead, the Astec warm mix system injects a small amount of water into the liquid AC to create microscopic steam bubbles. These small bubbles act to reduce the viscosity of the liquid AC, allowing the mix to be worked at lower temperatures. Astec Burners - Astec offers the most technologically advanced burners in the industry with the Phoenix® and Whisper Jet® burner lines. The Whisper Jet burner delivers unmatched reliability and hassle-free maintenance. The Whisper Jet burner cleanly and efficiently burns oil or gas and has a compact flame. The Phoenix Talon burner sets the standard for power and efficiency, while maintaining very low emissions. With the
optional silencing package, it is quiet enough to have a phone conversation on the burner platform while it is firing. The Phoenix Fury Burner is a great, cost-effective choice with a robust build and simple, accessible construction. Compared to other openfired designs, the Fury burner achieves better emissions and fuel-efficiency by putting 50% more combustion air through the burner than competitive designs. The Phoenix Phantom Ultra Low NOx Premium Burner leads the pack with the lowest available combustion and noise emissions (gaseous fuels only). The Phantom burner also achieves the highest electrical energy efficiency with innovations like variable speed drives and offers advanced mixing technology and the latest technological innovations to deliver the absolute minimum gaseous emissions available today. The compact, highlyportable Voyager 120 plant. Unique for a plant in this class is the ability to run up to 30% RAP. Astec will exhibit in stand 5A E 154 along with Astec Industries companies Roadtec, Heatec and Astec Mobile Machinery. For more information about ASTEC, visit www.astecinc.com ®
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mixequipmentmag.com
Retrofit Controls
A Heart Transplant for Your Plant
The control system: it’s the heart of your plant, reaching every aspect of your operation. ASTEC Retrofit Controls expand and improve your capabilities with an all new control system customized to fit your needs. It’s like a heart
‘‘
Pictured from left to right Roy Bryant, Plant Foreman Ricky Pendergrass, General Superintendent Bailey Watkins, Asphalt Plant Manager
When our outdated controls started to give us problems, we knew it was time to upgrade. We chose Astec because of the service. Astec has the absolute best service.
your Includes an updated A Stransplant T E C , for IN C .plant. an Astec Industries Company 4101Control JEROME Center, AVENUE Power • CHATTANOOGA, TN 37407 USA • 423.867.4210 • FAX 423.867.4636 • astecinc.com Center and all new The new system communicates timing and electrical switch gear.
tolerances when switching mixes extremely well. Now we know when the mix is in tolerance; therefore, we waste less asphalt. — Bailey Watkins Asphalt Plant Manager, Fred Smith Company
ASTEC, INC.
’’
an Astec Industries Company 4101 JEROME AVENUE • CHATTANOOGA, TN 37407 USA • 423.867.4210 • FAX 423.867.4636 • astecinc.com
NEWS The Mobile 12 SE is a portable, self-erecting concrete plant capable of producing up to 270 cubic yards per hour. It’s available in both central mix and transit mix configurations, and offers significantly lower mobilization and site preparation costs.
ASTEC INDUSTRIES INC. ACQUIRES REXCON REXCON READY TO LEVERAGE ADDED MARKET REACH AND SUPPORT.
A
stec Industries, Inc. acquisition of RexCon LLC, one of the leading full-line concrete batch plant manufacturers in the U.S., will provide growth opportunities for both companies. In the October 2017 acquisition announcement, Benjamin G. Brock, Chief Executive Officer of Astec Industries, Inc., stated, “We are very pleased to welcome RexCon to the Astec Industries family of companies. The acquisition of RexCon reflects our stated strategy to drive focused growth, both organically and through acquisitions of strong companies, that serve the infrastructure, aggregate and mining, and energy industries.
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RexCon is a successful, profitable company with a reputation for innovative technology and dependable quality products. We are a match culturally and in our approach to business. We thank the owners, Jake Jacob and Mike Redmond, for their collaborative efforts in finalizing this transaction, and we are pleased that they will continue to run and work to grow RexCon, as a part of Astec Industries, joining our Energy Group.” RexCon is a U.S. manufacturer of high-quality stationary and portable, central mix and ready mix concrete batch plants, concrete mixers, and concrete paving equipment. RexCon specializes in providing portable,
RexCon’s flagship plant, the Model S with the Horizontal “Shrink” mixer is capable of producing up to 550 cubic yards per hour – an ideal portable paving plant for major infrastructure jobs.
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Mix
RAP IS WORTH WHAT IT REPLACES.
From Equipment to Application Any recycled product is worth what it replaces. To fully realize the value of RAP, you must process it back to its original mix design. As an Astec Industries group of companies, KPI-JCI and Astec Mobile Screens are leaders in RAP processing. We pair that with a wide selection of crushing, screening, and material handling equipment required to fractionate RAP and ensure the highest quality materials throughout the recycling process.
KPI-JCI and Astec Mobile Screens
Astec Industries Companies
700 WEST 21ST STREET • YANKTON, SD 57078 USA • 800.542.9311 • FAX 605.665.8858 • kpijci.com
Mix Magazine_RAP Spotlight_WOA_AGG1_18-1.indd 1
1/29/2018 8:17:40 AM
NEWS The Model S with a single tilt mixer will produce up to 330 cubic yards per hour and has a reputation for reliability, portability, ease of setup, and operational simplicity.
This highly custom RexBatch150 consists of three truck charging lanes – two gravity “dry” lanes, and one central mix “wet” lane, and can produce over 800 cubic yards per hour.
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high-production concrete equipment to contractors and producers worldwide in a totally integrated turnkey production system, including customized site layout and design engineering, batch plants, mixers, water heaters and chillers, ice production and delivery systems, material handling conveyors, gensets and power distribution, cement silos and screws, central dust collection, aggregate heating and cooling systems, batch automation controls, and batch office trailers. Adam Komornicki, area manager for the Burlington, WI-based concrete plant manufacturer, is excited about the advantages the acquisition presents. “We have a common customer base with material providers and contractors involved in both asphalt and concrete, and we’re also seeing a consolidation of material suppliers and contractors positioning themselves as the provider of
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both products,” Komornicki says. allows plant operators and contractors “RexCon has been in business for to deliver high-quality mixes.” more than 100 years and has been Another significant advantage an integral part of infrastructure for RexCon is the added financial construction across the country.” support Astec provides to increase Manufacturing quality concrete production at RexCon’s 130,000 equipment has been the key to sq. ft. manufacturing plant. building a strong reputation in “We had limited financial the industry, and resources to build up our Komornicki notes that ASTEC HAS A inventory of products and it’s not uncommon to customers typically wait PHENOMENAL find RexCon equipment until the last minute to buy MARKET built in the 1960s still equipment based on what REPUTATION operating today. their upcoming season THAT WILL The synergy with looks like,” Komornicki DEFINITELY Astec in not only having says. “Now, we can have OPEN NEW a strong reputation extra inventory ready OPPORTUNITIES for manufacturing at the beginning of the FOR US.” quality equipment, but construction season and that — Adam Komornicki, also manufacturing will give us an advantage Area Manager, RexCon similar equipment over our competitors by – to leverage the manufacturing drastically reducing lead times.” expertise and purchasing power And as Komornicki also notes, Astec has accumulated. “Astec has a phenomenal market “More and more companies are reputation for delivering quality losing their production specialists due products and service. That will to an aging workforce that’s retiring, definitely open new opportunities for and they’re not able to recruit workers us here in the U.S. and worldwide.” with the same level of expertise,” More information on RexCon Komornicki says. “RexCon and Astec and its products can be found have the expertise and equipment that at www.rexcon.com
®
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ASTEC Parts. We’re Here. Always. Combine the world’s largest inventory of in stock parts for asphalt plants, the ability to build and machine custom parts and a fully staffed department of salesmen, technicians and engineers and you have ASTEC parts. • Over 100,000 parts in stock • OEM for ASTEC, DILLMAN, Barber-Green, EssTee & McCarter • In-house parts techs and engineers available 24/7 • Over 406 combined years of experience ready to help you
800.251.6042 • www.astecparts.com
NEWS
Heatec adds new personnel Heatec has added new people to its Troy Norris will cover sales team and assigned a few current the Southeast as regional NORRIS staff members to new positions. sales manager. The region Russ Earp has accepted a position as consists of Alabama, Florida, Emulsion Sales Manager. Troy Norris, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina previously the Regional Parts Sales and South Carolina. Troy has over 30 Manager, has taken the Southeast years of experience servicing asphalt Regional Sales Manager vacated by plants and few years as a traveling Earp. Lance Clark will be taking parts salesman for Heatec. over the Southwest as Regional As southwest regional sales Sales Manager. Mark Everett manager, Lance Clark will be has joined the Heatec team as covering Arkansas, Kentucky, Southeast Regional Parts Louisiana, Missouri, Tennessee CLARK Sales Manager. And finally, and Texas. He has worked Kevin Johner has also with industrial equipment for 10 joined parts sales as Northeast years. He worked at Astec, Inc. for eight Regional Parts Sales Manager. years and two years with a construction Russ Earp has been with aggregate producer. He EARP Heatec for almost 20 years as a has managed capital sales manager. He was instrumental projects including the in the sale and overseeing Heatec’s first installation of rail complete emulsion plant project. His lines, mass grading, territory as emulsion sales manager infrastructure and EVERETT covers all of the United States and Canada. industrial equipment.
Mark Everett is taking over the Southeast as regional parts sales manager. He will be covering Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina and South Carolina. Mark has a degree in Engineering Management and has worked as project manager with Astec for over 8 years. He also has experience as a Cad Designer and Laser Programmer. Kevin Johner is now a regional parts sales manager, covering the Northeast, including Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, JOHNER Ohio and West Virginia, as well as Ontario, Canada. Kevin has over 25 years of experience servicing manufacturing and industrial facilities throughout the United States. He is also a Desert Storm veteran, having served two tours in Iraq. You can contact them by calling Heatec at 423-821-5200 or visit heatec. com for more specific contact information.
KPI-JCI and Astec Mobile Screens Release Drop-In Carbides for VSI
Schmidtlein hired as Channel Development Manager
Drop-In carbides are now available for all models of vertical shaft impactors (VSI) from Kolberg-Pioneer, Inc. (KPI). The new industry-standard drop-in carbide wear parts will significantly decrease downtime required for service and maintenance. “We place a huge priority on the ease and quickness of maintenance on all of our products,” says Tim Harms, product manager for crushing and screening products. “We understand that every second spent down drains valuable profits from our customers. The new carbides cut replacement time to around 20% of what it is with other solutions.” The drop-in carbides can be retrofitted into existing VSI crushers from KPI. To learn more about the drop-in carbides or crushing and screening equipment from KPI, contact Tim Harms. Tim can be reached at timharms@kolbergpioneer.com.
Kolberg-Pioneer, Inc. (KPI), Johnson Crushers International (JCI) and Astec Mobile Screens have hired Joe Schmidtlein as channel development manager. In this position, Joe will be responsible for working with KPI-JCI and Astec Mobile Screens subsidiaries to successfully develop and execute market channel strategies and programs to promote its products and services. Joe has been active in the construction equipment industry with over 12 years of management experience, as both a contractor and distributor. “Joe will play a pivotal role in the development of everything from sales to service,” says Ron Earl, vice president of sales and marketing. “His extensive background working as a distributor will provide a unique perspective and valuable input to our group.” Joe Schmidtlein can be reached at joeschmidtlein@kpijci.com. For more information about KPI-JCI and Astec Mobile Screens, visit www.kpijci.com.
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SPOTLIGHT
PAUL MICHAELS MAKES CUSTOMER
HAPPINESS HIS MAIN OBJECTIVE
I
t’s a lot easier keeping a happy customer happy than it is to make an unhappy customer happy. At least that’s how Paul Michaels views his job as an Astec regional parts manager covering Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Louisiana. With nearly 19 years of Astec plant experience as a controls’ product engineer and plant service member to draw on in his current two-year role as a parts manager, Michaels is happy to be out in the field working with plant operators to maintain and maximize their asphalt production capabilities. “When I worked in the service department, I was often sent out to solve a problem, make a repair, which meant the plant wasn’t running,” Michaels WHEN YOU WORK notes. “When a plant AS A PARTS MANAGER, is down, the operator YOU’RE IN A MUCH is stressed about the BETTER POSITION TO situation, and let’s say BUILD A STRONG he’s not in the best RELATIONSHIP WITH mood. But as a parts PLANT OPERATORS.” manager, I’m generally —Paul Michaels, Astec Parts at a customer’s plant when it’s running, producing mix, which is what the operator wants and needs; and I’m there to make sure it keeps producing the way the operator wants and needs it to.” So, when Michaels took over the territory in July of 2016 and relocated to Austin with his wife and grandson a year later, he realized it was the right job for him based on his plant service experience. “When you work as a parts manager,
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Paul Michaels, regional parts manager serving plant operators in Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Louisiana, provides instructions during Astec’s annual Advanced Customer Schools. you’re in a much better position to build a strong relationship with plant operators,” Michaels says. “You call on asphalt plant facilities to evaluate the equipment to identify potential problems and recommend replacement parts. Plant operators want to know what replacement parts they need to keep on the shelf.” Michaels says that is particularly important for many of his 300 plant customers in Texas that run year-round. Many take a preventive maintenance approach, performing maintenance on weekends or during the day when an operation is supplying night paving projects. “There might be a week or so during the year when an operation is actually shut down for more significant maintenance, but general maintenance is ongoing throughout the year, so the plant operator is counting on me and others (Astec plant sales and controls associates) to stay on top of what needs to be addressed,” Michaels says. “We (Astec parts) work together
with the controls and plant sales representatives on major upgrades when that’s the best recommendation for the customer. We approach it as a team focused on maintaining and upgrading a customer’s plant operation to keep it in peak performance. “It’s not uncommon for a customer to ask for a quote on another component when making upgrades with other major components,” Michaels adds. “If a customer purchases a new set of silos, he may inquire on the cost of a new drag conveyor. It requires all of us to share information based on individual expertise.” It takes time to get to know a customer and gain their confidence and trust, but Michaels says that’s time well invested when it leads to a partnership focused on optimal plant performance. “I have a customer who purchased a competitor’s asphalt drum and after attending one of our schools he asked us to help modify the drum with our flighting design,” Michaels says. “When you build a strong relationship with a customer, both benefit.” When Michaels is not busy helping customers, he enjoys exploring Austin and Texas with his wife and 11-year-old grandson. “We toured the Houston Space Center during Spring Break and Texas A&M University,” Michaels says. “I also enjoy pursuing Bushcraft skills like building primitive shelters and grilling over an open wood fire. Again, it’s just another enjoyable way to spend time with my grandson and others.” ®
mixequipmentmag.com
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