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With high-performance technology and customer-driven solutions, nobody brings more power to your process than Rice Lake Weighing Systems. Experience Power to the Process - visit us in booth S-754 at CONEXPO - CON/AGG. Telephone: 1-800-472-6703, website: www.ricelake.com/aggregate

Construction spending edged up slightly in November as a continued steep slump in housing was offset by record spending on government and business projects. But a key gauge of manufacturing activity fell in December to the lowest point in almost five years.

The Commerce Department reported that spending on construction projects rose by 0.1 percent in November to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $1.165 trillion, a better performance than what economists expected. Spending had fallen by 0.4 percent in October.

The small improvement came despite the fact that housing fell for a record 21st straight month, with private residential construction dropping by 2.5 percent to an annual rate of $484.9 billion, down by 17.5 percent from a year ago.

However, a closely watched gauge of manufacturing activity showed the factory sector contracted in December, the first decline after 10 months of gains.

The Institute for Supply Management said its manufacturing index dropped to 47.7 in December, down from 50.8 in November. It was the weakest showing since April 2003 during the period of the U.S. invasion of Iraq. Any reading below 50 is considered a sign that manufacturing is contracting rather than expanding.

The December performance was much weaker than the 50.5 reading that Wall Street had been expecting and provided evidence that the slowdown in housing and a credit crunch which hit in August were having an impact on the overall economy.

Private non-residential spending rose by 1.7 percent, a 14th consecutive monthly gain, which pushed spending in this category to an all-time high of $375.8 billion at an annual rate. Strong increases were seen in November for office building, hotels, power plants, factories, and amusement parks.

Spending on government projects rose by 2.5 percent, the biggest one-month gain since December 2006, pushing activity in this area to a record level of $304.3 billion at an annual rate.

Spending by state and local governments was up 2.5 percent while spending by the federal government rose 2.2 percent.

(Source: Associated Press (AP), Jan. 2, 2008. By Martin Crutsinger, AP Economics Writer.)

Vulcan Materials Co.’s Midsouth Division, along with industry participants and supporters Stowers/Caterpillar, Power Equipment/Komatsu, Renfro Construction, Blalock Companies, Tema Isenmann, Industrial Fabrication and Repair made this year’s 5th annual Vulcan Materials and CureFinders Foundation “Make A Break Thru for CF” Sporting Clays Tournament a hugely successful event. This tournament is now not only one of the most highly regarded in the Southeast, but it also is the largest benefit sporting clays tournament in Tennessee, the second largest in the Southeast, and now in the top 10 in the United States.

In 2008, the tournament will once again have shooters with Olympic, International, Team U.S.A., Senior and Super Veteran, Tennessee, and Kentucky State Champion credentials. But, there are also first-timers and part-timers participating. The tournament is structured in such a way as to enable each and every participant to have a chance to win by competing against only others with similar skills. 

Curefinders was founded in 2001.  The organization is dedicated to raising awareness and research funding to find a cure for cystic fibrosis.

For more information about participating or being a sponsor of the tournament, or to find out more about CureFinders’ fight against cystic fibrosis, send e-mail to jdeanda@curefinders.org or kmott@curefinders.org, or go to www.curefinders.org.

Join Vulcan Materials and CureFinders to “Make A Break Thru for CF” at Chilhowee Sportmen’s Club in Maryville, Tennessee on April 25 and 26, 2008.

Granite Construction Co. has been hired by the City of San Diego to clear ash and debris from private properties destroyed in the recent wildfires in San Diego. The effort is under the City of San Diego Fire Cleanup Program and is part of their rapid-fire recovery effort.

Granite Construction and A.J. Diani from Santa Maria will be working in the Rancho Bernardo area of San Diego through the end of the year. Multiple crews from both companies will be working six days a week with a target completion date of Dec. 21, 2007.  Granite Construction will be removing debris from destroyed homes on the west side of I-15 while A.J. Diani will work on the east side of I-15.

Removing debris is a critical process. Planning and attention to serving homeowners recovering from the fire will be the priority as cleanup continues. Hazard assessments to understand what harmful materials may exist; photo documentation of the sites, separating ash from concrete and metals will be critical pieces of the work. Dust control will be carefully monitored and a recycle program will be put in place to recycle concrete and metals. Granite will also be working with an arborist to determine what trees can be salvaged from the fire.

 Each site will take two to five days to complete depending on the size and complexity of the property. Property owners will be notified 48 hours in advance of the start of debris removal and property owners will work with the City and Granite to tag any items they would like to have saved.

Highlights from the January 2008 Aggregates Manager print edition: Trade In or Trade Up? Tips for capital investment planning Forecast 2008: Our exclusive industry analysis Learn to win the fight for water rights Plan your trip to ConExpo-Con/Agg

CRH Predicts 2007 Profit Rise to £1.41 Billion

Building materials firm spends £500 million in bolt-in acquisitions in last six months

Building materials firm CRH has revealed more than £500 million of bolt-on acquisitions made in the second half of 2007. 

The news comes as the group released a trading update anticipating profits to have risen last year to €1.9 billion (£1.41 billion), up from €1.6 billion (£1.19 billion) in 2006. 

CRH spent €693 million (£516 million) on 37 bolt-on acquisitions during the last six months, on top of the €101 million (£75 million) it spent in August buying full ownership of Dutch aggregates firm Cementbouw.

The 37 purchases in Europe and America bring CRH’s total full year acquisition spend in 2007 to €2.2 billion (£1.65 billion).

The bulk of the group’s spending was in the American product and distribution sector, in which it spent €348million (£260 million) on 10 acquisitions. 

It also spent €199m (£148 million) on products and distribution companies in Europe, including the U.K. purchases of construction accessories wholesaler Forsite and fencing contractor West Midland Fencing. 

As a result, the company expects to post a strong set of results for 2007, with European profits set to hit €1.1 billion (£821 million), up from €814 million (£607 million) in 2006. 

The company is due to announce its preliminary results for 2007 in early March. 

(Source: Building.co.uk, Jan. 3, 2008. Article by Dan Stewart)

Applications

Fast Friendship

by Tina Grady Barbaccia, Senior Editor

A new screen and cone crusher help a Georgia quarry achieve flexibility to meet high customer demand.

Although it may seem a little ironic, the biggest challenge faced by the Lafarge Friendship Quarry in recent months has been keeping stone on the ground.

The quarry’s ability to produce various sizes of crushed stone and the needs of a burgeoning Atlanta market, stone is moving out of the quarry so quickly Plant Manager Don Richards hasn’t had a chance to build up any inventory — producing just enough rock to meet the needs of a wide range of customers.

These conventional-sized, inclined screens are designed to accommodate a wide range of deck media.

The Friendship Quarry, located in Buford, Ga., consists of more than 450 permitted acres, which yields more than 2 million tons of crushed granite each year. From rip rap to sand, the aggregates operation provides crushed rock to a number of industries, residential, and commercial builders and the Georgia Department of Transportation.

“I’d like to have about twice as much stone on the ground as I do right now, but our operation runs year round,” Richards says. “Our plan is to slowly build inventory during the winter months, but for right now, we are basically running an on-demand operation. He credits a new plant built in March 2007 and outfitted with a Metso Minerals Model IS453 (8- by 24-foot triple-deck screen) inclined vibrating screen and HP400 cone crusher for adding the flexibility and production capability to make it possible.

Leave no stone uncrushed

With the demand for stone escalating, Richards says the operation reached a point where it was running its secondary line longer hours just to meet the demands of customers.

The operation consists of two, 12-hour shifts operated by an eight-person crew. Generally, the first shift is considered the production shift when most of the crushing occurs. Although production can continue into the second shift, the main purpose of the “off shift” is to perform scheduled maintenance.

“What it came down to is that we needed to manage our inventory better,” Richards says. “We had excess amounts of larger stone that we couldn’t reduce to the smaller sizes such as clear stone or sand. We did not have the ability to re-crush stone without running our primary or secondary plant overtime and cutting into the time we have set aside for maintenance.”

The challenge of the project was to increase production to meet demand, while at the same time, to ease the burden on the existing operation by reducing the overtime on re-crush circuits. Richards knew the equipment used in the new plant needed to be highly flexible as well. That’s when he looked to his long-time distributor, Nor-X, and Metso Minerals to provide the necessary equipment to make it happen.

Conventional yet versatile

For this particular application, Richards specified Metso’s Model IS453 (8- by 24-foot triple-deck screen) inclined vibrating screen with MV vibrator and an HP 400 cone crusher.

Richards was already familiar with the capabilities of Metso’s IS screens. The aggregates operation has used two of them on its production lines since 2003. After consulting with other Lafarge quarries, and even some local competitors about cone crushers, Richards was confident IS screens combined with the HP 400 was the way to go for its new line.

“There isn’t a better screen for the price, and with two IS screens already in place, it made perfect sense to install another one just like it,” Richards says. “Metso has been known for rock crushing for many, many years. Again, it came down to flexibility, the HP400 is a quality product that can handle increased throughput and generate the wide range of product gradation we were looking for — quickly.”

The large, conventional-sized inclined screens are designed to accept a wide range of deck media — a requirement of the Friendship Quarry. The adjustable speed and stroke enable the end-user to fine tune the IS to reach its peak productivity.

“The IS screens may not be custom-built for our application, but the design is flexible enough to handle all of our rock,” Richards says. “If there’s a screen out there that matches 95 percent of your needs, you don’t need a special design — especially if you have excellent distributor support and a company such as Metso willing to help you tweak it so the equipment will completely meet your needs.”

Richards says the company was able to stroke up to about 900 rpms from 700 to 800 rpms to use the screens to their fullest capacity. “We’ve cut plant run time by about 4 hours every day, or basically 20 hours a week,” he says. “My guys are now able to use that time for plant maintenance, which is very important to our operation for safety and productivity.”

Grease and go

Richards said ease of maintenance is a critical benefit of Metso’s IS screens, specifically the bearing packages of the MV “ Modular” vibrator and its lubrication method.

The IS screen’s bearings are grease lubricated as opposed to using a closed-loop, oil-based lubrication system. The grease lubrication design enables Richards’ crewmembers to lubricate the bearings on a weekly basis and be assured that the bearings have been purged. Many screens that use an oil-based lubrication system run a high risk of contamination. When using a closed-loop system, the catch is that the contaminant will be carried to other bearings in the system. This will cause multiple bearing failures and subsequent replacements.

The IS screens have standalone, modular, bearing cartridges on either side, connected with a drive shaft. As a result, if there is a bearing failure on one side of the screen, it won’t contaminate the other bearings.

This capability also increases the ability to service the screen. In the event a bearing does need replacement, the cartridge “pops” out, and the operator can make a quick replacement in less than an hour. A complete teardown of the screen is unnecessary, which reduces downtime.

Although automatic greasing units are available, Richards likes the fact that employees are physically going into the system and performing the lubrication themselves. Many times, problems get overlooked using screens with an oil lubrication system.

“With an oil-lubricated machine, the perception is that as long as it’s not leaking, you don’t need to worry, but you still have to check the oil level, and the potential for contamination is always a concern,” Richards says. “My guys are going to perform their visual inspections every night and when they open the machine up, they’re going to grease the bearings. The Metso screens are very easy to maintain. As long as you grease the bearings, they’ll run for a very long time with very little effort.”

Richards is quick to point out that since the first Metso IS screens were installed in 2003, they haven’t needed to replace any bearings. He says it’s a testament to the design and heavy-duty features of the IS screens, but more importantly, the effectiveness of the Lafarge Friendship Quarry’s comprehensive maintenance program.

Don Richards, plant manager of Lafarge’s Buford, Ga.-based Friendship Quarry, says the new Metso HP400 at his operation is able to handle increased throughput and to quickly generate the wide range of product gradation needed at the plant.

The heavy-duty design enables the IS screens to hold up and perform even with the most demanding production schedules, Richards notes. Unlike most vibrating screens, the IS screen design is aided by computer engineering programs. This ensures that the IS screen has a good balance of structural strength, bearing life, and performance. The IS screen frame also is huckbolted. Traditional nuts and bolts can vibrate loose during operation. Huck bolts provide firm connections even under high G-force. Additionally, the screens have very thick side plates and use bolted reinforcement plates, which add strength in the most critical areas. The IS design also includes reinforcement cross members which provide additional strength.

“We designed the plant to achieve a certain amount of flexibility in our operation, and both Nor-X and Metso were instrumental in deciding what we should do and what products would work best within the application,” Richards points out. “The IS screens and the HP400 cone crusher have delivered.”

This article and photos are courtesy of Metso Minerals.

Automated wheel wash system

Innovative Equipment Solutions will introduce its new Neptune Series of fully automated, drive-through wheel wash systems, which can be configured with one-, two-, or three-tire revolutions of cleaning to eliminate job site trackout. Featuring concrete or galvanized steel sidewall construction, the system can be used in either permanent or temporary installations. All models are engineered with a fully automated, closed-loop water recycling and solids separation process. The series is said to feature a high-volume, low-pressure water design to prevent overspray and the knocking of oil and grease from the truck chassis. Its extra-wide, 42-inch wash elements flex the tire tread open to allow the high water volume flow to flush the tires clean while a highly focused spray is easily achieved with adjustable nozzle assemblies.

Screen stringer system

Polydeck Screen Corp. will debut its PipeTop II Stringer System, a new design that maximizes versatility from a single frame. Available in three forms — bundled rails for a new screen deck, jigged conversions for changing out an existing frame, or a complete screen deck frame to retrofit an older shaker — PipeTop II is said to offer a variety of production benefits. Its 1/2-inch rails, when coupled with Polydeck’s Maxi screen panel designs, provide high open area that may match wire cloth in many cases. It also offers multiple fastening options from a single frame including PolySnap and traditional pin-style versions. The fastener heads are polyurethane and screw into steel ferrules on the frame rails. If a fastener head becomes worn, it can be removed and replaced individually rather than replacing an entire frame. For applications requiring a changeover to wire cloth, crown adapters fit both fastener head types and offer the ability to change between screen media with a minimal investment of time and money.

Impact beds protect belts

Flexco will roll out its new line of DRX Impact Beds at ConExpo-Con/Agg. Carefully engineered to maximize belt protection while offering ease of installation and maintenance, these impact beds incorporate Velocity Reduction Technology in the structure design. The multi-level support is used to effectively absorb impact energy and minimize transmission to the belt. The DRX’s Slide-Out Service feature allows direct access to the bars and bolts for easy inspection and quick, safe maintenance when required — reducing downtime. The four-model lineup meets or exceeds CEMA standards and are said to be able to handle everything from light-duty sand and gravel applications to heavy-duty and extreme applications that combine large material and a severe drop height.

For more new products for the industry, check out the RollOuts section
in each month’s print edition of Aggregates Manager.
 

EnviroMINE has provided an analysis of conditions that affect the supply of construction aggregates in Southern California.  The study was commissioned to examine whether the Liberty Quarry target market area needs additional production sites to meet current and projected demand.  The study echoes the statements of other regional studies, such as those by the Department of Conservation and CalTrans, which have determined that Southern California is experiencing a construction aggregate shortage.  Additionally, the recent study finds that Liberty Quarry’s target market area is particularly deficient in aggregate supplies.

The proposed Liberty Quarry is located within the Temescal Valley-Orange County aggregate study area. At this time Orange County has exhausted all of its aggregate resources. Demand within this county must be met by neighboring sources such as the Temescal Valley, which is also responsible for supplying aggregate to Los Angeles and San Diego Counties.  

It has been found that even with the most conservative estimates for aggregate demand; Southern California only has approximately 20 years worth of permitted aggregate reserves remaining.  The report concludes that the most viable solution for mitigating the shortage of aggregate is to permit new reserves such as the proposed Liberty Quarry.  

Key findings of the report include the following:

• Southern California’s population is expected to increase by 60 percent between 2000 and 2050. Riverside County is currently the second fastest growing county in the state with its population expected to grow by over 200% by 2050.   

• A California Department of Conservation study found that 80% of all Southern California aggregate study areas have less than half of the aggregate resources needed to meet projected 50-year demand without relying on imports.  Importing aggregate requires long requires long distance hauling and comes at a significant environmental cost.  

• Population growth in areas surrounding Liberty Quarry’s target market has led to increasing demand as a result, permitted reserves are expected to be depleted at a faster rate than initially reported.   

• If the Liberty Quarry is permitted, the target market area would still experience, on average, 7.3 million tons of annual unmet demand from 2005 – 2050.   

• Many haul trucks are traveling over 100 miles on congested roads as aggregate is being shipped into San Diego County from Imperial, Riverside, Los Angeles and San Bernardino Counties, as well as from Mexico.  Rising transportation costs and increased congestion on local roads has lead to drastic increases in delivered costs for aggregate, delaying vital transportation projects.   

• Existing quarries in San Diego County cannot contribute adequate supplies to be considered as an alternate source for aggregate in Liberty Quarry’s target market area due to the high level of demand and increasing reliance on imported aggregate in San Diego County.   

• The analysis reveals that by 2050 the region will need an additional 48 to 90 million tons of aggregate to satisfy demand; this translates to an additional 10 to 18 quarries the size of the proposed Liberty Quarry. 

• Alternative sources of aggregate being transported by rail or truck have been determined to be infeasible due to high handling costs and logistical barriers.  Examples of logistical difficulties include strict security regulations for trucks carrying imported goods from Mexico and freight movement restrictions for trains into the San Diego market. 

•  Reducing the number of trip-miles by using locally produced aggregate will result in a decrease in fuel consumption, air pollution, traffic congestion, and road maintenance costs.

Barlow Marketing Group to Discuss Manufacturers’ Growth at ConExpo-Con/Agg 2008

Barlow Marketing Group (BMG) will exhibit at Booth No. C-4742 in the Central Hall at ConExpo-Con/Agg 2008 and will be available to discuss the company’s ability to help organizations grow through hands-on implementation of ideas and strategic plans.

BMG is a hands-on strategic planning, sales development, channel management, research, marketing, and international expansion solutions company, which works solely in the construction, mining and aggregate, environmental, demolition, and recycling markets. 

During ConExpo-Con/Agg 2008, BMG will not only continue to partner with its clients at the show, but it will exhibit its unique capabilities in its own booth. Visitors who stop by the BMG booth will learn about the company’s ability to help organizations grow through hands-on implementation of ideas and strategic plans.

BMG is currently active on the Association of Equipment Manufacturers’ (AEM) Membership Committee and has participated in the AEM International and Marketing Councils.

The company is a member of the National Stone, Sand & Gravel Association (NSSGA), Associated Equipment Distributors (AED), Scaffold Industry Association (SIA), and Construction Writers Association. (CWA). In addition, BMG participates in many industry events and trade shows, including the AED’s Executive Forum and CONDEX, CONEXPO-CON/AGG, bauma, ICUEE, MinExpo, World of Concrete, World of Asphalt, Intermat, and American Public Works. 

Management personnel are frequent industry event speakers, including AEM international and marketing events, Coal Prep, MineWest, VDMA (the engineering and manufacturing association for German manufacturers), market-specific events and numerous manufacturers’ events.

Let’s get together at Conexpo-Con/Agg 2008!

Better Roads and Aggregates Manager magazines, now part of Randall-Reilly Publishing Co. Construction Media Group, and our sister publications, Equipment World and Total Landscape Care, will be at ConExpo-Con/Agg 2008. We welcome your comments and suggestions about how we can make our magazines even better for you, so please stop by our exhibit located in the Central Hall, Booth C-7155.

We look forward to seeing you in Las Vegas!

Compiled by Tina Grady Barbaccia, Aggregates Manager Senior Editor.
To contact Tina about the newsletter content, send e-mail to e-news@aggman.com or call (630) 364-2306.

Interested in being a sponsor of our newsletter?  Contact your sales representative for more information.  Click here for list of contacts.
 

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