Have you ever driven by a concrete batch plant while a cement tanker is blowing off and see that unmistakable gray plume of dust billowing out of the top of the silos or bins? Ever wait for what seems like forever for your cement batcher to either weigh up or discharge a load? Aside from risking unwarranted attention that could lead to an unwelcome visit from the Federales, both of these issues are a huge waste of time and money. Think about the hundreds and possibly thousands of pounds of cement that are blown off into the atmosphere over time. Last I checked, cement isn’t free, in fact it’s pretty darned expensive. Add potential fines to that waste and your head will spin. Clogged bin vents and dust collectors can…
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By Jay Robinson, President, Mid Atlantic Concrete Equipment The job of specifying, installing, troubleshooting, repairing and upgrading ready mix or precast concrete batch plants provides a unique opportunity to see what works and what doesn’t when it comes to batch plant efficiency. I’d like to share five principles we have observed that always seem to lead to more efficient, and therefore more profitable, operations. A simple definition of concrete batch plant efficiency is the ratio of (a) the cost of inputs (employee hours, materials, energy, equipment, etc.) to (b) the revenue generated by sales. In other words; the lower your costs and the higher your revenue, the greater your efficiency. The most efficient batch plants produce more concrete with less wasted material, lower repair costs,…
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by Jay Robinson and Owen Blevins Mid Atlantic Concrete Equipment One complaint we’ve heard from concrete plant buyers is that there is no single source of information about how to go about setting up shop. From surveying your market to selecting a location, obtaining permits, and deciding on which kind of plant to buy, there are hundreds of decisions to be made. Fortunately, the major steps can be boiled down to the following list of seven items. Some business, some technical, and all very important to your success. Often it is considerably less expensive to purchase a new concrete plant over a used concrete plant. Used plants almost never have the idea combination of sizing and options that perfectly matches what the concrete batch plant…
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