By land or sea
The usual means of transport for our quarry materials is by truck, but every now and then a bit of creative thinking is necessary.
Nestled in the hills by the mighty Columbia River and under the watchful eyes of bald eagles and osprey, Rinker Materials’ Goble quarry in Oregon, US, has found a new way of delivering its high quality basalt to the Portland/Vancouver market.
Thanks to this location next to the river – which divides the downtown Portland/Vancouver market – the Goble quarry team knew that supplying its product by water would be more economical and environmentally friendly.
“By using the river system, we’ve taken 156 trucks and trailers per barge load off our already congested roads helping reduce our air emissions,” says Bill Montgomery, market and sales development manager. “As we near our one-year injury free anniversary we would like to give a hearty ‘Well done’ to all who participated in the construction project.”
The team at Goble quarry can now load barges at the rate of 1,000 tons (900 tonnes) per hour, shipping the much needed rock to a burgeoning market.
Working with multiple subcontractors and schedules plus a combination of land based cranes and excavating equipment, created a logistical and safety challenge for the team. A dedication to Zero4Life and clear communication by our people saw the project completed without any injuries.
“Working on the Columbia River in the winter months, crews often battled winds, freezing fog and heavy rains increasing the already difficult over water conditions,” says Don Leamon, Goble quarry plant manager. “But our crews and subcontractors showed that even the most difficult tasks can be completed without injury.”
Loading of a barge begins at the quarry, which is a half mile from the river. Dump trucks are loaded at the quarry then driven to the river where the materials are dumped into the drive-over hopper (image on left). Each truck and trailer can dump 31 tons in roughly 30 seconds. The material is then fed via a conveyor that stretches from land over a stationary barge to a self-unloading barge utilized for transport to the market. The image on the right shows conveyors stretching across the water.
Setting new records safely
West Fort Pierce #2 block manufacturing crew. As of February 2007 the crew had amassed 1,230 safe working days and no accidents or injuries since the plant opened.
The production crew at Rinker Materials’ new block plant in West Fort Pierce, Florida, has not only set internal production records safely, they have also achieved industry-wide recognition.
Besser Company - the industry’s leading equipment manufacturer – quickly noticed the plant’s exceptional performance.
Over the course of YEM 06, the plant produced 10.7 million 8-inch units on a standard three-at-a-time block machine - all while maintaining a perfect safety record.
“The production record was attained thanks to the shared strong work ethic of the plant crew and Besser staff,” says plant superintendent Bob Holgerson. “In addition to performing product quality assurance checks, routine adjustments and general cleaning, plant employees are trained to recognize and address maintenance issues before they impact production.”
“It is important to recognise the outstanding accomplishments of producers in the industry,” says Besser CEO Kevin Curtis. “Each time a new record is set, the bar gets a little higher. We welcome challenges like this.”
“It isn’t one particular thing that Bob and his crew do right that makes the plant successful—it’s the hundreds of things they do right every day,” says Mike Carlson, Rinker Materials director of block manufacturing in Florida.
Besser formally recognised the crew late last year with an awards ceremony complete with plaque, commemorative shirts and hats, barbecue lunch and a congratulatory cake. This is the first time Besser has recognised this type of achievement.
