Pit & Quarry articles from March 1999

Pit & Quarry archives from March 1999

Going Right Through It.
March 1, 1999... B.R. DeWitt Inc. cut through a state highway to install a conveyor tunnel that connects two sides of a sand and gravel plant. Aggregate producer B. R. DeWitt Inc. and its Genesee LeRoy Stone Corp. are noted for both quality products, and...

Design, Operation and Optimization.
March 1, 1999... Lone Star Northwest's Dupont Plant uses computer technology to increase productivity. Lone Star Northwest's Pioneer Plant in Dupont, Wash., is a high- production aggregate facility that mines, segregates, crushes and blends glacial till...

In With The Old.
March 1, 1999... Georgia's Dykes Paving has teamed with Vulcan Materials to recycle old concrete into new aggregate. The Dykes Paving & Construction Co. Inc. is the largest recycling contractor in Atlanta. The company got there by carrying out a three-...

10 critical steps.
March 1, 1999... The pit and quarry industry is enjoying a period of unparalleled prosperity right now. Companies are experiencing record production numbers and record profits. You have worked very hard to get to this point. Unfortunately, you don't have time...

Equipment Showcase.(new products)
March 1, 1999... Conveyor idler Continental Conveyor offers its new HC Idler Roll, a high-quality, CEMA C, tapered roller bearing idler roll affordable for every application. The idler roll will allow those with CEMA C applications to move up to the...

Seeking success stories.(Editorial)
March 1, 1999... Pit & Quarry is once again accepting nominations for the Pit & Quarry "Success Story" awards. The awards program honors operations that exemplify outstanding commitment to the quarrying profession in the areas of operations, technology,...

Online education.(Editorial)
March 1, 1999... Pit & Quarry recently added "Pit & Quarry University" to its Web site at www.pitandquarry.com. Pit & Quarry University features online educational tutorials for industry beginners and pros. In cooperation with Virginia Tech University, Pit &...

Get a Web site FREE!
March 1, 1999... Stone producers who want to take advantage of the World Wide Web can get a FREE Web site at Quarry World: www.quarryworld.com. To sign up, a form is available right on the site, or contact Darren Constantino, managing editor, at 440-891-2693.

Heenan writes safety book.
March 1, 1999... Pit & Quarry legal editor Mike Heenan has written a book entitled Safety and Health at Mines: A Manual for Operators and Contractors. The book is designed to be a quick and easy guide to understanding MSHA requirements. Quarry operators can...

Ready to Re-Tire.(re-treaded tires good low-cost option for quarrying equipment)
March 1, 1999... Many quarries find that retreaded tires offer a low-cost option for loaders and haul trucks. Tires are a costly part of operating a mining operation. Simple maintenance and a willingness to retread old tires can help operators reduce these...

Gas tax money sparks highway fight.
March 1, 1999... Falling gas prices have been a boon not only to American drivers, but also to Uncle Sam. They've spurred fuel consumption, generating about $1.5 billion in unanticipated gas-tax collections. They've also sparked a budget battle between the...

Employers responsible for contract-workers' safety.
March 1, 1999... According to Safran Law Offices, Raleigh, N.C., a recent case suggests employers have a nondelegable duty to provide a safe workplace. In Simmons v. NCDOT, the Court of Appeals ruled that if an activity is inherently or intrinsically...

Highway sector poised to grow.
March 1, 1999... The U.S. economy has downshifted, but is moving ahead nicely, according to FMI's 1999 Construction Outlook. Non-farm jobs increased by 2.2 million in 1998, 300,000 of which were added after the summer upset in the stock market. Year-end...

Ten safety ideas you can use.
March 1, 1999... Hap Pigsley, safety director for Platt Construction in Franklin, Wis., detailed safety ideas from a contractor perspective. He suggested the following: 1. Provide back-up alarms with variable frequencies and tones to differentiate the...

Administrative Law.
March 1, 1999... In the United States, as everyone learns in school, there are three branches of government. The idea is that legislators will legislate, courts will adjudicate, and the executive will implement and administer the laws of the nation. Things...

National report.(regulations affecting quarry industry)(Column)
March 1, 1999... This is the first installment of Pit & Quarry's new Legislation column. The column - written by Pit & Quarry Economic/Legislative editor Patrick Hernan - will appear quarterly and will focus on national legislative and regulatory topics, as...

Truck Ride Height Adjustment.
March 1, 1999... Not too high and not too low, proper settings ensure trouble-free performance. How often do you consider whether the ride height setting on your truck's air suspension is correct? How often should you? According to William Adlaf, manager...

Rate of construction holds steady.
March 1, 1999... The value of new construction contracts in December were reported at an annual rate of $371.4 billion, essentially unchanged from November's pace, reports F.W. Dodge. Slight increases for nonresidential and nonbuilding construction (public...

NSA delivers miner training proposal.
March 1, 1999... The aggregates industry and labor unions joined together to deliver a proposal on surface miner training to the federal agency that regulates the industry. The presentation was made at the Rayburn House Office Building on Capital Hill before...

Tarmac America poised for growth.
March 1, 1999... Tarmac America, a subsidiary of Tarmac PLC based in Wolverhampton, England, will benefit from the international corporation's recently announced split into two separate public companies, says Tarmac America president and CEO, John Carr. ...

Rinker helps build recycled reefs.
March 1, 1999... CSR Rinker is participating in a marine-enhancement project to build artificial reefs off the coast of Miami. The reefs are formed by hundreds of 3-ft. to 6-ft. tetrahedron units made of waste concrete. CSR Rinker's purpose in utilizing the...

Luck Stone Corp. partners with Virginia educators.
March 1, 1999... Luck Stone Corp., in partnership with Roxane Gilmore and the Virginia Department of Education, will sponsor an educational program specifically designed to assist fourth and fifth graders with the Standards of Learning (SOLs) in the earth...

Vulcan Materials acquires operations.
March 1, 1999... Vulcan Materials Co. has purchased five stone quarries, two asphalt plants and a construction business from Arkansas-based Rock Products Inc. All of the operations will become part of Vulcan's Southern Division. Vulcan also purchased a...

Hanson unifies corporate structure.
March 1, 1999... Hanson PLC, the London-based building materials supplier, has unified its corporate structure by changing the names of all its operating companies to reflect the Hanson name. In the United States, all Cornerstone quarry operations now go by...

Lafarge acquires Atlantic Group.
March 1, 1999... Lafarge Canada Inc. has acquired Atlantic Group Ltd. and Atlantic Gypsum Resources Inc. of Corner Brook, Newfoundland, whose assets include a wallboard manufacturing plant, mineral quarry and related assets. Lafarge Gypsum, a division of...

U.S. Silica expands aggregates business.(acquires Better Materials Corp)
March 1, 1999... U.S. Silica Co. has acquired Better Materials Corp., a privately held Pennsylvania producer and supplier of crushed stone and bituminous paving materials. Better Materials operates two argillite crushed stone quarries and three bituminous...

Aggregate Industries acquires sand & gravel company.
March 1, 1999... Aggregate Industries Inc. acquired Bill Smith Sand & Gravel Co. of Otsego, Mich. The net assets of Bill Smith Sand & Gravel as of Dec. 31, 1998 were $14.2 million, before any review of valuation of plant and mineral reserves. The company...

Earnings reports.
March 1, 1999... Astec Industries Inc. Astec Industries Inc. announced record revenues of $363.9 million for the year ended December 31, 1998, a 37 percent increase over the $265.4 million in revenues reported for the fiscal year ended December 31, 1997....

State Association News.
March 1, 1999... The Construction Materials Association of California (CMAC) held its 1999 CMAC Government & Operators Conference for aggregate and ready mix producers February 9-11 in Sacramento. Expert speakers highlighted each forum and presentations...

NSA names 'Quarries of the Year'.
March 1, 1999... Tarmac America's Hanover Quarry (Pa.), Luck Stone Corp.'s Powhatan Plant (Va.) and Southdown Inc.'s Hartford Quarry (Ky.) are, respectively, the recipients of NSA's Large, Medium and Small Quarry of the Year awards for 1998. The honors...

Budget increase for MSHA in the works.
March 1, 1999... If approved, $228.4 million will be earmarked for the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) for fiscal year 2000. The figure marks a $13 million increase over the previous fiscal year's budget. The new budget includes an increase of...

People in the News.
March 1, 1999... Ronald B. DeDiemar was appointed president of Telsmith Inc., and Robert G. Stafford was named group vice president of its newly created Aggregate Group. Emanuele "Manny" Cicero was named president of Bridgestone/Firestone Off Road Tire Co....

Kawasaki.
March 1, 1999... The 85ZIV-2 loader comes with a 4-cu.-yd. bucket and will handle virtually any job. It is powered by an emissions-compliant Cummins diesel engine that produces 225 flywheel hp. The four-speed countershaft transmission is precisely matched to...

Aggregate Machinery Inc.
March 1, 1999... Make an impact on your bottom line with the Thunderbird II horizontal shaft impact crushing plant. The impact crusher is fed with a vibrating grizzly feeder and the plant is mounted for travel with a fifth wheel towing plate and triple-axle...

TerraSource Software.
March 1, 1999... TerraSource Software, formerly EarthView Software, offers modeling and planning software for the aggregates industry. The software, Quarry, is a low-cost, fully functional modeling and planning software system. The GPS software is based on data...

Major Wire Industries Ltd.
March 1, 1999... Flex-Mat(r) self-cleaning screens eliminate pegging and clogging. The top picture shows a pegged woven-wire screen (11/48-in. openings) pegged after four hours of operation, versus Flex-Mat(r) D screen (11/48-in. openings) after two weeks...

Hercules Soiloc.
March 1, 1999... Hercules Soiloc-MQ, a polymer dust-control agent for mines and quarries, is formulated for haul-road dust control and as a stockpile sealant. When sprayed on the ground, the polymer penetrates fine particles and creates sizes too heavy to...

Desert Vision.
March 1, 1999... Golden Queen Mining Co.'s unique gold mining project will also produce aggregates. Deep in the heart of the Mojave Desert, Golden Queen Mining Co. (GQMC) envisions a gold-mine project that doubles as an aggregate operation. GQMC is...

Old time mining.
March 1, 1999... Gold was first discovered on Soledad Mountain late in 1894 and led to the development of five productive mines. The high cost of shipping ores led to the building of the first mill in 1901. Construction of other mills followed rapidly but by...

Before the injury.
March 1, 1999... This is the first article in a three-part series on the causes of injury. - ed. Safety guru William Haddon Jr. said in 1963 that, "[The total of all] injuries comprises all those in which the damage is caused by the delivery to the body of...

Selling Your Company Successfully.
March 1, 1999... If a merger or acquisition opportunity presents itself, remember that it takes more than a great price to make a good deal. It seems as if every other day another crushed stone or sand and gravel plant is being swallowed up by one of the...

Cat unveils new artics in 25-30 ton class.
March 1, 1999... The new Caterpillar D250E II and D300E II articulated trucks offer a range of improvements, including a new cab interior with automotive styling, new cross-axle differential lock system and a redesigned rear chassis. The D250E II and D300E...

Book provides Internet help.
March 1, 1999... The maintenance profession has been unprepared for and is sometimes even fearful of the rapid changes brought about by the Internet. Written to address those changes, Industrial Press Inc. offers a new book, entitled "Internet Guide for...

Fast wash.
March 1, 1999... InterClean Equipment Inc.'s new extreme-heavy-duty wash systems are all automatic drive-through type and are capable of washing any and all heavy trucks and construction equipment in less than two minutes. The company says even a large,...

Radial stacker in place at Marblehead.
March 1, 1999... Lafarge Corp. is using a giant, 48-in. x 180-ft. radial stacking conveyor specially designed and built by Grasan for the Marblehead Limestone Quarry on the shores of Lake Erie near Sandusky, Ohio. Marblehead is the largest quarry operation...

Tire information now on CD-ROM.
March 1, 1999... InterAct, a CD-ROM from Bridgestone/Firestone, is designed to give salespeople, customers and end-users quick, interactive access to Bridgestone/Firestone truck-tire products and history. Act 1.0, in what Bridgestone/ Firestone hopes to be...

The future of heavy equipment.
March 1, 1999... In its "Tech Alerts" newsletter, the Construction Industry Manufacturers Association (CIMA) addressed the future of electronic control of construction machinery. Continuing advances in microcontrollers, sensors and hydraulics are about to...