Pit & Quarry, December 2018

THE INDUSTRY 2018 A TURNING POINT A t a major roundtable discussion more than six years ago an aggregate industry veteran predicted 2018 would be an extremely strong year for the nations producers of crushed stone sand and gravel and for the equipment manufacturers and dealers who serve them This industry veteran was right on Following a robust and strong market in 2017 an even stronger market emerged this year Indeed 2018 has been a turning point DEMAND Sand and gravel production is on the fast track stimulating twice the demand for sand washing equipment over the previous year and producers are forecasting at least five more years of significant growth A very competitive market boosted the number of mergers and acquisitions within both the producer and manufacturing sectors as industry players beef up and jockey for better market positions Also moving at an accelerated pace is the demand for new solutions new products and new plants as producers seek ways to innovate automate and lower operating costs per ton AUTOMATION Crusher automation is on the rise More crushers are supported by full automation systems that are monitored from a smartphone or iPad Operators can track any trend while gauging throughput volumes and proactively pinpointing maintenance needs To avoid costly damage and downtime automated crushers provide protection against tramp events while also alerting operators of any irregularities in vibration or temperature LABOR SHORTAGES LIFECYCLE MANAGEMENT Attracting new talent to the industry remains a challenge Producers who scaled back on labor during the recession are seeing further attrition due to todays aging workforce Its getting harder to find personnel with industry experience making innovative education and training programs imperative To ensure maximum uptime manufacturers are designing equipment with greater access and ease of maintenance Alternatively producers are increasingly partnering with equipment dealers and manufacturers for readily available parts and service support parts inventory management and ongoing machine lifecycle management that often includes new full black box diagnostic capabilities and valuable predictive maintenance programs INFRASTRUCTURE CRISIS When possible cost effective rail barge and ship transport is replacing the trucking of aggregate materials The latter is the result of our current crisis a failing outdated infrastructure and the lack of a long term fully funded federal infrastructure bill Our roads and bridges are graded at a D It was calculated in 2017 that reaching a B grade would require more than a 4 trillion investment Every year we ignore this crisis dramatically increases that required investment TIME TO ACT As manufacturers we can help by providing products that are safe reliable and deliver maximum uptime while lowering costs per ton As industry professionals each of us can make a difference by continuously contacting members of Congress regarding the passage of a long term fully funded infrastructure bill Teaming up with National Stone Sand Gravel Association leadership is a good way to do that In this robust market its time to act Its time to face our infrastructure crisis head on As we head into a new year we must remain proactive and forward thinking to ensure we sustain our industry growth for many years to come P Q John Garrison is vice president of sales at Superior Industries STATEOF MANUFACTURER OUTLOOK BY JOHN GARRISON 42 PIT QUARRY December 2018 pitandquarry com KEVIN YANIK Aggregate producers are forecasting several more years of significant growth but attracting talented people to the industry remains a real challenge