Pit & Quarry, July 2018

PITANDQUARRY COM An Inside Look LEADERS AND LAGGARDS recent conversation with Cemexs Eric Wittmann turned to technology specifically how our industry is among the last to be transformed by digital technology The comment on its surface gave me reason for pause Ive A always considered our industry to be on the cutting edge when it comes to equipment and technology But here was Wittmann the regional president of Cemexs West Region making a statement that challenged my rooted belief Are aggregate producers tech leaders Plant automation is nothing new to our industry and technologies that monitor the productivity of plants and support equipment are becoming commonplace in operations Producers have also been among the top adopters of drones replacing old methods of mapping and inventorying with tech that makes operations more efficient and safer These are areas where producers have exhibited leadership in adopting digital tech Still to Wittmanns point producers could undoubtedly make strides in other areas As an example think about your customers ordering experience and how that compares to buying goods online Sites like Amazon Walmart and eBay simplify purchasing providing digital platforms where buyers can easily place orders and track them in real time Imagine if your customers could buy crushed stone sand and gravel in the same fashion Theyd pull out a smartphone open up your companys app and make their construction materials purchase Think about the effects such a platform would have not only on the customers experience but on your internal management systems Building a digital world One producer Cemex has already gone down this path launching a digital platform for customers late last year that enhances the experience of placing orders tracking shipments and managing invoices and payments More than 10000 customers around the Kevin Yanik EDITOR IN CHIEF Producers have embraced digital tech in their plants but not so much on the customerfacing side world are now utilizing the multi device offering Cemex says The platform dubbed Cemex Go also provides users the ability to view a history of their transactions and receive instant notifications of their order status Other producers will likely follow Cemexs lead and develop their own customer facing platforms As producers go this route theyll not only be better serving their customers but also their own businesses So while producers continues to embrace digital technologies that make them more productive efficient safe and profitable within their plants producers should consider areas where digital solutions can best serve them beyond the processing side P Q North Coast Media LLC 1360 E Ninth St Suite 1070 Cleveland OH 44114 Phone 216 706 3700 Fax 216 706 3711 EDITOR IN CHIEF Kevin Yanik 216 706 3724 kyanik@ northcoastmedia net MANAGING EDITOR Zach Mentz 216 706 3747 zmentz@ northcoastmedia net ASSOCIATE EDITOR Joe McCarthy 216 363 7930 jmccarthy@ northcoastmedia net SENIOR DIGITAL MEDIA CONTENT PRODUCER Allison Barwacz 216 706 3796 abarwacz@ northcoastmedia net MSHA THE LAW COLUMNISTS Bill Doran william doran@ ogletree com Margo Lopez margaret lopez@ ogletree com AGGREGATE FORECAST COLUMNIST David Chereb david chereb@ sc marketanalytics com MARKET INSIGHTS COLUMNISTS George Reddin greddin@ fminet com Scott Duncan sduncan@ fminet com WESTERN U S CORRESPONDENT Loretta Sorensen GROUP PUBLISHER Rob Fulop 216 706 3741 rfulop@ northcoastmedia net ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER Dino Vitanza 216 706 3744 dvitanza@ northcoastmedia net PRESIDENT CEO Kevin Stoltman 216 706 3740 kstoltman@ northcoastmedia net V P FINANCE OPERATIONS Steve Galperin 216 706 3705 sgalperin@ northcoastmedia net V P GRAPHIC DESIGN PRODUCTION Pete Seltzer 216 706 3737 pseltzer@ northcoastmedia net ART DIRECTOR Kim Traum 216 706 3779 ktraum@ northcoastmedia net GRAPHIC DESIGNER Courtney Townsend 216 363 7931 ctownsend@ northcoastmedia net PRODUCTION SERVICES MANAGER Terri Johnstone Mueller 216 978 9622 tjohnstone@ northcoastmedia net SR AUDIENCE DEVELOPMENT MANAGER Antoinette Sanchez Perkins 216 706 3750 asanchez perkins@ northcoastmedia net SR MARKETING EVENT MANAGER Michelle Mitchell 216 363 7922 mmitchell@ northcoastmedia net MARKETING EVENT MANAGER Angela Gibian 216 363 7936 agibian@ northcoastmedia net MARKETING SALES MANAGER BUYERS GUIDE INQUIRIES Raeann Johnson 216 363 7938 rjohnson@ northcoastmedia net DIRECTOR OF AUDIENCE ENGAGEMENT Bethany Chambers 216 706 3771 bchambers@ northcoastmedia net CONTENT MARKETING PRODUCER Grace Rybak 216 706 3775 grybak@ northcoastmedia net LIST RENTAL THE INFORMATION REFINERY INC Brahm Schenkman 800 529 9020 bschenkman@ inforefinery com REPRINTS Brett Petillo Wrights Media 877 652 5295 bpetillo@ wrightsmedia com CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING 216 363 7938 rjohnson@ northcoastmedia net SUBSCRIPTIONS CUSTOMER SERVICE 847 513 6030 pitandquarry@ omeda com Fax 847 763 9694 Web www pitandquarry com subscribe 4 PIT QUARRY July 2018