Aggregate Producers Tout Use of Kespry Aerial Intelligence

Aerial intelligence solutions provider Kespry showcased the work of more than 170 aggregates customers at AGG1 in Houston, March 6-8. These organizations, including new Kespry aggregates customers CSA Materials, Stoneco of Michigan (a division of Oldcastle) and York Building Products, all use the Kespry industrial drone-based platform to manage stockpile inventories, plan mining operations and maximize revenue. 

To date, Kespry aggregates customers have flown 10,400 worksite missions measuring 223,000 stockpiles across 1.4 million acres. 

York Building Products operates stone quarries, and sand and gravel operations throughout Pennsylvania, Maryland and Delaware, providing high-quality aggregates to the Mid-Atlantic region for more than half a century. To ensure greater control over inventory management and mine planning processes, the company implemented the Kespry aerial intelligence platform so it can frequently and automatically calculate the perimeter and volume of all aggregate stockpiles. It also uses Kespry to estimate reserve levels, and to compare volume measurements from stripping and mine reclamation work.

“With the Kespry drone, we can fly as often as we want across all of our sites to make sure that our production numbers are right on target,” said Jim Gawthrop, vice president, York Building Products. “We no longer have costly surprises. Bottom line, it’s about getting the right information – and more information – just when we need it, instead of waiting for a manned aerial survey.”

Stoneco is a leading supplier of crushed limestone, sand and gravel in Michigan, that has been in business for more than 100 years. It serves the Michigan Department of Transportation and Ohio Department of Transportation, and commercial organizations, with aggregates materials designed for highways, parking lots, driveways, and other applications.

“Stoneco uses the Kespry system monthly at all of our operations for inventory management and it has allowed us to increase our accuracy, and have same day results,” said Austin Fisher, assistant operations manager and quality control manager, Stoneco of Michigan. “The speed of obtaining data from the Kespry system has allowed us to tweak changes to our operations days faster than old methods, providing us with virtual real-time inventory checks that increase our operations’ efficiencies.”

CSA Materials is the premier highway and heavy construction company in Texas. The company mines and manages its own material supplies and hot-mix plants so it can maximize operational efficiency for its customers. The Kespry platform enables CSA to ensure aggregates stockpiles are optimized to meet customer demand and business forecasts.

“Inventory management can be a really daunting task,” said Brian Biggerstaff, environmental manager, CSA Materials. “Now, the Kespry system lets us keep a historical record of each flight we make. I can watch stockpiles at remote locations. If I measure one in March, June and September, I can quickly visually go between those dates and I can see that stockpile and where people have taken material from it, and how much has been removed from it. CSA Materials is pleased with the continuous improvement Kespry shows. As Kespry evolves, so does our drone program. We have grown from stockpile measurements into mine planning and other areas.”

“The Kespry aerial intelligence platform delivers a single source of truth for aggregates companies’ worksite data,” said George Mathew, CEO and chairman, Kespry. “Our 170 aggregates customers are all experiencing the unprecedented benefit of survey-grade, aerial topographic data that enables them to accurately define volumes for stockpiles, blasting and stripping. It easily and rapidly enables them to take that data and use it to calculate volumes, manage material, create inventory reports, and validate or update design plans. We’re extremely pleased so many companies are reaping such significant benefits from our platform.”

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