Enhancing Sustainability Through Optimized Production. By Serge Raymond A growing trend within the aggregate industry is adjusting practices with the end goal of creating zero-carbon mines. Increasing operational efficiency is one key approach toward this goal, which requires a cohesive relationship between a plant’s workforce and its equipment, among other factors. Screen media selection plays a vital role in this…
Read MoreDay: January 8, 2024
2024 Outlook/Forecast
Aggregates Industry Looks To Make Gains As Projects Move Forward. By Mark S. Kuhar and Josephine Patterson Since President Joe Biden signed the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) into law Nov. 15, 2021, states have committed federal funds to support more than 56,000 eligible transportation improvements in all 50 states during the last two years, spanning nearly every U.S.…
Read MoreThe Tide Has Turned
The Fed has said it: interest rates are coming down. Fed Chairman Jay Powell surprised markets in early December when he announced, somewhat unexpectedly, that the Fed was not planning to raise rates any further, and, in fact, was projecting three rate cuts in 2024 now that inflation has cooled. Surprisingly, the Fed’s quarterly economic projections released in December, the…
Read MorePermitting Update: Michigan
The Raisin Township Planning Commission recently held a Special Meeting to hear a presentation about aggregate extraction…sand and gravel pits. There was an application submitted for a sand and gravel pit at the northwest corner of Occidental Highway and Gady Road last year. WLEN News spoke with the Raisin Township Planning Commission Chairman Marcus McNamara after the meeting. He talked…
Read MoreCommand Alkon to Showcase Cloud-Based Technologies at World of Concrete
Command Alkon, software and solutions provider for the heavy building materials industry, announced its participation in the 50th annual World of Concrete show. This highly anticipated event will take place Jan. 22-25 at the Las Vegas Convention Center. As a long-time exhibitor at World of Concrete, Command Alkon recognizes the immense value of this premier event in bringing together industry leaders,…
Read MoreCRH, Caterpillar, Sign Electrification Strategic Agreement
Caterpillar Inc. has signed an electrification strategic agreement with CRH to advance the deployment of Caterpillar’s zero-exhaust emissions solutions. CRH is the number one aggregates producer in North America and the first company in that industry to sign such an agreement with Caterpillar. The agreement is focused on accelerating the deployment of Caterpillar’s 70 to 100-ton-class battery electric off-highway trucks…
Read MoreGreat Lakes Limestone Trade Down Slightly in 2023
Shipments of limestone on the Great Lakes totaled 28.6 million tons in 2023, a decrease of less than 1% compared to 2022. 2023’s loadings were below the trade’s five-year average by 1.1%, according to the Lake Carriers’ Association. Loadings from U.S. quarries increased less than 1% from the prior year to 23.1 million tons. However, shipments from U.S. quarries were…
Read MorePrecision Pulley & Idler (PPI) Releases the Return Training Bracket
Precision Pulley & Idler (PPI) is launching a new belt training device to the market with the release of the patented Return Training Bracket. Conveyor belt tracking has always been a challenge in the material handling industry, leading to the development of many belt training devices. Often these devices have proven to be ineffective or very cost prohibitive. One of…
Read MorePermitting Update: Georgia
Four property owners in Crawford County are suing in hopes of stopping a quarry from opening up shop right next to their homes. Court filings in the Superior Court of Fulton County – where one of the company’s registered agents is based – cite a range of reasons they want the quarry stopped under Georgia’s nuisance law. “The Cottondale Quarry…
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