Construction materials companymeets customers’ needs withportable crushing plantsFor over 60 years, UnitedCompanies has been servingthe Western Slope of Colorado,offering construction materials withstate-of-the-art crushing systemsto better serve its customers. As asubsidiary of Oldcastle Materialsbased in Gr<strong>and</strong> Junction, Colorado,United Companies is a paving <strong>and</strong>ready mix company focused onaggregate production for about 60to 70 percent of its internal use, <strong>and</strong>retail consumption.“We are currently running six hotplants <strong>and</strong> six batch plants,” saysDenis Osborn, product managerfor United Companies. “Most of thematerials are for our own internalconsumption.”Three portable crushing spreads from<strong>KPI</strong>-<strong>JCI</strong> take care of the company’scrushing needs, each is outfitted witha Pioneer 3042 jaw plant, two <strong>KPI</strong>-<strong>JCI</strong> 8023 horizontal screen plants,two <strong>KPI</strong>-<strong>JCI</strong> Kodiak 400 cone plants,a Kolberg Series 33 telescopingconveyor, three Kolberg Series 13conveyors, a Kolberg Series 11conveyor, a PEP high-frequency plantby Astec Mobile Screens, <strong>and</strong> a popupdesign control trailer. All threespreads are Fast Pack ® Portable ConeCrusher Plants, selected <strong>and</strong> put inplace for efficient, reliable production,crushing up to 600 tph.“We are fortunate to have threecrushing spreads,” says Osborn. “TheFast Packs are special <strong>and</strong> we makethem work for us.”PORTABILITYUnited Companies is virtually on themove all of the time, making the mostof the portable aspect of the crushingplants, <strong>and</strong> producing materials on the24 volume 3, number 1 | Today’s aggregate & mining solutions
go. The plants can be moved in oneday with minimal effort <strong>and</strong> manpower.When it comes to managing portableaggregate equipment, time is money<strong>and</strong> revenue revolves around crushingmaterials at multiple locations asefficiently <strong>and</strong> effectively as possible.<strong>KPI</strong>-<strong>JCI</strong> worked to ensure the plantswere road-legal for transport, using achassis with four axles <strong>and</strong> a dolly/jeep tag axle that connects to help withweight distribution during travel.“We’ve had 18 to 20 locations withina 700-mile radius covering Colorado<strong>and</strong> Wyoming, <strong>and</strong> even more sonow,” comments Osborn. “A coupleof years ago, we were so busy thatwe were jumping from fire to fire justtrying to keep up with our needs, nowwith the economy as it is, we are tryingto not overproduce.”Osborn states the ability to move to alocation <strong>and</strong> crush the amount neededis paramount to his business strategy.The beauty of being portable meanshaving the option to come back <strong>and</strong>crush more as needed, on dem<strong>and</strong>,there’s no need to over-crush.FIRST FAST PACKUnited Companies was actually the firstto get the Fast Pack in 2002, followedby a second which became operationalin December 2005. The third Fast Packwas purchased about 2 years ago.With an impressive crushing ability, thecompany ran a double shift for severalyears. About a year ago, the companyscaled back to one shift with the goalof 12 hours of production a day.“The first plant has surpassed about25,000 hours of production,” notesOsborn. “The other two plants are notquite at that level of production yet.”According to Osborn, the company’sgoal (with a double shift) was 1million tons crushed, which has beenachieved, but not on a regular basis.It’s important to note that the first FastPack’s throughput has been around 6.5million tons. That’s a lot of aggregateover an 8-year stretch.DECISION DECIDERThe decision to try the Kodiak conesstemmed from the fact that the unitcame with the plant, <strong>and</strong> althoughDenis Osborn was a diehard fan ofanother br<strong>and</strong> of crusher, he was openminded to trying another.“I’ve been crushing rock for over 35years, <strong>and</strong> I’ve weathered the growingpains of having a crushing plant in fullproduction,” states Osborn. “When itcomes to cones, they are built to doa job <strong>and</strong> competitive products arecomparable; what sold me on the <strong>KPI</strong>-<strong>JCI</strong> Fast Pack with the Kodiak cone isthe service received.”In the aggregate industry, service isa deal-maker or deal-breaker. UnitedCompanies based its crushing plantvendor on the service factor.“Knowing I can pick up the phone<strong>and</strong> call anyone at <strong>KPI</strong>-<strong>JCI</strong> <strong>and</strong> theywill take care of the issue is peaceof mind,” says Osborn. “They havebeen very cooperative with us overthe last 8 years by making changes<strong>and</strong> modifications to satisfy our needsfor our customers; this alone sets themapart from other manufacturers; theyare leading the industry.”KODIAK VERSUS RIVER ROCKThe Kodiak cone crusher is a heaviermachine, which is a plus whenh<strong>and</strong>ling hard river rock. Osborn notesthat crushing this type of materialyields about 100,000 tons before theliners need to be replaced, which ishappening about every 45 days.United Companies completed theirwinter maintenance <strong>and</strong> put in a newbearing for the first time in 8 years.The Fast Pack is a hardy plant. Therehave been some failures, but that’s partof using them.“I’m satisfied with the <strong>KPI</strong>-<strong>JCI</strong> Kodiak400 cone plants,” says Osborn.“We’ve found that the replaceableliners helps with less downtime, alongwith the remote adjust that maintainsthe settings throughout the day forconsistent gradations.“HOW DOES THAT WORK?United Companies ProductionManager Denis Osborn says it boilsdown to the Kodiak cone’s design.The Kodiak 400 (400 hp) weighs58,600 lbs. <strong>and</strong> has a roller-bearingdesign that has proven to be moreefficient than bushings because itputs greater power into crushingrock. In addition, the longer bearingservice life with roller bearings savesthe customer money long-term,produces more product, <strong>and</strong> holdsthe crusher settings more accurately.This is due in part to the Kodiak conecrusher’s increased stroke, speed,<strong>and</strong> chamber angles to deliver ahighly desire output. In addition, theliner retention system makes linerchanges simple, safer, <strong>and</strong> quicker.This saves time, <strong>and</strong> in turn, savesmoney.“When less time is spent makingadjustments <strong>and</strong> switching parts,we’re saving time <strong>and</strong> money,”says Osborn. “Reduced downtime<strong>and</strong> easier maintenance is part of abetter bottom line.”One of the hallmarks of the <strong>KPI</strong>-<strong>JCI</strong>equipment is rugged, worry-freeoperation <strong>and</strong> with the introductionof the Kodiak cone crushers,operators can get the job done betterthan before.Today’s aggregate & mining solutions | volume 3, number 1 25
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