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High tech in Appalachia

October 23, 2008 By: Darren Constantino, North Coast Media Pit & Quarry


I’m writing this from Appalachia. No, I haven’t moved to Appalachia. Appalachia moved to me. Recently, the Ohio county where I live was officially made part of the Appalachian Regional Commission. But that’s all beside the point of this article, which is about new technologies in the aggregates industry. I bring up Appalachia, because I recently visited a quarry there. No, not in Northeast Ohio Appalachia. I mean in the real heart of Appalachia — the West Virginia mountains. And what I found is that technology is making its way into quarries in all regions of the country.

For the dozen years I’ve worked at Pit & Quarry, our staff has explained the aggregates industry to people as “making big rocks into small rocks.” That part of it hasn’t changed. But the equipment and technologies to make that happen have changed, especially in recent years. And the pace of that change is accelerating.

This year, we had an opportunity to visit two enormous trade shows — ConExpo-Con/Agg and MINExpo International. In addition to a trend toward larger and more powerful equipment, we also saw some cutting-edge technologies — everything from sensors that detect when a hose is going to fail, to simulators that enable producers to train operators before they even set foot in a real cab.

For a glance at just some of the equipment on display at MINExpo International in Las Vegas, see part one of our Show Review (page 20). Part two is coming next month.

Portable plants are the main focus of this issue, beginning on page 8. From specialized units like track-mounted crushers and track-mounted screens, to complete plants that do it all, we have them covered.

This month’s bonus is a special, pull-out supplement section on crushing and secondary breaking. That’s where you’ll find our story on the quarry in Appalachia. Southern West Virginia Asphalt’s Kelly Mountain Quarry is experiencing increased production, less downtime, and cleaner, in-spec product through the use of some new equipment. Check out the story on page S-3 of the supplement.

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