Sandvik, Dyno Nobel team for 10th annual Quarry Academy

More than 130 aggregate producers attended Sandvik Construction‘s and Dyno Nobel’s 10th annual Quarry Academy educational event Nov. 17-19 in San Antonio.

Guests had the opportunity to sit through three days of classes and breakout sessions on best practices in drilling, blasting, crushing, screening, quarry planning, legal matters, loading and hauling.

Attendees also tested their excavating and drilling skills on Sandvik and Volvo Construction Equipment simulators showcased at the event. Volvo’s Wade Turlington was one of several people training attendees on simulator benefits.

“There’s a big training difference when quarry producers train operators on simulators,” Turlington says. “There’s about a 20 percent reduction in training time on a simulator based on our research.”

Jeff Heinemann, Sandvik’s vice president of construction, says this year’s Quarry Academy incorporated more breakout sessions than in previous years and allowed attendees to pick and choose more of their schedule at the event.

“Last year, people requested more breakout sessions so they had one-on-one time with us,” he says. “So with that, we had a couple more breakout sessions on crushing and screening.”

The final day of the event, guests had the opportunity to visit the Cemex Balcones Quarry in New Braunfels, Texas. According to Cemex, the Balcones Quarry is the largest quarry in North America.

Heinemann says one of the big takeaways for quarry producers at the event was to think outside the box about their operation and not go through the motions when they return to their operation.

“We hope our guests don’t simply accept what’s happening at their operation as they go home, but that they analyze what’s happening and see if there’s room for change,” Heinemann says. “We also think it’s smart for them to make sure their processes are interconnected.”

Sandvik and Dyno Nobel plan to host Quarry Academy again next year. The companies have not yet announced the dates, but Heinemann says registration for the event will likely open in a few months.