Realizing the value of RAP

Created: September 24, 2007

C.R. Jackson Inc. takes a common-sense approach to leveraging the value of reclaimed asphalt pavement mix designs.

In addition to fractionating RAP at the company's Columbia location, C.R. Jackson utilizes the Fold 'n Go plant's mobility to provide its screening features to its Richburg facility, as well as to Satterfield Construction, in Greenwood, SC.

"We've moved it four times in the six months that we've had the unit," says DeHart. "It's very easy to move. It only takes the operator one hour to fold it up and get it ready to go. Of course, then he has to clean it before we can take it out on the road. And then, once it's at the new site, it only takes about one other hour to set it up and get it running."

DeHart says the same operator is in charge of the Fold 'n Go mobile screening plant, no matter where it is doing the work.

"He does it all - everything that has to do with the screening plant - including running the loader," says DeHart. "He is assigned to that one machine. Wherever it goes, he goes. He stays with it, he operates it, and he maintains it."

The ease of use was a key point in the company's decision to buy this particular unit.

"The operator, Gary Gergen, thinks it's a neat machine. We used to have an old, off-brand screener that just would not do what he wanted it to do," DeHart says. "I kept telling him that we had a Fold 'n Go on order and that it was going to work much better. And within two days of delivery, he was very happy. He is very satisfied with his new equipment.

"We try to buy new equipment that our people will have confidence in, and that is easy to use," DeHart says. "And this equipment certainly meets those criteria."

Information provided by Astec.

Start early, get ahead, stay ahead
It is often still dark in Columbia when the production crew at C.R. Jackson Inc. fires up the company's hot-mix asphalt (HMA) plant in preparation for a long day's work. Having the right tools to work with makes a big difference in how the day will unfold.

"I'm glad that we have those three 300-ton storage silos," says Roger Knicely, plant foreman. "It gives us a lot more inventory to work with. We can crank up early, get ahead, and pretty much stay ahead for the rest of the day."

The storage silos are just part of the state-of-the-art Astec HMA plant that the company installed in September 2005. The operation consists of an Astec M-Pack relocatable plant with an 8' x 40' Double Barrel dryer/mixer that is equipped with a Phoenix burner. There is a six-compartment cold-feed system for virgin aggregate and another three-compartment feed system that C.R. Jackson uses to manage its supply of reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP).

The production crew manages the operation of the plant from the Astec Command I control center that has a Total Control 2000-HMA PLC control system. Truck load-out is done on an Astec low-profile truck scale that is operated and managed with an Astec WM-2000 truck-management system.

"I think we made a wise decision in going with this installation," says Knicely. "It's a big step up from what we had before."

The company owns and operates eight asphalt plants. A subsidiary company (Satterfield Construction Company) operates another four plants. The addition of this Double Barrel plant and its related components has significantly enhanced C.R. Jackson's productive capabilities and the firm's environmental performance.

The new plant has been recognized by NAPA with the Diamond Achievement Award, a commendation for excellence in hot-mix asphalt plant site operations.

Knicely is pleased with the new production facility. "Our new plant is capable of running 400 tph," he says. "This is accomplished even when we are running RAP. On our coarse mixes, we will run about 25 percent RAP. On our finer mixes, the RAP content will be about 20 percent.

"I like the design of the plant," says Knicely. "The way it is set up makes it a lot easier to operate. You can sit here in the control room and see everything."

Barry Feagin, plant superintendent for C.R. Jackson's eight HMA plants, says that one of the things he likes most about the plant is the control system.

"With that Astec Total Control 2000 programmable-logic control system, trouble-shooting the plant is easy," Feagin says. "If we want the technicians at Astec (in Chattanooga, TN) to help us, we just call them. They can actually monitor the operation of the plant over the Internet while the plant is running. They can tell us exactly what is going on without our having to sit here and fight the problem and lose production time. In just a matter of minutes, they can get the problem resolved. That makes a big difference when you have a bunch of trucks waiting for asphalt."