C.J. Miller Opens New Plant to Boost Production, Increase Efficiency

New asphalt plant located in Finksburg, MD, doubles its capacity and will create up to 100 jobs

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Hampstead, MD-based asphalt business C.J. Miller LLC debuted its new plant this past summer. Located in Finksburg, MD, the plant is designed to increase production, energy efficiency and safety.

Charles J. Miller, Jr. (Buck) started C.J. Miller LLC in 1957 when he purchased a backhoe and started installing sewage and septic systems. Today, the company operates four asphalt plants in Maryland, located in Finksburg (two plants), Westminster and Woodsboro.

C.J. Miller is positioned to produce and supply material throughout Maryland and southern Pennsylvania. In 2015, it produced over 700,000 tons of asphalt for projects ranging from heavy highway to parking lots and driveways.

The nearly 60-year-old family-run business has 480 employees and 1,000 pieces of equipment to serve residential and commercial clients.

“We offer a wide range of mixes, ranging from fine driveway, to heavy highway, to a porous walking path product,” says Joe Frock, director of the asphalt plant. “Our new plant’s technology also promotes the use of reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP), keeping old roads out of landfills.”

For its RAP, the company takes millings from its seven paving crews and processes it through its mobile crushing and screening plant.  The material is sized to minus ½”, and reintroduced into new hot mix asphalt.

“The challenge with RAP is incorporating the right amount of recycled material into our mixes,” says Frock. “It’s imperative to produce a quality product which allows both C.J. Miller and our outside clients to become more competitive in a tight market.”

Environmental efficiencies & capacity increases

C.J. Miller’s intention with its new plant was to create a robust, modern, environmentally friendly plant that would help it to better serve customers. The old plant was a 200-ton per hour facility. The new equipment, said Frock, helped to double plant capacity and efficiency and operate a 400-tph facility.

“One of the great things about this modern plant is it has helped C.J. Miller to significantly reduce our environmental footprint,” says Frock. “We incorporated the Astec Double Barrel Green System, which minimizes emissions and reduces fuel usage.

“The entire plant is also outfitted with variable frequency drives (VFDs) through BGE’s Smart Energy Savers Program, which significantly reduces the plant’s energy use,” he continues. “The plant is expected to save approximately 400,000 KWH of power annually -- the same amount of electric required to power 36 houses for a year.”

Since the company invested $9 million into building the new plant, the energy savings are important.

“The cost savings is immense,” William “Billy” Miller, vice president, says. “It uses 50% less energy. That’s huge.”

The plant will serve Baltimore, Howard and Carroll Counties and has a large storage capacity. Nearly 1,300 tons of material can be stored and shipped before having to restart the plant, and two additional silos will be added at a later date.

Other highlights of the new plant include:

  • LED lighting throughout the plant
  • Cellulose injection system to produce GAP, open graded friction course, ultra-thin wearing course and porous mixes
  • Smart hot oil system oscillates and also scavenges exhaust heat to save additional energy
  • Two truck lanes allows for rapid material loadout and a kiosk ticket system for each lane keeps trucks flowing to projects
  • Improved silo system allowing for longer storage times, less material cooldown and reduced waste from additional starts and stops
  • Eight cold feed and two RAP bins allowing multiple mixes to be produced during any given shift
  • Auxiliary pugmill that moves the liquid asphalt injection point outside of the drum, reducing wear and buildup
  • Enhanced worker safety with conveyor safety switches, complete guarding and safety eyes for truck loadout
  • Live cameras throughout the plant for additional loadout and operational safety.
  • Automatic sprinkler system site-wide to help suppress dust

Challenges solved

The new Finksburg plant was built within the old, outdated plant’s footprint and required extensive planning and intricate site work prior to Astec’s arrival onsite. 

Over 2,500 cubic yards of concrete were placed for the equipment foundations. “Astec came out and conducted the installation, and we did have some complications with computers communicating with the equipment,” says Frock. “We worked with the technicians from Astec to resolve them and continue to work with them when any issues come about.”

As an asphalt producer, you always need to enhance production and efficiency in order to best serve your customers, says Frock. “We always strive to find new ways to reduce our environmental footprint and promote plant safety to help protect our employees,” he adds. “We are always working to provide consistent mix designs and follow state mandates.”

Finding, hiring and retaining qualified workers is an issue for most in the construction industry, and it’s no different for C.J. Miller

“Finding and retaining strong employees is a constant challenge,” says Miller. C.J. Miller is one of the top five employers in Carroll County, and its new plant is creating up to 100 new jobs.

How does C.J. Miller handle all these challenges?

“It involves hiring the right people to manage those expectations, working with the right vendors, strengthening our relationships with customers, the community, and equipment sales reps,” says Miller. “It also involves researching the newest products and technologies available to us.”

Marketing to the community and customers is also important to the C.J. Miller brand.

“We make it a point to have a strong online presence that tells the story of who we are and what we do, and we strive to target the right markets to grow our employee base,” he says. “We constantly educate plant operators and other staff so they can stay abreast of the latest technology, safety protocols, and operating techniques and strategies.”

C.J. Miller realizes its employees are what creates success throughout its entire organization. “We appreciate the men and women who come to work for us each day,” says Miller, noting the company has an annual company picnic, which is a big family affair with food, games and contests.

“Every company is going to have its challenges, but we really try to live by the philosophy of our founder, and my dad, Charles J. ‘Buck’ Miller,” says Miller. “He always said, ‘If you do good work, you’ll never run out of work.’”

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