ForConstructionPros.com

Three years ago, Western Materials, a leading concrete block producer in Yakima, Washington, was facing several major challenges concerning the way it worked with pigment. Western had been looking for a company that could help it through not only a change from powder to granular pigment, but also a switch from hand-fed mixing to a fully-automated system. A phone call from a Canadian pigment manufacturer, Interstar, changed everything.

Interstar is an international company headquartered in Sherbrooke, Quebec. They manufacture, sell and maintain automated pigment dispensing systems as well as its own line of pigments, admixtures and fibers.

An Interstar sales representative suggested a complete solution to Troy Brown, block plant superintendent of Western Materials, which included Interstar granular pigments and the GranaSTAR 416 dispensing system.

Brown was only willing to switch pigment suppliers if he could be sure Western would reap considerable gains. He was not disappointed. Nor were Western Materials' President, Stan Martinkus and Contractor

Sales Person, Don Grubenhoff, who went ahead with a system overhaul after being extremely impressed by Interstar's initial presentation.