How to increase crushed stone production in 4 months?

High market demand causes deficit of high-quality aggregates

In 2005, the crushed stone market saw rapid growth due to construction of new infrastructure facilities. At the same time, the country’s production capacity wasn’t able to completely satisfy the market demand;  so by the end of 2007, the crushed stone deficit was over 30% of the total production capacity. Based on studies* of the Ukrainian crushed stone market, such an imbalance between supply and demand was caused by the poor condition of the equipment at the existing plants: about 40% of the plants were working at only half their capacity. Another factor in the deficit is the low degree of resources development — only 300 of 630 registered deposits have been developed. 

One of the companies that faced the issue of a high-quality aggregates deficit was Kovalska Industrial-Construction Group. In an effort to resolve the deficit, the Group acquired Omelyanivskiy Quarry LLC in 2000. It had been established back in the Soviet era, so by the time of its acquisition all its equipment had become worn-out and outdated. 

“When we acquired the company, the plant was shut down due to equipment failure. We had a lot of work ahead of us regarding production modernization and recovery,” recalls Sergey Goncharenko, Head of Kovalska ICG Purchase and Contract Policy Department

This problem could have been solved in different ways – from recovery of the existing equipment to installation of a new complex. But the solution had to be found quickly, because the management of Omelyanivskiy Quarry was in a dire situation: Group operations needed more and more crushed stone, and the company did not have the production capacity to meet the demand.

“We supply aggregates from this quarry to other Kovalska Group operations. Our demand for crushed stone had increased, but we could not have satisfied it without modernization and automation of the existing facilities,” says Oleg Targonskiy, Omelyanivskiy Quarry Vice President.

“Our concrete production growth required an increase in aggregates supply by as much as 300,000 metric tons per month. However, we couldn’t achieve this goal with the existing equipment. After considering the various options, we decided to install a new production line,” Sergey Goncharenko explains.

*Based on the studies conducted by Ukraine International Marketing Group, which were presented at the round-table discussion “Marketing problems of the crushed stone market and their solutions”, Kiev, February 22, 2008.

Crushed stone production increased thanks to commissioning of a new crushing and screening line

The goal was clear – promptly build a new production line that could produce high-quality crushed stone without production losses and without having to shutdown the existing complex. The company’s management asked two European manufacturers, one of them Metso, for possible solutions to this problem. 

“Our material is very abrasive granite. It requires a labor-intensive and generic process of recycling. So it was important to get not only a highly productive solution, but also a cost effective solution,” Sergey Goncharenko describes. 

Metso experts assessed all the production parameters and proposed the installation of a module plant with three crushing and screening stages. In the first stage of the project, three jaw crushers of different sizes were laid for the maximum reduction of the feed material size; and cone crushers for the upgrading the final product were laid in the second and the third stages. It was suggested to include wet and dry screening on the inclined screens in the process line for better material separation, including the small class. The module design of the solution made up for the lack of time for equipment assembly and start-up, and the conventional three-staged process flow diagram guaranteed the production of high-quality aggregates.

“We saw that the Metso solution would allow us to promptly increase production without a loss in quality. Hence, it was their technology that we chose,” Sergey Goncharenko elaborates on the factors that influenced the company’s decision on choosing the modular solution.

“The plant was built in record time: we started installation in January, and by May we had produced the first batch,” Oleg Targonskiy remembers.

Metso’s official distributor, SV-TEK, was involved in the plant maintenance. Service engineers made a schedule of inspections, a repair works calendar, and a plan for spare and wear parts replacement. 

“This is a unique plant in our country as it combines the best of mobile and stationary equipment. On the one hand, the complex can be relocated during a rather short period of time. And on the other hand, the complex’s flexibility and production costs are comparable with those of stationary plants. We keep such peculiarities in mind during planning and maintenance so that we can optimize any service activities and spend as little time as possible on maintenance,” Aleksey Tolkach, SV-TEK Director, elaborates on maintenance nuances.

Introduction of a new crushing and screening line at Omelyanivskiy Quarry helped to solve the main problem at Kovalska ICG — promptly increase own production of crushed stone with minimum procurement of aggregates from third parties.

“We produce 2,200,000 metric tons of crushed stone per year at our own plants. With such production volumes, we feel confident with the market,” Sergey Goncharenko says.

“Now we produce as much as 80% of the total crushed stone volume that we use. We are sure about the quality of the material supplied to our operations every day,” he summarizes.