Preparing for changes in your business strategy
I once had the opportunity to attend a sales course led by Jim Clack, a former Pittsburgh Steelers player and a Super Bowl champion who hiked the ball to quarterback Terry Bradshaw. Being a fan of the gridiron, I enjoyed the football metaphors Clack used to help us understand his concepts.
For example, Clack explained how the Steelers’ bread-and-butter running play was their famous “32 Trap,” a play in which the running back took the handoff and ran like a bat out of hell through a hole in the defensive line that was created by the right guard pulling and blocking the defensive tackle. If executed properly, the “hole” in the line would be at just left of the center.
Clack explained that while the play was drawn up this way on paper, the hole was often not where it was supposed to be depending on how defensive players responded to the play. In those cases, the team would have to react and find another way to get the ball carrier through the line and generate offensive production.
His lesson: develop a plan to succeed, but make sure your plan also takes into consideration what could go wrong.
Real-world scenario
I recently had the opportunity to meet with some old friends who have been crushing recycled materials for the past three decades. The purpose of the visit was to review a concept for a new upgrade to their old portable plant, which is getting pretty long in the tooth.
For the past few months, we have been having discussions to fully understand the needs of their business. We listened intently about their production goals, their feed size, desired products and so forth.
Our engineer took all of this information back and created a flow analysis, a system of layout drawings and even a 3-D isometric artistic rendering overlaid on a satellite photo of their jobsite, to help illustrate what their new plant would look like. We had drawn up our own version of the “32 Trap” and snapped the ball.
The defense reacted. Seemingly on cue, the plant manager looked at all of our renderings and began to raise questions about our playbook.
“Sure, the production you calculate looks great, but you assume these new special jaw dies will enable the increased volume through our existing jaw,” the plant manager says. “But when the ridges of these jaw dies wear off, won’t we just need to tighten the jaw down to where our production will be where it is at today?
“How will we be able to gain access to this tail pulley when this under-crusher conveyor plugs?”
The questions continued as my old friend studied the information. As I listened, I was reminded of what Clack had imparted upon me almost 25 years ago: Make sure you take into consideration what could go wrong.
Flow analysis
As I apply this philosophy to portable equipment, I take this away: There is great plant flow analysis software used widely in the market today. However, while software algorithms enable us to generate flow diagrams with any capacity we want to show, these flows do not account for whether or not loaders can feed the volumes shown.
Flow calculations also do not simulate the plant’s reduced capacities when material is wet after a rain shower. As a rule of thumb, I always suggest assuming a 30 percent drop in production when material gets wet.
Flow calculations do not compensate for crusher liner wear, either. As we know, as blow bars and manganese wears, we usually see a decrease in capacity – plus a “shift” in output gradations. Again, I assume about a 30 percent decrease in capacity from when new consumables are installed to what the plant can produce just before they require replacement.
Machinery
It is critical for us to remember the obvious side effect of increased capacities: increased machinery. Will the flow diagram require additional machines and transfer conveyors that must be relocated, adding time, expense and complexity? Can we handle any additional transport weights? Will our jobsites have adequate area to lay out the system?
Often, contractors are limited by space to do their work. It will not matter what the flow diagram says if you don’t have room for machinery.
Often, too, I have observed situations in which a producer did not account for the increased maintenance associated with additional or new machinery. Adding conveyors means we are adding transition points subject to wear. Upgrading to new technology usually means operators must learn new procedures to replace consumables and conduct preventative maintenance.
Application variables
What is the material being processed? It won’t matter how high the plant capacity is if machinery is frequently down due to unplanned repairs.
Where can we install safeguards to increase uptime? If crushing recycled material, the potential for rebar and other contaminants to rip and tear belts is a very real concern as compared to working in a quarry.
Where should we install pan feeders, magnetic separators, impact beds, tear-resistant belting and so forth? If processing aggregate, is there any clay that can create buildup on hopper walls, transfer chutes and crusher frames? What is the potential for tramp iron in the deposit?
For portable producers, all of these questions may have ramifications in terms of how easy it will be to relocate the plant, as well as how complex the plant will become.
Obviously, there is no such thing as a perfect system. Just like opposing defenses, conditions change and variables can and will take a toll on the plan, no matter how solid it is.
In the end, the obvious solution also holds true. Every successful team consists of a well-designed playbook being executed by a strong roster.
Paul Smith is international marketing manager for Astec’s Aggregate and Mining Group. He can be reached at psmith@astecindustries.com.