W WhenOsborneMaterialsCompanytookoveroperationsatDrummondIslandonMichigan'sUpperPeninsula18yearsago,ithopedtobringanewlevelofspeedandefficiencytoalimestonequarrythathadalreadybeeninexistencefordecades.

Today,DrummondDolomiteIncorporatedhasachievedthatgoal.Withvesselcargoestotaling1.7milliontonsofproductin2004,Osbornehasachievedthehighestlevelofproductioneverfromtheislandquarry.It’sexpectedtomatchthatproductionagainthisyear.

ThatlevelofsuccesspleasesPlantManagerGilbert“Gib”Aikey,whohasbeenwithDrummondDolomitesinceOsbornetookoverin1988.Aikeyhadalreadybeenwiththecompanyformorethan30yearsintheCleveland,Ohio,area,doinghighway

andconcretework.ButthepurchaseoftheDrummondDolomiteoperationofferedanewchallenge;itwouldbetheconstructioncompany’sfirstventureintothequarrybusiness.

“Whenweboughtit,weweren’treallysureofanything,”Aikeyrecalled.“Wewentslowlyatit,andeachyearwegraduallybuiltitup.Thefirstyearwedidsomethinglike600,000or700,000tons,andwejustkeptuppingproductiontowhereitisnow.”

In1999,thecompanyclaimedmorethan1.7milliontonsoflimestone—animpressivefigureforaplantwithatotalof38personnel,includingsixsupervisorsand32hourlyemployees.Comparethatto1987,whenDrummondDolomiteproduced1.2milliontons,withmorethantwiceasmanyemployeesasithastoday.

WhenOsborneacquiredDrummondDolomite,oneofthefirstchangesOsbornemadewastoupgradetheequipment.Thepreviousoperationusedshovelsforloading;OsborneMaterialswentwithrubber-tiredloaders.“Theyoffermoreversatility,andthey’remuchfaster,”Aikeyexplained.“Drummondpreviouslyusedthreeshovels,whichtook14or15minutestoloadatruck.Now,weloadatruckinthreeminutes.”

Acquiring the quarry TheplantislocatedonDrummondIsland,situatedintheSaintMary’sRiverontheeasternmostpartofMichigan’sUpperPeninsula.Itslocationallowseasyaccesstowatertransportation,whichthecompanyusesexclusively.DrummondDolomiteloads85to90shipsayearwithmaterialitshipstoportsin

Gib Aikey, Plant Manager

A Drummond Dolomite operator uses a Komatsu PC400LC-7 to remove overburden at the company’s quarry site on Drummond Island.

A SALUTE TO AN CUSTOMER

OSBORNE MATERIALS COMPANY’S DRUMMOND DOLOMITE Successfullimestonequarrycontinuestoincrease productivitywithsolidmanagement,equipment

theGreatLakes,whereitisusedforavarietyofpurposesinthesteelindustry.DrummondDolomiteusuallybeginsproductioninthelastweekofMarchandendsaroundThanksgiving.Becauseweatherforcesthequarrytoshutdownduringthewintermonths,employeeshavetobeextremelyproductiveduringtheworkseason.

Keytomakingtheoperationrunaremanylong-termemployees,includingMaintenanceSuperintendentDaveKlamerus,MillForemanSteveKemppalnenandGarageHeadMechanicGregMcGuire.OfficeManagerJeffHineyandAdministrativeAssistantKarenRichwineheaduptheinsideoperations,whileMikeFairchilddoesboatloading.

“Ourpeoplemakeusveryproductive,”Aikeyacknowledged.“Wehaveasolidcoreofpeoplewhoworkveryhardtomakesurewemeetdemands.Wewouldn’tbewherewearenowwithoutthem.Theydeservemuchofthecreditforoursuccess.”

Thoseemployeeskeeptheoperationhopping.ProductionbeginsinPitNo.2,wherecrewsstriptherawmaterial.PitNo.2isfartherinlandthanPitNo.1,andisnowtheonlyoneoutofwhichthecompanyoperates.Aftershootingandblastingthematerial,crewsuseKomatsuHD325haultrucksspeciallyequippedwith75-tontrailerstohaulmaterialsixmilestoDrummondDolomite’scrusher,whichbreaksitdownintomoreuseableproducts.Thetrucksmakeroughly20tripsevery10hours.

“It’sactuallya1,000-ton-per-hourplant,butwe’vebeefedituptorunroughly1,150to1,200tonsperhour,”Aikeysaid.“Weaccomplishedthatbyusingsomespaceopeningsandeliminatingbottlenecks,findingdifferentwaystodothings.We’llproduce12,000tonsina10-hourday.”

DrummondDolomitesubcontractsworkthatitwouldprefernottohandlein-house.Forexample,thecompanysubcontractsitsblastingwork.“Subbingouttheblastingeliminatespeople,insuranceandliability—pluswegetabetterjob,”Aikeyexplained.“Thoseguysarespecialists.They’reuponallthehottechniquesandnewexplosives.Andwegetasetcost,sowe’veeliminatedlayersofmanagement.That

helpskeepourcostsdown,whichinturnhelpswithourpricingandbottomline.”

Shipping product Aikeysaidthatmorethan800,000tonsofDrummondDolomite’stwo-inchkilnstoneproductgoestoCarmuseLimeCompany.Inaddition,DrummondDolomiteproducesavarietyofotherproducts,rangingfromtwo-inchrockallthewaydowntoroadbaseandaglime,whichisalmostapowder.

Aikeyexplainedthateverythinggoesoutbybulk,thankstowatertransportation.Atypicalvesselwillcarry20,000tons;99shipsmadetripsfromtheislandlastyear,andthisyearthenumberisexpectedtobeaboutthesame.

“It’sthecheapestformoftransportationintheworld,”hesaid.“That’swhatmakesthisquarrysovaluable.There’salotofdolomitestonearound,butnotrightonthewaterlikethis.They’reallinland,sotheyhavetosendmaterialsoutbytrain,truckorsomeothermeans.It’smoreexpensivetodoitthatway.”

Using the right equipment TohelpwithproductionatDrummond,OsborneMaterialsCompanyturnstoRoadMachineryandSuppliesformuchofitsequipmentneeds.ThecompanyrecentlypurchasedaKomatsuPC400LC-7excavatorandtwonewKomatsuHD325-6haultruckstoaddtoitsfleet.DrummondDolomitealreadyhadfourHD325trucks,purchasedwithinthelastthreeyears.

Drummond Dolomite uses six Komatsu HD325-6 haul trucks to carry materials from its pit to the crusher. The trucks were modified to carry as much as 75 tons over the six-mile haul. “We’re able to haul more material at one time so our production cost isn’t as high,” said Plant Manager Gib Aikey.

Continued . . .

“TheownerlikesKomatsuequipment,”Aikeycommented.“Helikesthepricingandhelikestheirendurance.They’vedoneverywell;they’reeasytoservice,operator-friendlyandcomfortable.AndthecabsontheKomatsusarebiggerandprovidemorevisibility.So,consequently,thedriverslikethembetter.”

Thetrucksmaketheirsix-milehaulatabout30mph,carryingtheir75-tonloadstothefacility’scrushingspread,wherematerialisdumped.ThecompanymadeafewmodificationstotheHD325s,suchasaddingatrailerhitchforpullingtheheavyloadsthetruckandtrailercombinationcarry.“ItwasneverdoneonaKomatsubefore,”Aikeysaid.“Butit’sworkedoutverywellforus.We’reabletohaulmorematerialatonetimesoourproductioncostisn’tashigh.It’sagooddeal.”

RMSSalesRepresentativeSteveAltobelliworkswithAikeyandthestaffatDrummondDolomitetomeetthecompany’sequipmentneeds.

DrummondDolomiterecentlypurchasedthePC400LC-7tostripoverburdenatthecompany’smassivesite.The96,712-poundmachineisequippedwitha4.5-yardbuckettohandlelargeamountsofmaterialinquickfashion.AikeysaidthecompanydecidedtobuythemachineafterbidstosubouttheoverburdenremovalturnedouttobemorethanDrummondDolomitewantedtospend.

“Inthelongrunwe’llbebetteroffwiththismachine,”Aikeysaid.“It’sbeenagoodinvestment.Thereallynicethingisthepowerithasbecausethat’swhatwereallyneeded.Thematerialwe’restrippingishardpan,soit’sverytoughtodig.We’vetriedrippingitandevenblastingitinthepast,butthattendstobeinefficient.WiththePC400,we’reabletosimplydig,soit’savaluableassettous.”

AikeysaidthatDrummondDolomite’smechanicstakecareofbasicmaintenanceserviceatthesite,includingoilanalysis.“Nowadays,oilanalysisistheonlywaytokeepupwithwhat’shappeningontheseengines,”hesaid,notingthatseveralpotentialproblemshadbeencaughtthatwayinthepast.

Formorecomplexserviceneeds,thecompanyreliesonRMS.“SteveandthepeopleatRMShavebeenverygoodtoworkwith,”Aikeysaid.“They’vebeenterrificaboutmakingsureourneedsaremet.We’resomewhatofauniquesituationbecauseofwherewe’relocated,buttheyrespondtoourneedsveryquickly.Inthisbusinesswecan’taffordtobedownandtheyunderstandthat.”

What’s ahead? Lookingtowardthefuture,Aikeydoesn’texpectproductionatDrummondDolomitetoincreasemuchfurtherthanwhereitisnow.Hepointsoutthatinordertodomore,asecondshiftwouldhavetobeadded,andtheownerofthecompanywouldprefernottodothat.“Ithinkwe’remaxedoutat1.7milliontonsofproduction,”hesaid.

However,theprogressthecompany’smadetothispointgivesAikeyplentytotakepridein.“Theactivity,thebusinessandthepeople—that’swhatIlikeaboutthisjob,”heconcluded.“Icancountonthereallygoodpeoplewehavehere.”n

Plant Manager Gib Aikey (left) works closely with RMS Sales Representative Steve Altobelli.

Goodpeopleandrightequipmentdothejob. . . continued

Drummond Dolomite’s location allows its materials to be loaded on ships and transported via the Great Lakes.