Where Secondary Comes First
A Rammer breaker has helped a New Zealand aggregates producer double its production in just four months.
According to the Aggregate and Quarry Association, New Zealand uses 11 tonnes of aggregate per person per year in construction. Higgins Group-owned Baldwin’s Aggregates Limited provides 160,000 tonnes of the sedimentary rock into the country’s construction industry every year. Having recently procured another 80 hectares, Pokeno-based Baldwin’s Aggregates has ensured it has the capacity to continue providing vast quantities of aggregate to the New Zealand market.
Sheep to Stone
Rewind 15 years and Baldwins Aggregate was just another sheep farm. Kerry Reilly, operations manager, stumbled upon it and started its transition from a greenfield site to the quarry that sits there today. From the beginning, Baldwin’s Aggregates focused on producing a high quality product in an efficient manner, while respecting the environment and safety of the staff.
Since 2002, Baldwins Aggregates has been working hard to ensure environmental sustainability. The company started a voluntary initiative to improve the quality of water that was discharged from the quarry, creating a wetlands to naturally filter the water. Reilly conceived the idea, however, he also praises the input of neighbouring dairy farmer, Peter Buckley. Buckley donated several hectares and “put a lot of trust” in what seemed like a wild idea at the time, Reilly says.
Over the last 12 years Baldwin’s has planted 15,000 indigenous trees and shrubs, with assistance from the Waikato Ecological Enhancement Trust. Those efforts were rewarded recently with Baldwins Aggregates taking home the Gold Mimico Environmental Excellence Award at the Quarry NZ Conference.
The removal and relocation of overburden is another issue for all sedimentary quarries. Baldwin’s found an innovative solution that would solve the problem from both an environmental and economic perspective. Incorporating the overburden into the wetlands was the logical solution with any excess placed into Baldwin’s consented landfill site. This means no transportation on public roads and the landfill will provide good conditions for future forestry development.
Hard Rock
Baldwins Aggregates produces a very hard rock. After the initial explosion, the company is often left with large boulders that require secondary breaking before crushing. While most aspects of the quarry were running very smoothly, the company was struggling with its secondary breaking.
Baldwin’s trialled many different breakers, with little satisfaction. But the Rammer 2577 truly hit the bull’s-eye. Four months since purchasing the Rammer 2577, Baldwin’s could not be more pleased with how positively it is impacting production. “Since getting the Rammer, rock breaking has doubled,” says Reilly.
The Rammer 2577 is also impressing with its auto self-greasing to conquer the “rock crazy” operators. Reilly asserts that operators can often go numb and only focus on continually breaking boulders, causing premature wear on the breaker. Thankfully the Rammer breakers were made with this in mind.
Baldwin’s purchased the Breaker from Digga New Zealand which has just celebrated 10 years of continuous service as an authorised Rammer dealer.