Below, Jason Purllant, Rubblemaster’s UK sales and marketing manager, gives Aggregates Business Europe his thoughts on the key issues facing the aggregates crushing sector, and how he thinks the sector is likely to develop in the coming years.
What is driving the changes in the industry?
Changes are being forced upon the processors to raise standards of final product that is used on jobs, to recycle more aggregate and be innovative with how we use the final product. It is no longer acceptable to both in environmental and financial terms to muck away aggregates to landfill. Tenders are being won and lost on jobs where decision makers are scrutinising how a company manages its waste
Where will the industry be in 5 years’ time?
The UK in many respects is very different in recycling terms to mainland Europe. Many of the thoughts and ideas being introduced in the UK have been in existence for a few years in Europe. The quality of the products that are being produced has to rise in the UK to meet the rising standards demanded of aggregate customers. No longer can customers produce a product that doesn’t meet any standard.
Is the market growing for crushers?
The market is definitely growing but also changing. People have been using jaw crushers since time began to crush their aggregates. Jaw crushers were proven to work and are simple to use. However, the market is now demanding something different. Customers are demanding a better shape from their crushed product with a growing demand to produce smaller sizes for pipe bedding, for example. People are also looking at re using small sized aggregate to produce concrete. There is no need any longer to use virgin aggregate.
Aggregate processors are faced with the challenge of size and shape that a jaw crusher alone can’t produce what the market is demanding. Some processors have resorted to “double” crushing and screening out the smaller product, but everyone accepts this is a highly inefficient way of producing small single sized products.
The UK are, as a result, seeing a rising demand for impact and cone crushers. Impact crushers are seen as the “catch all” of crushers that can crush everything from asphalt to contaminated c and d waste with steel in the feedstock. Cone crushers in conjunction with a jaw crusher are being used in hard rock areas to produce the highly sought after smaller single-sized product.
How will the market change in the next 2 years?
Standards for crushed product will continue to rise meaning processors having to change the way they crush their feedstock. Processors will focus on efficiency of production balancing output and operating costs against the need to produce a quality final product. I can see a growing demand for impact crushers as operating costs for these type of machines has tumbled and residual values risen against these sought after machines. Aggregate processors will need to differentiate themselves from their competition.
