The Philippines is one of the fastest growing countries in Asia. This is visible in the rate at which the nation’s infrastructure development is surging. Growth requires resources. According to reports, there is an estimated annual demand for 30 million tonnes of cement and 50 million tonnes of concrete mix just in the capital city of Manila.
Hardrock Aggregates is one of the many companies catering to this ever rising demand by producing quality aggregates.
The company has a 10 per cent share in the Philippines aggregates industry. Established 20 years ago, the company specialises in the manufacture of aggregates at its mountain quarry.
Hardrock produces about three million tonnes of aggregates per annum and is selling about 10,000 to 15,000 tonnes a day. One of the main products the company supplies is S1 sand, ranging from 0-6mm and used in concrete batching plants and construction projects.
With the demand for quality aggregates increasing by the day, Hardrock is now considering starting production of S3 sand, in the 1-5mm range, also known as manufactured sand. The fact very few companies in the Philippines produce manufactured sand increases its demand.
Since 1998, when Hardrock started manufacturing aggregates, shortcomings in the plant design had led to poor end-product quality, low production and high costs.
To update the plant and convert a non-profitable unit into a profitable one, Hardrock hired engineer Vicente Pulvinar as its operations manager.
“I joined Hardrock in 2007 and noticed a lot of discrepancies in the design of the plant,” Pulvinar said. “Having a 13m x 17m jaw crusher in the primary stage with a Symons crusher in the secondary stage was a clear mismatch, demanding a complete re-engineering of the plant.
“I simultaneously started creating the new layout with Metso equipment, without letting production come to a stop in the old design.”
The old, ill-structured process prompted Hardrock to go all in for the new design and equipment.
One by one, all machines were replaced to achieve the targeted production. Presently, Hardrock has two Metso Nordberg C140 jaw crushers in the primary stage, two Metso Nordberg HP400 and four HP300 series cone crushers in the secondary stage, along with four vibrating screens to produce 500 tonnes of aggregates per hour.
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INCREASED PRODUCTION
The new design made a huge difference in the quantity and quality of production, as well as in the operating and maintenance costs of the plant. Annual production jumped from one million tonnes to three million tonnes.
“Since we have upgraded our machines to Metso equipment, our production has increased and costs have gone down,” Pulvinar said.
“There has been a substantial decrease in operating costs. In the long run, we can compete with the very big names in the industry. This is the kind of trust we enjoy with Metso’s solutions.
“Ever since we installed the C140 in the primary stage and the HPs in the secondary stage, we were facing new challenges within our quarry. There was the pressure to produce enough for us to feed the crushers.
“The technology is pushing us for the better, and I completely believe this will enable us to attain utmost efficiency in the future.”
The HP’s design and robust quality resulted in lower maintenance costs and less downtime. All in all, it facilitated high production.
“The HPs have good speed and shape, which reduces downtime tremendously and leads to easy machine maintenance,” Pulvinar said.
FUTURE DEMAND
Hardrock plans to use Metso equipment to enhance the quality of its current products. Demand for the S1 sand (0-6mm) currently being produced is soft because of the presence of fines and dust in the output, which the customer rejects. Thus, Hardrock is seeking to produce S3 sand (1-5mm), which is in great demand as it is free of fines and dust. To get this enhanced quality, Hardrock is considering Metso’s air classification technology to separate dust from the sand; it is also considering the Hummer screen, which is uniquely designed for removing finer particles from the manufactured sand.
It is well understood by Hardrock that using air classification and a Hummer screen will enable it to convert the S1 sand into S3 manufactured sand, which is widely in demand in Asian markets now.
“Our huge pile of S1 sand stock is giving us a tough time; on one hand, S1 sand is no longer in demand and there are no takers for it, and, on the other hand, keeping this stock is costing the company a great deal,” Pulvinar said. “The classification of S1 sand using Metso’s specialised technology, such as air classification, can help convert the unsold, undesirable stock into a hot-selling product for Hardrock, allowing us to save on costs and to generate profit from it.
“The quality and technology Metso provides to its customers is unparalleled in the industry.
“Metso machines are not costly, they are premium. It’s better to invest a little more today, rather than repenting tomorrow with cheaper products and undesired results.”
Source: Metso