Industry
Drying hoppers
independent consultants, which demonstrates that the proposed site would have very little visual impact on the surrounding environment because it is already very well screened by existing hedgerows and woodland,” explained Jon.
Mark was keen to show me the new site, calling in on the way to the Ratcher Hill facility. “We expect the new quarry will be up and running within two years, taking over from Ratcher Hill, which is earmarked for closure in 2015 after fifty years of quarrying.” “Both the existing and new site will be working to ISO9001:2008 standard,” said Mark.
Having donned the relevant PPE, Mark and I first met with Andrew Ward, the company’s Technical Manager, who has worked for them for twenty-two years and is responsible for ensuring every product leaving and coming onto the site is tested to meet their tough screening policies and testing criteria. “Hundreds of sand and soil samples
are tested on a monthly basis,” explained Andrew. “We test for Particle Size Distribution (PSD), soil pH and organic matter (OM) content, with the aim of producing consistent materials for both the sports turf and landscaping industry. Every tonne of sand has to be compatible and meet all the tolerances required for a sports sand specification.” Andrew also oversees the research development of new materials, working closely with Dr Vic Armond, who was
There will be investment in new equipment at the new quarry
responsible for developing the original Fibresand product. “One of my roles,” interjects Mark, “is to collect soil and sand samples from customers for testing by Andrew. For example, over time, Fibresand pitches can lose a certain amount of fibre due to simple wear and tear. It’s important to keep the top 100mm topped up with the correct amount of fibres, so Andrew is able to quantify how much new fibre content needs to be added during renovations to bring back the profile to recommended levels.”
“Even in the supply of straight sands for topdressing of pitches, it is important that the products we sell are tested,” said Andrew. “We will take numerous samples of the sands being quarried and, at various times of the production process, ensure they meet our strong testing criteria. Our popular Moist Mansil sands - MM35, MM45 and MM55 - are amongst the most popular in use in the UK, so it is vitally important that we maintain and provide a consistent quality controlled product.” “The testing begins by drying moist sand, after which a specified weight of the material being tested is added to a glass flask and topped up with water and shaken to disperse the fine particles. The water is then siphoned off and the process repeated several times to evaluate the percentage of clay and silts lost. This is calculated by the difference in weight of the original dry sample and the amount of material left after testing,” explained Andrew. “The remaining
material is then passed through a nest of sieves to determine the particle size distribution” explained Andrew. “The PSD tests are carried out several times during the production of a predetermined sand product to ensure it meets our high standards.” Our next port of call was to meet the lads on the weighbridge - transport coordinator, Will Fox and Dale Westwood. Dale has been with the company for over twenty years and, together, they are responsible for ensuring that all lorries leaving the site are loaded with the correct materials, that they comply to road transport regulations and are able to meet the timescales and deadlines required by the customer. Lorries are weighed both coming onto and going off the site, ensuring they are correctly loaded. It’s a long day, starting at 6.00am and finishing at 5.00pm with, on average, 100 lorries a day passing over the weighbridge. With constant detail to quality, the weighbridge is fitted with an overhead CCTV camera in order to view inside the trailers, making sure they are clean enough before any material is loaded; dirty bodies are not allowed here! As well as the lorries, both Dale and Will must keep an eye on the weather and road traffic bulletins. My next appointment was to meet one of the directors, Richard Abraham, who followed his father David into the company. His father has been involved with Mansfield Sand for over thirty years,
A Caterpillar Scraper will set you back £250,000
124 PC APRIL/MAY 2013
Around 100 lorries a day pass over the weighbridge ...
... all thoroughly checked by Will Fox (left) and Dale Westwood
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116 |
Page 117 |
Page 118 |
Page 119 |
Page 120 |
Page 121 |
Page 122 |
Page 123 |
Page 124 |
Page 125 |
Page 126 |
Page 127 |
Page 128 |
Page 129 |
Page 130 |
Page 131 |
Page 132 |
Page 133 |
Page 134 |
Page 135 |
Page 136 |
Page 137 |
Page 138 |
Page 139 |
Page 140 |
Page 141 |
Page 142 |
Page 143 |
Page 144 |
Page 145 |
Page 146 |
Page 147 |
Page 148 |
Page 149 |
Page 150 |
Page 151 |
Page 152 |
Page 153 |
Page 154 |
Page 155 |
Page 156