Hanson Pipe & Products' St. Martinville, La., plant has the first automated transfer system developed by Hawkeye Group and Demag Cranes. Operated automatically with a floor-mounted control console or manually with a radio control unit, the system combines a 32-ton bridge crane, which hoists a shuttle cart transporter with grab mechanisms that secure 7.5- ∞ 24-ft. trays. The latter serve a function similar to moving floors and support product from green to tipping phase.

The automation was originally spec'ed by Memphis-based Choctaw Inc., acquired by Hanson Pipe last year. The St. Martinville plant was up and running by the time the deal closed, and represented a consolidation of central Louisiana operations Choctaw acquired in the late 1990s from Texas' Transit Mix. With a new PipePlus Plus machine and existing equipment, the facility is positioned for high volume small- to medium-bore product. It is located about 20 miles south of Interstate 10 — the Sunbelt's main thoroughfare — and near U.S. 90, the principal hurricane evacuation route for Louisiana's central coast.