Turnkey plant provider Advanced Concrete Technologies (ACT) recently teamed up with Oldcastle Precast-Central Division management to present a three-day,
Turnkey plant provider Advanced Concrete Technologies (ACT) recently teamed up with Oldcastle Precast-Central Division management to present a three-day, batch plant preventative maintenance training seminar. Collaborating with Oldcastle to develop the program, ACT offered the seminar as part of its plan to launch a comprehensive maintenance training curriculum available to customers through its new P3 Extended Service Program, a first for the concrete products industry. Thirty-six maintenance and production managers attended the mid-summer session.
Among those representing Oldcastle Precast during the program were Central Region President Ray Rhees, Vice President of Development Clint Brookhart, and Safety & Claims Executive Cal Larson. Rhees opened the seminar emphasizing the importance of having a comprehensive preventative maintenance plan. To the mixing/batching plant operators and maintenance teams attending, he affirmed management’s commitment to supporting plant personnel with the tools and skills they need to maintain their facilities for maximum reliability.
Added Hugh Scott, ACT application engineer and liaison, The focus of the Oldcastle Precast training program is on preventative maintenance of mixing and batching plants, the heart of any concrete production operation. This is where quality is controlled and ultimately where profitability for a plant is maintained. Joining Scott for the project were ACT President Max Hoene and Martin Wieland, managing director of German parent company Wiggert+Co.
An overview on the importance of a proactive preventative maintenance program was followed by a breakdown of the mixing and batching plant into distinct components. Participants were then given detailed training on proper maintenance for each component Û from aggregate material handling to finished concrete discharge.
On the second day, participants met at the recently modernized Utility Vault Co. operation in Auburn, Wash., for hands-on training in control systems and call stations, moisture control, mixer safety, and associated maintenance practice. A session entitled How to make consistent concrete wrapped up the training. Summarizing the entire program, this final session required participants to present their own maintenance agendas with associated schedules.