The US Aggregates® Columbus location is home to decades of history that dates to the original quarry opening in 1937. The plant is a vital supplier of infrastructure aggregates for the Bartholomew County region. Its products are utilized in key projects within the area including at the Honda manufacturing plant in Greensburg, Indiana, and the I-74 interstate corridor between New Point and Ohio. The team recognized that the original plant was approaching the end of its useful life and initiated plans for replacement to ensure continued reliability for customers.
This season the plant is unlocking a new chapter in its story as the team has completed a full wash plant transformation. At the end of the 2024 production season, the old facility was officially decommissioned, and the team began the process of designing a new portable plant and assessing the project’s feasibility. The objective of the project was to scope, design, layout, install and commission a new plant within a three month timeframe.
Our project manager and engineering teams highlighted that this challenge seemed nearly impossible. The team shared that designing, constructing and commissioning a fully functional portable plant capable of producing a complete range of products would ordinarily span over a few years. Yet, through the unwavering commitment, innovation, partnership and relentless drive of this exceptional team, the impossible turned into reality — delivering the entire project in under three months.
With a solid game plan, the team proceeded to design the plant flow and select and source equipment. This step demanded considerable creativity due to production needs and equipment availability. Multiple pieces of equipment were chosen, each with a contingency plan to meet the team’s design and plant’s requirements. It was determined that no single vendor could supply all the necessary materials, prompting our team to source equipment from various providers. Once all equipment was acquired, internal field installation was completed, followed by the successful commissioning of the new plant. Commissioning involves verifying that all systems are safe, meet design specifications and are ready for operation.
Project Manager Rachel Lockhart shared that this capital investment will have a huge impact on the continued success at Columbus and US Aggregates as a whole. “The purchased portable plant will be a part of the HC+M fleet, with the goal of relocating it within the next few years to be used at another operation,” said Rachel. A portable plant can be relocated easily to other site locations and provides flexibility in quick operational demands.
Typically, portable equipment is diesel-powered for quick start-up. However, the team opted for an electric build. The choice to integrate everything into an electrical grid was driven by the goals of enhancing environmental sustainability, ensuring greater consistency and achieving cost-effectiveness. The Columbus team even refabricated old parts of the plant, such as conveyors and chutes, for use in the new build.
The support from Milestone, a company within the Heritage Construction + Materials family, was beneficial to the overall success of this project. Specifically, US Aggregates was able to utilize Milestone’s equipment and internal resources, which helped reduce costs and expediated the overall start-up.
Project Manager Daniel Cull explained that “the success of this project is a great example of how by building trust with employees and outside partners we can tackle even the largest challenges together.”
Major shoutout to Plant Manager Steve Kistler and his crew at Columbus for their leadership and dedication in bringing this project to fruition! This would not have been possible without the guidance of your team. Also, shoutout to the sales team for redirecting customer product needs to other sites like Flat Rock while this was being built.
We want to extend a heartfelt thank you to all our vendors and partners for their invaluable contributions to this project. Your support and collaboration were crucial in making this achievement possible. As we look to the future, the team is excited about the opportunities this new plant will bring. Together, we’re ready to tackle even greater challenges and continue driving innovation and excellence at US Aggregates!
Written by: Rachel Lockhart, Kensington Kissel, Daniel Cull and Anthony Treadaway
