"The owner likes Komatsu equipment," Aikey commented. "He likes the pricing and he likes their endurance. They've done very well; they're easy to service, operator-friendly and comfortable. And the cabs on the Komatsus are bigger and provide more visibility. So, consequently, the drivers like them better."
The trucks make their six-mile haul at about 30 mph, carrying their 75-ton loads to the facility's crushing spread, where material is dumped. The company made a few modifications to the HD325s, such as adding a trailer hitch for pulling the heavy loads the truck and trailer combination carry. "It was never done on a Komatsu before," Aikey said. "But it's worked out very well for us. We're able to haul more material at one time so our production cost isn't as high. It's a good deal."
RMS Sales Representative Steve Altobelli works with Aikey and the staff at Drummond Dolomite to meet the company's equipment needs.
Plant manager Gib Aikey (Left) works closely
with RMS Sales Representative Steve Altobelli.
Drummond Dolomite's location allows its materials
to be loaded on ships and transported via the Great Lakes.
Drummond Dolomite recently purchased the PC400LC-7 to strip overburden at the company's massive site. The 96,712-pound machine is equipped with a 4.5-yard bucket to handle large amounts of material in quick fashion. Aikey said the company decided to buy the machine after bids to sub out the overburden removal turned out to be more than Drummond Dolomite wanted to spend.
"In the long run we'll be better off with this machine," Aikey said. "It's been a good investment. The really nice thing is the power it has because that's what we really needed. The material we're stripping is hardpan, so it's very tough to dig. We've tried ripping it and even blasting it in the past, but that tends to be inefficient. With the PC400, we're able to simply dig, so it's a valuable asset to us."
Aikey said that Drummond Dolomite's mechanics take care of basic maintenance service at the site, including oil analysis. "Nowadays, oil analysis is the only way to keep up with what's happening on these engines," he said, noting that several potential problems had been caught that way in the past.
For more complex service needs, the company relies on RMS. "Steve and the people at RMS have been very good to work with," Aikey said. "They've been terrific about making sure our needs are met. We're somewhat of a unique situation because of where we're located, but they respond to our needs very quickly. In this business we can't afford to be down and they understand that."
What's ahead?
Looking toward the future, Aikey doesn't expect production at Drummond Dolomite to increase much further than where it is now. He points out that in order to do more, a second shift would have to be added, and the owner of the company would prefer not to do that. "I think we're maxed out at 1.7 million tons of production," he said.
However, the progress the company's made to this point gives Aikey plenty to take pride in. "The activity, the business and the people - that's what I like about this job," he concluded. "I can count on the really good people we have here."