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Left to right: ACS National Sales Manager Jay Newton, VP Reimund Richter, and Andreas Schilli, President of ACS parent PTA. Conewago Chooses Flexible, Easy-to-Use ACS Plant Control Solution Conewago Enterprises of Hanover, PA, sells its precast products – including Spancrete® hollow-core wall panels and floor planks – to one of the toughest customers in the world: itself. At least 30 percent of Conewago’s annual output is sold to the firm’s design build construction operation. The remainder of its precast production is sold to other construction firms and corporations throughout the Northeast and mid-Atlantic area. Vertical integration is nothing new to Conewago. The firm began life in the 1950s pouring precast septic tanks. In the 1960s it became a general contractor specializing in pre-engineered steel buildings. It wasn’t long before the company began fabricating many of the steel components needed for its projects. As a general contractor for commercial, industrial and municipal projects, Conewago found that the more it could do and control itself, the better the outcome. Conewago Batching Operator Mike Unger, seated, and Plant Manager Kevin Gladis use the PCS Computer Control System from ACS to fine-tune planned batch runs for the day. The graphical user interface shows the operator exactly what is taking place or planned at any point in time. Up to 1,000 recipes can be stored and recalled at the touch of a button. In 2002, after years of research and planning, Conewago decided to take the next step and invest in a complete precast concrete production and ready mix operation. The firm built a state-of-art 100,000 square-foot precast production facility to house three 800-foot-long casting beds for its Spancrete GT240 System. The system can produce hollow core floor planks and wall panels up to nine feet wide and 60 feet in length. In addition, the dual-mixer platform in the new facility supports the company’s wet-cast architectural panel production and Porous Pave mix, one of Conewago’s newest products. Porous Pave is a special concrete mix formulated to allow water to pass through to the subsurface, virtually eliminating the need for costly storm water management systems. The Challenge Not long after Conewago’s new production facility came on line in 2003, problems with the plant’s batch control systems became apparent. As demand steadily increased, control system problems began to have an adverse impact on production, quality, material costs, and labor. One of the biggest problems, according to Conewago Plant Manager Kevin Gladis, was a lack of adequate support. “We felt the impact of our control system shortcomings on the wet cast side of our operations most acutely,” Gladis says. “That’s where we need to maintain the tightest tolerances and consistency. We use self-compacting concrete (SCC) on the wet cast side and the control of water-cement ratio is critical. Overall, we felt that we could achieve much greater productivity if we could improve the control system.” With Spancrete beds of 800 feet, the longest in the industry, it was taking the Conewago production crew about 3.5 hours to produce a single bed using the old batching control system. In addition, the firm was losing up to two bucket loads – 5 cubic yards – per day in wasted mix due to control problems. The Solution According to Gladis, Conewago looked at new control systems for more than a year, gathering information at trade shows, through word-of-mouth, and via the Internet. “Service and support were our biggest concerns. We talked to a handful of references from each of the vendors we were considering. Once we had done our research, it was an easy decision to choose Advanced Control Systems. Even some of the customers we spoke to who were using controls from ACS competitors recommended ACS.” In the spring of 2007, ACS Sales Manager Jay Newton and ACS Vice President and Engineer Reimund Richter met with Gladis and his team to work out exactly which systems needed to be integrated into the PCS Computer Control System. The PCS system from ACS would provide complete control for: two pan mixers six aggregate bins four cement silos flop chutes between mixers cement scales on each mixer admixture metering control of Stanley color system automatic and remote control ordering ACS Hyrdomat automatic microwave water metering system, and ACS Hydrotester aggregate moisture probes The PCS control system from ACS runs on a standard PC under the Windows operating system and ties together plant administration, production, material ordering, consumption monitoring, process supervision, costing, and maintenance into a single, efficient control solution. The PCS control system can store up to 1,000 concrete recipes and recall them at the touch of a button. Primary point-and-click mouse control is backed by a touch-screen auxiliary PC to ensure operations can continue even if the primary PC malfunctions. An uninterruptible power supply (UPS) helps protect the control system against voltage spikes and dropouts, or even short-term power outages. 100,000 sq. ft. Conewago precast production facility features Spancrete® hollow-core plank and wall panel extrusion system and full PCS Computer Control System from ACS. Fill time for one 800-foot casting bed has been cut by nearly 50% thanks to improved control. “Jay called us back several times during pre-installation planning and double-checked every detail,” notes Gladis, a 13-year veteran of the pre-cast business. “Jay and Reimund even alerted us to a problem with our original plant wiring that had been impacting our operations all along. That really gave us confidence in their technical knowledge and commitment to success.” Installation of the new ACS control system was carried out over a three-day weekend. The rest of the week was spent running production batches under Richter’s watchful eye. The Results According to Gladis, plant performance increased the day after installing the new ACS controls. “We were able to pour 465 yards of RCC and 103 yards of hollow-core for a total day of 568 yards, which was unheard for us,” Gladis recalls. “Reimund was very happy that he could be there to see us stress our systems to the max. If it was going to break for any reason on initial start-up, he wanted to be there to sort things out.” Conewago also sent its plant operator to ACS headquarters in Greenland, NH, to participate in the ACS P3 training program, an extensive hands-on course. “Our operator, Mike, really enjoyed the P3 training sessions at ACS,” Gladis comments. “It was a comfortable atmosphere and he really learned the finer points of plant operation using the new controls.” Conewago has been able to reduce the time required to lay an 800-foot bed of Spancrete hollow-core panels from nearly four hours to just two. “I’m going to have to upgrade the hydraulics in my Spancrete machine in order to keep up with the batch plant!” Gladis says. “Not only are we producing more in less time, we have also cut our waste to near zero. Consistency and quality are much easier to maintain with the new ACS controls. We’ve improved operations in almost every area, including labor savings, quality, mixing time, color blending. Best of all, we have an on-going relationship with ACS and can count on their service and support, which was something we didn’t have before.” New Controls Yield Improved Quality, Consistency, and Efficiency Proof on site – Virtually overnight, the PCS control system eliminated “bughole” cosmetic defects from pipe and other products through improved component proportioning accuracy and batching consistency. Customers noticed the improvement immediately. “The best advertisement we can have is a great looking product sitting out on the job site,” explains Scott Boughner, General Manager for Northern Concrete Pipe, Bay City, MI. “When a customer calls us and tell us how much they like the improvements we have made in product quality and appearance, that’s a great call to get,” he adds. Northern Concrete Pipe has been a leading provider of precast, reinforced concrete products since 1958. The company, which serves Michigan, Ohio, and Indiana, produces round and elliptical pipe, manholes, catch basins, box culverts, and Stormcepter® storm water management products at its plants in Bay City and Charlotte. The company’s Bay City plant features a three-mixer batching operation that was installed in 1994 and produces both wet and dry cast mixes that output through five discharge gates. The original control system that came with the plant had reached its end of life and was no longer supported by the manufacturer. In recent years, the controls had become increasingly problematic and required the attention of three workers, one each for the three mixers. These workers were also responsible for overall quality control. “We had been experiencing cosmetic ‘bugholes’ on our pipe products related to control issues, so last winter we decided we would make a decision on a new control system,” Boughner relates. “I had been researching controls for a number of years, attending trade shows and talking to other plant operators. I really had my eye on Advanced Control Systems (ACS) and after speaking with several ACS users, I knew they were the right choice for us. They offered the options, the service, and the integration we needed. Their price was competitive, but you can’t just go on price—we wanted a system that could grow with us for the next 10-20 years. ACS gives us that.” In July 2006, ACS engineers installed a new PCS Programmable Control System at Northern Concrete Pipe’s Bay City plant. The ACS system controls all three mixers, five discharge gates, as well as weight-based measurement of 12 aggregates, 4 cements, 8 admixtures, three water sources. The system features a remote wireless call system that enables the operator to have a batch ready in advance, eliminating wait times. The installation of the ACS control system took about four days. When the batching plant came back on line, the results were immediate, according to Boughner. “The quality improvement was like night and day,” he says. “We’ve improved quality about 80 percent. The bugholes disappeared. The best thing that happened was we began getting calls from customers. They were wondering what we were doing differently—that made us feel good. Even though the product is going to go in the ground and be covered, the customer cares what it looks like and associates appearance with quality.” Along with improved quality has come a reduction in the time spent managing the batching operations. “We no longer need all three of our QC folks watching the mixers,” Boughner notes. “The new controls have freed them to attend to other, more productive work. They can check products, run cylinder tests, and other work without having to worry about water-cement mixtures and other batching issues.” Consistency is king when it comes to repeatable mixtures and quality. The programmable ACS controls allow Northern Concrete Pipe to save an almost unlimited number of mix recipes and stores the history of each batch produced. These features allow for repeatability of even the most complex mix recipes with the push of a button. The batching history feature helps the company compete for government contracts, which often require the availability of detailed production records. “Our investment in the ACS programmable controls is gong to pay back in very little time,” Boughner emphasizes. “Payback is coming in terms of increased tonnage, reduced man-hours, and improved quality and consistency. No matter what the weather, the ACS moisture control features account for anything Mother Nature throws at us. I’m not an easy guy to win over, but I would recommend this control system to anyone.” Under control – Northern Concrete Pipe GM Scott Boughner, left, and President Bill Washabaugh Jr. found the right recipe for total plant control in the ACS Programmable Control System (PCS). Improved accuracy, consistency, and reliability are resulting in better quality and happy customers. 1000th HPGM Mixer Ships The WiCo Group, based in Karlsruhe, Germany, celebrates the 1,000th HPGM planetary countercurrent mixer produced worldwide. "Proud parents" from left to right include Martin Wieland, WiCo Group president; Max Hoene, president of Advanced Concrete Technologies (ACT), the N. American division of Wiggert + Company; Klaus Wiggert, founder and retired president WiCo Group; and Tom Krueger, ACT sales manager, pose in front of the 1,000th HPGM mixer, which is bound for a Hanson Pipe and Precast, Inc. plant here in the U.S. The performance and reliability of the Wiggert HPGM planetary countercurrent mixer has made it a hit both in the U.S. and worldwide. This proven design has been refined over the years and optimized for the production of precision mixes, including SCC and colored mix. The mixer’s popularity has led to standardized components for easy serviceability, and the perfect shovel and scraper configurations for fast, efficient batching. Parts and service here in the U.S. is second to none. The WiCo Group is also the parent company of Advanced Control Systems (ACS). Hanson Pipe & Products partners with ACS for 5 plants in Southeast Earlier this year, Hanson Pipe & Precast’s southeast region chose ACS to replace 5 control systems. The existing systems were built in-house by the previous plants owners. These systems required a dedicated technician to travel between the plants full time to keep the systems up and running. Over the years, as production changed, the plants had to add manual sub panels to increase capability. The legacy control systems required constant monitoring for errors and breakdowns. ACS visited each plant, specified the systems needed based on production systems and demands, then designed and delivered the first of these 5 in less than 6 weeks to Jackson, Mississippi. During the design of this first control system, ACS partner ACT delivered and installed a new HPGM 2250 planetary countercurrent mixer for installation at the same time. According to Plant Manager Bill Poole, downtime for implementation of the control and mixer took less than 7 days. “ACS got us back up and running really fast,” Poole says. “The new system is fast, automatic, and we can call orders from the floor.” A tight squeeze – experienced ACS and ACT technicians shoehorned this new HPGM mixer in place in just a few days. Nice pipes! With mixer and ACS controls installed, the Hanson/Jackson, MS, plant is back up and running with minimal downtime. Extensive factory pre-delivery testing of the ACS PCS control system ensures the fastest possible install time. Pre-testing also minimizes waste during startup. Simple and clean. Compact, self-contained PCS control system from ACS goes almost anywhere! The graphical plant control monitor (left) and manual backup panel (right) fit easily into a pre-existing office at Hanson’s Jackson plant. The simple, reliable controls replaced a patchwork of legacy control sub-panels and chaotic wiring. Oldcastle/Amcor Precast, Littleton, CO. Amcor Precast, a division of Oldcastle Precast, Inc., is located on a 12-acre site in Littleton, CO, south of Denver. The division produces underground precast concrete structures for communications, power, electric, water, and sewer manhole products. Amcor also makes short-span bridges, railroad crossings, oil/water separators, grease interceptors, custom precast products, and above ground ConVault fuel tanks. Amcor sought to upgrade its outdated plant controls, which featured a moisture metering system that never seemed to work quite right! The firm wrestled with inconsistency when alternating between dry cast and newly introduced SCC wet cast. The company had virtually given up hope of freeing the batching operator for other duties. Amcor officials knew that consistent wet and dry cast mix, produced when ordered from a remote call station, along with statistics and reporting, were critical to continued success. After an exhaustive two-year search, thoroughly researching all possible control system providers, Amcor chose a PCS Control System from Advanced Control Systems (ACS). The new PCS solution includes the advanced HYDROMAT and HYDROTESTER computerized microwave moisture detection and monitoring systems. These systems eliminate the guesswork and time-consuming spread calculations and tests associated with SCC acceptance. The HYDROTESTER system calculates and corrects for the moisture content of aggregates to achieve true batching accuracy. HYDROMAT includes a mixer-mounted microwave moisture probe and water dosing computer to help deliver consistent mixes, based on selected water cement ratios. The plant operator recently calibrated the probes to be recording and operating consistently within .03% of the actual moisture calculated to be in the aggregate through a cook out test. ACS Vice President and Engineering Manager Reimund Richter (left) shows Mark Miller, Plant Operator and Quality Control at Oldcastle/Amcor Precast in Littleton, CO, how to "keep in touch" with the many options now available to him with the new PCS control system, featuring a new touch-screen control Amcor Precast’s Mark Miller (at right above) is all smiles after the fast retrofit of his new PCS control solution. ACS completed this major installation over a long weekend, allowing the plant to return to full production after minimal downtime Eastern Precast Brookfield CT Underground products manufacturer was relying on outdated board-based system requiring full time operator. Challenge: Improve batching accuracy, component dosing flexibility, remove operator from stool Solution: Automatic PCS Control System allows forlklift operator to call batch from radio remote no operator needed. New batching flexibility allows addition of components at specific intervals to improve batching speed. Result: Reduced batching/pouring time by over 2 hours per day without full time operator. Nitterhouse Concrete Products, Chambersburg, PA Challenge: Large volume hollowcore structural and architectural producer was relying on 2 separate controls systems to operate 3 mixers at 2 different locations in different buildings with 2 full time operators. Flying bucket; traveling hollow-core machine; 12 admixtures and 12 aggregates at each location. Solution: Integrate PCS batching system with in house server allowing QC department to send orders through network to PCS system for production. Result: Order file contains all pertinent piece and job information as well. Automatic return of days production file to company server. New elevated control container houses single panel for all 3 mixers at 2 locations. Only one production observer needed part time in the control room. Full industrial 17" color touch screen control. Atlantic Blocks and pavers LLC, Ft Myers, FL High volume building block and custom paver manufacturer with 3 mixers feeding 3 separate production machines. Required 3 operators. Challenge: Reduce or eliminate the need for full-time control system operators. Consolidate control systems. Solution: Fully automatic PCS control system operates all 3 mixers on a preselected priority basis. Concrete is called for by probes in machine holding hoppers. Automatic moisture management system HYDROMAT and HYDROTESTER. Results: Requires just one part-time observer monitoring the control room as part of other duties. Back to Top

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