Dutra Group’s San Rafael Rock Quarry has operated on the edge of San Francisco Bay for more than 100 years.
Natural rock, sand, gravel, asphalt and concrete are all quarried or produced at the site, which operates 350 ft. below sea level.
Dutra Group transports many of its materials by barge to local marine worksites that focus on protecting the local community and environment from the impacts of global warming. Coastal erosion safeguards and barriers against rising sea levels and emergency floods are all built using materials from the San Rafael Rock Quarry.
“We’re proud to play a key role in protecting the local environment,” says Steve Lee, vice president and equipment manager at Dutra Group.
The operation takes a similar approach to sustainability when exploring equipment.
“When it came to upgrading the equipment in our mobile crushing and screening plant, choosing equipment that had low emissions and didn’t disrupt the quarry’s surroundings was key,” Lee says.
Having purchased and installed two Powerscreen tracked diesel crushing and screening plants at the quarry over the last 15 years, Dutra Group turned to the Powerscreen of California team when the time to renew machinery arrived.
“We’ve built a strong relationship with the Dutra team over the years,” says Paul Campbell, founder of Powerscreen of California. “They have confidence in the fact we’ll deliver a plant that meets their needs and keeps running well.”
Green Gladiators
When exploring an upgrade to the equipment in the operation’s mobile plant, electric-powered options were a priority for Dutra Group.
Meeting the organization’s environmental values meant shifting away from diesel-powered crushers, screens and conveyors. This was also essential for the site to operate under California’s tight legislation on greenhouse gases.
Senate Bill 32 sets out a statewide emissions target of 40 percent below 1990 levels by 2030. To help meet this objective, Dutra Group sought electric-powered equipment that could process about 440 tph.
“Thankfully, when we reached out to our valued partner, Powerscreen of California, they had a wide range of portable electric crushing and screening machinery to offer us from their new, exciting Powerscreen Gladiator range,” Lee says.
In all, Dutra Group purchased several pieces of equipment from the portable electric Gladiator range. This includes two MT1300 cone crushing plants, two H8203 screening plants and an H6203 screening plant – plus 11 conveyors of 60- and 80-ft. lengths.
According to Powerscreen of California, the Dutra Group investment makes the San Rafael Rock Quarry the largest Gladiator-powered site in operation anywhere in the world.
“The price of diesel has been sitting at around $8 a gallon,” says Daryle McLaughlin, quarry manager at the San Rafael Rock Quarry. “Switching the plant to electric power with equipment that’s productive from Day 1 means we’ve quickly cut down both our costs and emissions.”
Setting up the site
Powerscreen of California supported Dutra Group through the planning and setup phases of the San Rafael Rock Quarry project.
Taking all the diesel equipment machinery back on trade and giving Dutra Group the flexibility to rent rather than buy certain pieces of machinery outright provided the operation with value.
“We like to think of ourselves as a complete machinery solutions provider,” Campbell says. “We were able to offer the Dutra team gensets to rent. This meant the plant could get up and running while the mains power infrastructure was being put in place.
“Even before this stage, we helped the team with planning the site’s layout,” he adds. “Using the Microsoft Visio platform, we uploaded models of the equipment and worked out the most efficient and productive layout. We then refined this with feedback from the customer to make the final tweaks.”
This planning work meant the Powerscreen of California installation team could get the plant up and running in a few days. Trucking the equipment onto the site, Powerscreen of California placed each piece of equipment before linking and testing connections for efficiency and safety.
This partnership meant Dutra Group experienced minimal downtime before its new plant was operational.
“The whole deal and setup was a team effort, from our product experts to the guys out on site and our aftersales crew,” Campbell says. “Each member of our team played a part in making this installation run smoothly for Dutra. Our customer is very happy with the results, and we are committed to being a long-term equipment partner to the Dutra Group.”
Equipment benefits
Electric-powered equipment provides the Dutra Group with efficiency advantages.
For example, with no diesel or hydraulic systems, the portable electric plant runs at a much colder temperature, minimizing the likelihood of breakdowns due to overheating.
In addition to greater efficiencies, Lee says the operation’s electric equipment presents benefits to local residents.
“The quarry is right on the bay and in close proximity to a neighborhood of affluent homes,” he says. “The Gladiator range of products operates much quieter than a diesel alternative, meaning we can continue to run without disturbing the local community.”
Information for this article courtesy of Powerscreen of California.
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