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Superior Industries’ Bulk Barge Cargo

Transfer Systems Solution

Pontchartrain Materials Company Finds Innovative Solution for Barge Unloading Applications.

By Dan Tiernan ocated in New Orleans, Louisiana, Pontchartrain Ma- material on river banks or loading trucks, but don’t allow terials Corporation, LLC provides aggregates to gen- operators to perform the task quickly. Truck ramp rigs eral contractors as well as asphalt and ready-mix com- grant an operation more speed, but their in? exible struc-

L panies. In addition to their chief product, limestone, the ture fails to afford crew members ? exibility in material family-owned company sells recycled concrete and recycled placement and prohibits unloading directly onto the bank. asphalt. Pontchartrain sources the material from quarries in northern states, transferring it down the Mississippi River Custom Design by barge to one of three company aggregate yards or direct- A number of years ago, Perry Watkins, Vice President at ly to customers in the New Orleans and surrounding area. Pontchartrain, started looking for a better barge unloading

Aggregate suppliers save time and money by transporting solution. “We saw a need for a dependable barge stacker to materials via barge, but the solution comes with a number unload with. The conveyor unloaders in use at the time ap- of its own challenges. Speci? cally, unloading material onto peared to be under-engineered, limited, and not as safe as the shore can be dif? cult to accomplish in a safe, ef? cient we wanted,” he explained. In his search for a quality, long- manner. Crane rigs offer a versatile option for stockpiling term solution, Watkins got in contact with Walter Shook of

December 2017

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