Both APC Production Divisions Take Home CDOT Awards
BY AsphaltPro Staff
The teams at two divisions of APC Companies in the Colorado Asphalt Pavement Association (CAPA) have received recognition for their quality production with a pair of state awards. The accolades were announced during the CAPA “Best in Colorado” Asphalt Pavement Awards Feb. 25, 2021.
CDOT Recognizes Quality
The Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) participates in the CAPA awards ceremony each year. For 2020, APC Construction Co. LLC, Golden, Colorado, received the CDOT Quality in Asphalt Production Award in the less than 100,000 tons category. APC Southern Construction Co. received the award for greater than 100,000 tons produced.
CAPA Executive Director Tom Peterson explained why this is especially noteworthy for the 2020 award cycle. “Year in and year out, both companies rank in the top five in the state, and both have won the award multiple times,” Peterson shared. “This is first time in the 20 years of the program where this has happened—both awards won by two divisions of the same company.”
While the awards ceremony is hosted by CAPA and includes numerous project successes recognized by CAPA, the department of transportation evaluates and gives the CDOT Quality in Asphalt Production awards in two tonnage categories.
“CDOT evaluates project test results and ranks all producers,” Peterson explained. “Results are reviewed for the tests of asphalt binder content, air voids, VMA, stability and TSR. The producers with the highest percentage of passing test results receive the highest rating in each of the two categories. Hot-mix asphalt, warm-mix asphalt and stone matrix asphalt were all included in the calculations for the Quality in Asphalt Production awards.”
Here’s how these two divisions work to make award-winning mix in the Centennial State.
APC Construction Co. LLC runs a Gencor Model 500 Skidded Ultraplant rated at 600 TPH with 1,200 tons storage capacity. For the award category, the plant produced around 90,000 tons in 2020; roughly 10,000 tons was WMA, according to APC Construction President Jeff Keller. “Customers don’t usually demand WMA,” Keller shared. “We discuss and educate our customers as to its advantages and use it as a ‘value added’ opportunity for both them and us.”
APC Southern runs a CMI E-3 counterflow plant rated at 400 TPH. For the award category, the plant produced over 110,000 tons in 2020; over 40,000 tons was WMA, according to Keller.
Winning In Place
APC Construction General Superintendent Jim Krattenmaker credits the Gencor Ultraplant’s consistency for its role in garnering the company’s CDOT award. “This plant consistently produces quality mixes at higher production rates and lower ones as well,” he shared. “It’s mechanically strong and stable, with an excellent controls system and user friendly loadout controls.”
The controls package installed at the facility is the Gencor Ultralogiks® Plant Control System with loadout system from Libra Systems, a subsidiary of Command Alkon. The team handles its process quality control in-house with its own lab on-site, but takes its relationship with CDOT technicians and inspectors seriously. “Great communications combined with cooperation is the foundation of our partnership,” Krattenmaker said.
That type of cooperation is inherent in APC Construction’s plant crew. “Each member of the team knows their job well and performs their job well and work well together as a team,” Krattenmaker said. “It is a total team effort that requires great communication between process control, production crew, transportation, and laydown and compaction teams.”
He’s most proud of what those teams accomplished with the 2020 award. “We were able to achieve great results in a season that was full of challenges, including the pandemic.
Winning Around the State
APC Southern Vice President Jim MacDonald credits the CMI E-3 portable plant’s “consistent crushing and stockpiling operations followed by smooth and consistent plant production” for the larger-tonnage win. He explained that the plant is highly portable. “We can normally tear-down, move and set-up in three to four days.”
Of course, a highly portable plant is only part of the equation. MacDonald spoke highly of the crew working the plant. “Our people are all cross-trained so that they understand their job and what all of their teammates are doing. Total team effort for consistent and steady production results in great quality.” He listed “their dedication to safety, quality and consistent production” as facets of the team that impress him.
Keller appreciated his teams and the opportunity CDOT gives to highlight them, as well. “We certainly value and appreciate the recognition and we look forward to making award-quality asphalt mixes again this year.”
WMA and RAP
The APC sister companies generally see about a 20 to 25 degree temperature difference when running WMA, according to APC Construction Co. LLC President Jeff Keller. While this doesn’t equate to a noticeable savings in fuel costs, it does offer other benefits for them and their customers.
“It’s excellent for projects with extremely long haul distances and offers excellent compaction temperature range enhancements,” Keller said.
As for the companies’ RAP use, Keller shared that most specs in Colorado allow 20 percent, so that’s where they typically run. That means the RAP piles aren’t diminishing very quickly. “When we only recycle 20 percent that leaves 80 percent in the pile!”