Gary Francis, owner Francis Excavation, of Allison Park, PA, told NAQN/AMT during a recent interview, that he had always wanted to start a crushing operation when he entered the recycling business in 2007. With more than 23 years in the excavating business at that time, Francis believed that along with the demand for his services as an excavation contractor, there was a need for a company that could recycle concrete material as well. Seeing that need, he created the company he calls Allegheny Concrete Recycling. As it has turned out, demand for his new company's services has grown since then.  | A Murrysville Machinery lowboy delivers the new Fast Trax 2640 to Allegheny Concrete Recycling. By being able to facilitate their own hauling, Murrysville Machinery has the ability to deliver a customer's new equipment, including on site setup and training. |
Francis said one of the things that he enjoys most about the new company is that this new enterprise has helped him to become more diversified. With this new offering of services, it enables him to be busy with projects, almost all of the time. Whether it is a demolition job, a storm sewer or sanitary sewer project, a site preparation contract or the installation of a water line, Francis and his team are able to tackle the job. This is important because Francis indicated that land in the greater Pittsburgh area has become more and more scarce. As a result, site managers want to be able to bring in a company that can complete the demolition of existing structures, do the site preparation, lay water and sewer lines and set the footers so that the work is done seamlessly and promptly. Francis Excavation and Allegheny Concrete Recycling are capable of doing that. “When we were looking to get into concrete recycling, Ryan Hauser of Murrysville Machinery was extremely helpful,” Francis said, noting that they recommended the KPI-JCI® Fast Trax 2640 Jaw Crusher as the unit of choice. With the Fast Trax 2640, a wide variety of material can be recycled including concrete rubble or prepared concrete, bricks, blocks, asphalt, rock, aggregates, slag and demolition materials. With the portability of the tracked unit, being able to recycle aggregate that is taken from the site where a new structure is planned, gives his company the advantage using recycled aggregate that never has to leave the job site. Depending on the desired particle size, on site crushing costs can be about one third the cost of hauling demolition material to a landfill and replacing it with purchased aggregate. 
| The Fast Track 2640 is a maneuverable jaw crusher |
As Francis reminded us, another benefit on on site crushing of demolition concrete is that with the advantage of LEED certification credits, companies that use recycled materials, earn LEED points in the program. That allows them to qualify for lower interest rates on their loans. In some cases, it allows for grant funding as well. A Closer Look at the Fast Trax 2640
Francis said that one of the primary reasons that he went with KPI-JCI crusher is because, “The KPI-JCI crusher is well made and its components are much more accessible than some crushers on the market.” This accessibility is achieved through removable panels and guards that surround the crusher. Though repairing the crusher is not a regular occurrence, it is important that the crusher be accessible and easier to work on so that down time is minimized and productive operating hours are maximized. Francis said that he likes to run the crushing operation with two employees present. The excavator operator scoops inbound material with a 42-inch bucket. The other person is responsible for sighting any potential problems within the material. Francis noted that they have learned through their crushing experience that productivity and longevity of the crusher is closely correlated to the amount of prep work that his crews perform, and their attention to detail. “We prep all concrete because it may be tempting to try to shove a larger piece in the crusher to save time,” he said. “The down time and potential repairs are not worth the little savings in time. Our goal is to keep the crusher operating and make it last at the same time. If we can’t get it with that bucket, it doesn’t go into the crusher. Once concrete waste is crushed, the outbound material is screened into No. 4, No. 57 aggregate and Fines.” 
| The KPI-JCI Fast Track Jaw Crusher handles everything sent it’s way |
Multiple locations
To date, Allegheny Concrete Recycling has established three recycling yards, where for a reasonable fee, contractors can bring waste concrete to be recycled. “We have facilities in the Pittsburgh area on Babcock Boulevard in Millville, we have our site on PA Route 51, 1/2 mile North of Neville Island/Fleming Park Bridge in McKees Rocks, PA and we recently opened our newest facility, a site near Braddock,” he said. Francis said that he is pleased in the trend of customers bringing in concrete waste debris for recycling and purchasing a load of recycled aggregate to take back to their jobsite. With the rising cost of mining and quarrying due to ever increasing fuel cost for equipment operation and transportation costs, the use of recycled aggregates has been on the rise. “We have seen our recycling business continue to grow because there are few places in the region where customers can go with this type of material.” Owing much of his success to the loyal employees on his crews, he noted that the cost of operating a business, which includes the cost in equipment ownership, makes it imperative that employees be at the top of their game. He said that their expertise and efficiency is beneficial to both the company and its customers. “Most of the guys on the crew have been with me for more than 15 years,” he said. “They are dedicated and have the knowhow to get the job done, no matter what it is.”
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