JACKSON, MI — Willbee Transit Mix, a concrete supplier for Jackson, Michigan’s construction industry, currently operates a fleet of front discharge redi-mix trucks to service pours. For Stephen Willbee, President of Willbee Transit Mix, maintaining the efficiency of concrete washouts between deliveries is important to his operation.
“For us … the cycle time [on concrete washouts] is critical … between loads, or between color loads, or on a state job when the trucks have to be empty every time, we re-batch,” Willbee said.
Efficient utilization of space is also essential for the fifth-generation family business that provides a range of ready-mixed concrete, bagged products, building supplies, and tools. As a result of this and other factors, the company opted against employing a conventional settling pond, which occupies considerable real estate.
“It is important for us to keep [our concrete washout process] compact so we can utilize our property for additional products and more inventory,” Willbee said. Settling ponds also require continual maintenance like sludge cleanup and repairing or replacing torn liners, which can strain scarce company resources.
To expedite the concrete washout process and reclaim valuable materials, Willbee Transit Mix has used a concrete washout system for the past 22 years called a Redi-Wash Washout System, by Jadair International, Inc., a manufacturer of concrete reclaiming and washout solutions.
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Despite its decades of service to the business, Willbee decided after 22 years it was time to replace the concrete washout system with a newer model. Recognizing the substantial technological advancements since its installation, he anticipated significant productivity gains from the upgrade.
“Our previous system was analog, with dials and switches,” Willbee said. Noting the improvements since his previous system was manufactured, he said, “We had good luck with [our previous] system, so we went right back to Jadair for an updated model."
Like the original, the updated Redi-Wash Washout System provides both concrete reclamation and water clarification in one self-contained, closed-loop unit. The machine separates and discharges the sand and stone, which enables the complete recovery of those items. The sand is not washed out of the aggregate. The water is clarified and reused for future washouts. Cement fines are discharged separately, and a loader can then handle them as a dry, clay-like product.
To perform a washout, the concrete truck is driven up to the machine and a button is pressed. The machine adds recycled water to the truck’s rotating cylinder, which then mixes the water with any remaining concrete. The truck then dumps the water and concrete mixture back into the machine, and the machine processes and reclaims the materials and recycles the water.
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“The drivers pull up, push a button, wait for about 30 seconds, and they’ve got their water. Depending on what they have in their truck, sometimes they’ll have to cycle another count, but it’s fast, it’s easy. … I watched a driver [washout] 3 yards in about three and a half minutes,” Willbee said.
According to Willbee, with the new, two station concrete washout system at their plant, their drivers washout and are back at the plant quickly, ready for re-loading. The system allows them to cycle their trucks in and out of the yard much faster and more efficiently than they otherwise could. The biggest factor for Willbee is the time and labor savings.
“If I can save 10 minutes on every trip, by the end of the day that is 70 or 80 minutes," he said. "That gives us the opportunity to haul another load, so our overall efficiency improves.”
In addition to time savings, the washout system also recovers a substantial amount of material that can be reused or sold as an additional source of revenue.
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While reclaimed material is not always suitable for high-spec concrete jobs, it can typically be used in lower-spec mixes such as foundations or as base material. Today, these closed-loop, concrete reclamation and water handling units can reclaim all the sand and aggregate from returned loads.
“We have contractors that buy the mixture [of sand and stone] and use it as a base under their new slabs,” Willbee said.
The system is also much easier to use and maintain than settling ponds, which create a messy “sludge” or “soup,” according to Willbee.
“With this updated system, [we] can control the consistency and thickness of the [cement fines] that come out, which is huge,” Willbee said. “Within a couple of days, we can get rid of it.”
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This feature of the system helps keep his plant neat and clean, while reducing maintenance on loaders and other equipment.
In addition to the increased efficiency of Willbee Transit Mix’s washout process, the equipment’s rugged industrial design has held up to the family business’s heavy workload with minimal maintenance.
“We have been Jadair customers for over two decades, and we’ve always had good luck with parts," Willbee said. "Customer service has been extraordinary, and we appreciate it.”
