General Materials Inc has seen its production go to new levels after investing in new solutions from McLanahan.
General Materials Inc, an aggregates supplier in Oklahoma City, has built its reputation on dependable service and quality sand and gravel products.
But even well-run operations eventually reach a point where older processes and equipment begin to limit what’s possible.
For General Materials Inc, that moment arrived when its traditional setup of a classifying tank paired with screw washers could no longer keep pace with the company’s goals. To help solve the problem, General Materials Inc replaced its aging screw washers with a McLanahan UltraSAND Plant. The company quickly noticed a difference in their product. Moisture levels in the finished product dropped from 15–23 per cent with screw washers to just 6–8 per cent with the UltraSAND Plant.
“We were able to replace the screws that we were going to have to replace anyway, and put a machine in there that put a product out that we could almost sell the next day because the moisture level was so low,” General Materials Inc general manager Troy Banks said.
But as the project evolved, another challenge surfaced.
The company’s frac sand process relied on an aging fleet of trucks, excavators and loaders to dig out material before sending it through a separate UltraSAND Plant.
Instead of investing money into replacing equipment that was nearing the end of its life, Banks and his team made the decision to transition to a dredging operation and build a larger, more capable wash plant to better match the company’s goals.
For Banks, choosing McLanahan again was an easy call. He’d worked with the company for nearly 30 years, beginning with an introduction at a trade show that sparked a long-running partnership.
What stood out then still stands out now: the quality of the equipment and the McLanahan team’s willingness to collaborate.
“They recognise that myself and others out here have quite a few years of experience, so they tend to listen to some of our ideas, and then we do the same,” Banks said.
“They’re people who relate to my world and not just salesmen.”
Through McLanahan’s Oklahoma dealer, Crushing Equipment Solutions, General Materials invested in a new McLanahan sand washing plant designed to support the company’s frac sand production.
The system includes a feed-regulating sump, multiple slurry pumps, 12 separators, and four dewatering screens.
Together, the pieces of equipment form an integrated setup that washes, classifies and dewaters the 50 mesh material essential for frac sand.
What has impressed Banks most is the plant’s versatility.
With just a few adjustments, the system can produce a wide range of sand specifications, giving General Materials the flexibility to produce new products they were unable to before. That versatility has translated directly into opportunity.
“We can run different materials. It’s just really versatile,” Banks said.
“We can pretty much hit just about anything anybody wants us to hit.
“We’ve even hit some products where we didn’t touch before because we didn’t have that capability. We’ve gone back to customers who hit us up for a certain product and said, ‘Yeah, we can do that now.’ It’s opened up some new markets.”
Consistency has also improved. The new plant delivers a reliable, uniform product that meets the specifications General Materials Inc promises.
“The McLanahan plant is working really well for us,” Banks said.
For a company built on long-term relationships and dependable service, the investment in McLanahan technology has become more than an equipment upgrade.
It’s a strategic move that expands what General Materials Inc can offer, strengthens its competitive position and sets the stage for continued growth in an evolving market. AB
