Breaker Technologies

Source: Energy Digital

Date :2/18/2008 1:59:58 AM

BTI’s diverse line of products continues to grow and be adapted to suit the specific needs of its global clients in the mining sector, its biggest growth market.

Written by Ian Armitage & Produced by Nick Ledue

Formed in 1958, Canadian firm Breaker Technology, Inc. (BTI) – which is today part of the Astec family of companies - manufactures and distributes a wide range of mine, quarry, construction and demolition equipment. Renowned for high performance, BTI offers unparalleled experience and product support through a comprehensive sales and service network which includes a manufacturing facility in Thornbury, Ontario; service and warehouse facilities in Solon, Ohio and Riverside, California; and over 200 strategically located international distribution and service outlets worldwide.

BTI, which celebrates its 50th anniversary this year, specializes in hydraulic breakers, mobile rock breakers and stationary rockbreaker systems for breaking oversize at primary crushers, grizzlies, drawpoints and stopes. It also produces a full line of rugged, low profile, underground utility vehicles including scissors lifts, crane trucks, lube trucks, shotcrete mixers, and placers, mobile scalers, cassette systems and personnel vehicles, all of which are engineered for long life, low maintenance and ease of service, without compromising functionality.

“For decades we have led the way in equipment and services for the construction, aggregate, demolition and mining industries,” explains Frank Cargould, President at BTI. “We have a reputation for producing a very well built, strong line of equipment, which is durable, easy to maintain and comes with full customer support and training. Applications range from primary and secondary sites involved in construction, demolition or recycling, to quarries and underground mining operations such as scaling and explosives loading. We are all encompassing.”

The real beauty of BTI’s diverse product range is that it is all encompassing. No matter the task, odds are it has the right product for you. If not, versatile multi-purpose systems can be customized with an array of attachments such as quick couplers, grapples, crushers, pulverizers, rock buckets, clamshell buckets and wood pickers, addressing the need for more robust equipment as customers look to maximize value.

With numerous models to choose from, BTI offers a rock breaker system for all jobs.

Why? Well, BTI is aware that one size doesn’t always fit all. This philosophy has seen it sell many different systems to customers in a variety of industries over the years. It now holds sway over many of those customers, given the fact they have relied on such equipment for up to 25 years, and this throws up another interesting point: the market for renewals is growing. “We have sold a number of breaker systems to lot of different customers who hold our systems in very high regard. Whatever the need, odds are we have the solution for you,” says Frank. “There is now, given the age of some of that equipment, a growing renewals market and we are hoping to tap into that as well.”

Continuing to grow

Construction, and consequently construction equipment, has been hit by the credit squeeze following last summer’s sub-prime crisis, and all manufacturers are having to cope with that.

“Right now, it is very soft in the US as far as construction equipment goes,” states Mr. Cargould.

However, BTI is less exposed than its competitors who focus solely on the construction market. In fact, bucking the trend, its diverse line of products, which spans several industries, continues to grow and is adapted to the specific needs of its global clients, particularly in the mining sector. Many new features and benefits have been incorporated into BTI’s diverse line of products with productivity and safety goals of the end user in mind.

“Our diverse line continues to grow,” says Frank. “In the last year, change [within the product mix] has been unprecedented; metal prices are at all time highs and the global mining industry has really taken off. We are adapting to that, offering more product to the mining industry. In fact, demand is so strong we have a considerable backlog of orders.”

The product range isn’t the only thing that continues to grow. Because of the high demands being placed on the business, it is expanding in other areas too: “The strong sales we have enjoyed have encouraged us to grow the number of employees and expand our facility in Thornbury (Ontario, Canada) where we manufacture,” comments Frank. “This expansion is geared toward improving workflow, speeding up the process so that we can meet demand.”

In addition to the expansion, in order to supply demand BTI has been streamlining operations and making production more efficient: “[To increase efficiency] we have moved the parts division into its own building separate from the Thornbury facility. This is just one example of the types of improvements we are making. It is a continual effort to advance not only the quality of equipment and the efficiency of the plant, but to improve the level of service we give customers. We have implemented some [kaizen] thinking where we take one product at a time and try to improve it. This has worked well on many different aspects of the business and as a result of this we have improved dramatically.”

The high Canadian dollar means labour costs are on the rise, making such efficiency measures even more important. “Currency is an issue,” adds Frank. “The Canadian dollar has gotten very strong and the US dollar is very weak. We are manufacturing in Canadian dollars, and consequently our costs have risen. That is a challenge for us because there is no way to forecast what that dollar is going to do. I guess we’ll have to wait and see.”

Entirely new concepts

Why has BTI been so successful? Frank pointed to several factors, ranging from the dedication of its staff to the decisions made at management level and the support of the Astec Group. However, in order to stay at the cutting edge for five decades, BTI has invested in technology and this, says Mr. Cargould, has meant the company has been extremely successful.

Indeed, so intense has been this focus, that BTI has introduced entirely new concepts, helping shape the company’s future: “We have a great range and the role of technology in our continued success can’t be measured,” Frank continues. “We enjoy a reputation for engineering products with the most advanced technologies available, yet the resulting systems are remarkably easy to use.”

According to Mr. Cargould, making systems that are easy to use is what the company continues to focus on. Frank, who has been president for the last nine years, believes the commitment to technology and the customer is as strong, if not stronger, today as it was when he was first appointed to the role of President. He is still driven by the challenges of the job and is determined to continue pushing this business forward. “I’ve set a challenge of increasing the size of our company by ten percent per year, every year,” adds Frank, who is excited by the future and by what opportunities the mining industry will bring. “Our products are enthusiastically accepted as the standard for the industries they serve,” he boasts. “So why wouldn’t we be excited?”

Click here to view the corporate brochure on Breaker Technology