Crushing demands

When Brendan Mitchell formed his company he set his stall by a singular vision to provide a multi-skilled service to the building and construction industry.  It was in this environment that quality of service, and total reliability, was the hallmark that separated the ‘men from the boys.'

The company began life as a single owner-driver, but this soon developed into a large multi-faceted organisation requiring careful management and nurturing in those early days.  In the years that followed the company has acquired a vast fleet of vehicles, which encompasses plant to service every conceivable need on the building site. Brendan Mitchell, who takes great pride in the quality of service delivered to all of his valued clients, personally supervises every project.  In Brendan's own words: "our business has grown through the range and variety of projects we have undertaken over the years. But more importantly, our growth has been sustained by the numerous clients referred to us by ‘word of mouth' and personal recommendation."

Changes within the construction industry have placed onerous demands and challenges for contractors, and these demands require very high standards when it comes to delivering service on site. B P Mitchell are ideally suited for the ‘front end of the business', where the fast track bulk excavation, site clearance, recycling, haulage and material supply can be delivered on demand.   To this end they are currently able to supply quality topsoil, washed sharp sand, recycled sharp sand, ballast, MOT type 1 (Limestone), crushed concrete products Type 1/Type 2/6F1/6F2, recycled 10/20/40 mm stone - all of which are crushed by the Sandvik range of crushing equipment.

This takes place at a site at Cole Green near Hatfield in Hertfordshire, which is playing a key role in diverting waste from landfill. Operated by BP Mitchell, the 7 acre Eco Aggregates operation houses a soil washing plant that in a closed loop approach recovers aggregates and sand from construction waste so it can be delivered as recycled product back to the construction industry. Recovered material is used locally in applications such as construction, composting, roof tile manufacture, block paving, bricks and blocks and landscapes.

Over the next 7 years the site aims to recycle some 1.5 million tones of C&D waste of which 1.2 million tones will be recovered as reusable sands and aggregates - that's an 85% reclamation rate.

The soil washing process turns the inert construction waste into clean, washed and graded aggregates using high pressure water jetting, robust scrubbing and vibrating decks to separate sand and soils from natural stone and rock contained in the feedstock material.

Washed stones are separated in 10, 20 and 40 mm size and stockpiled to suite site or market requirements while two grades of sand can be separated from the fines suspended in the water used in the washing process. Soils are removed from the water using flocculent thickeners and mechanical plate presses. 75% of the water used is recycled and put back into the jetting system at the front end of the operation. The only by-product at the site is silt. This gets washed out and goes into the main tank and is processed by the centrifuge press and pumped out to the lake. The washing plant process produces up to 1700 tonnes of product a day.

Crushing & Screening

The operation's specialist screening and crushing processing machinery enables the production of recycled soils, secondary aggregates and sub-base materials.

It's a process that can be carried out either on site of at the Soil Washing depot and produces graded materials that are compliant with the specification for Highways Works and European specifications for Construction Industry use and contract specific products.

Two older crushers work with the main soil washing plant, taking the rejects from the plant to crush down to a smaller size. On each of these crushers a plate is put over the grizzly bar and then the jaws are tightened up to get the 10 and 20 mm.

The most recent addition to the fleet at Cole Green is a Sandvik QJ340 tracked jaw crusher that was developed as the Extec C-12+ like the other crushers. In fact this is fifth such machine that BP Mitchell has acquired. It sits separately from the others and takes in C&D waste - anything with hardcore from builders' waste, as long as it's clean hardcore - and crushes it. The resulting Type 2 material can then be sent back out to site again for applications such as bases, use under the slabs or wherever it is suitable.

The latest Sandvik QJ340 crusher is used just for Type 2 purposes so unlike the other crushers, instead of having a plate welded over the jaws it is kept open. Once the material comes out of the crusher it gets loaded on BP Mitchell lorries and taken to applications such as road works. If separate sizes are required, for example if pure oversize for a soakaway is required, the material can go through a screen.

The QJ340 is powered by a C-9 engine that meets all known emissions standards. With its large feed opening and high crushing speed it delivers outputs at Cole Green of 1000 t a day. A reverse crushing action capability relieves blockages and an automatic lubrication system is fitted as an option. At Cole Green it runs continuously from 7am to 5pm 5 days a week. Occasionally it will work a Saturday morning as well. Get a day and a half on a tank of diesel.

BP Mitchell has always preferred Extec, now Sandvik, equipment having found other models hard to use and not so easy to maintain.

The latest Sandvik mobile crusher also offers the versatility to act as a substitute for one of the other crushers at Cole Green if required and the unit can be sent out to site if needed for demolition jobs, etc.

Plant hire is another vital aspect of BP Mitchell's business, and quite often part of the large fleet can be out working in partnership with many associate friends who see BPM as an integral part of their business.

During its visit in September, Hub 4 found the site busy, despite the current economic climate, currently trying to process as much as possible before the autumn and winter sets in making conditions difficult. The site is continuously producing stone for which there seems to be insatiable demand, especially 20 mm, which goes back into BP Mitchell's ready-mix division located in the yard on the other side of the field to Cole Green.

And why do people go to B P Mitchell?  In Brendan's view it's down to "a well earned reputation is born out of consistently providing good service at a price that's affordable and a delivery record that often exceeds the client's expectations".

Although traditional business values of quality service, reliability and customer focus have been the guiding lights of B P Mitchell's business, they have not been slow to embrace modern thinking when it comes to staff development, health and safety.  Great emphasis is placed upon the importance of acquiring professional training and skills for all staff. New operatives are rigorously assessed and must be CITB or CMPE trained in order to work for the company. Site operation staff are fully conversant with current health and safety regulations, and possess the relevant knowledge to deal with any issues on site.

Having worked with many local authorities and municipal bodies throughout the UK, B P Mitchell's in-depth knowledge of disposing hazardous materials, contaminated soil waste and transporting abnormal loads off site is a positive benefit when faced with such problems.

B P Mitchell boasts an impressive list of clients ranging from Borough Councils to Airport Authorities, from School Projects to Leisure Parks, Local Developers to Infrastructure Projects.  The company motto is based on four words - delivering service on site - this is what B P Mitchell, and has been proved by their continuing growth in these difficult times.