Chinese Quarries Devoted to Single Project

Rick Costello is a Market Professional in Caterpillar’s Quarry & Aggregates Industry Solutions group in Peoria, Illinois with more than 30 years of global experience with heavy equipment applications.

For years I have been reading about the growth of China. I recently visited the country and, let me tell you, seeing is believing.

Of course quarries are supplying much of the material for that construction boom. I was in China to visit some of these quarries, and when I returned a friend asked me, “What’s different about the quarries over there?”

My immediate response was that many produce only one material—and therefore have only one spec to hit.

Here is why: Much of the aggregate goes to support infrastructure work—particularly airports and highways. A quarry might be created for only a single project. Since most construction is related to the infrastructure, it means a lot of cement—and only a single spec.

Back in the U.S., many of you have 20, 30 or even more specifications to reach. But because a quarry in China is devoted almost exclusively to one project, there is much less material spec’ing to worry about.