Partner Article

£240k investment boosts Whitburn quarry productivity

North East construction firm The Owen Pugh Group is ramping up production at its Marsden Quarry site following a £240k investment in cutting-edge machinery.

Owen Pugh Aggregates, owners of the quarry located in Whitburn, South Tyneside, have taken delivery of two new screeners which are used to separate materials at the site which supplies construction aggregates and agricultural limestone to clients both in the UK and overseas.

The investment in the new Terex Finlay 683 screeners, which replace older and less efficient machinery, are already improving production outputs on site by reducing lost time and lowering maintenance costs. Each model is capable of processing up to 1,400 tons in total each day.

Andy Mountford, general manager at Owen Pugh’s Marsden Quarry site, said: “The investment in the new screeners will ensure we can continue to meet the demand of markets in a timely manner.

“We’re already seeing the benefits with weekly production up by as much as 10 percent. The durable design enables the machines to handle a diverse range of materials including limestone, as well as sand and gravel, crushed stone, coal, topsoil and demolition waste.”

Marsden Quarry has been in operation for over 100 years and supplies a range of primary and recycled construction aggregates, including type 1 sub-base, pipe beddings and clean stone that supply markets throughout the north east of England.

The quarry’s agricultural limestone comprises calcium lime and magnesium lime and is quarried for its agricultural and soil improvement benefits with over 100,000 tons of agricultural limestone being distributed across the UK and exported into Europe each year.

The purchase follows a recent investment to upgrade the quarry’s on-site materials testing laboratory to support Owen Pugh’s growing contracting and construction divisions and enabling the facility to market its services to external businesses.

The Owen Pugh Group comprises five trading companies operating in the civil engineering industry, undertaking earthmoving and demolition, drainage and groundworks, plant-hire and haulage, quarrying, inert waste and drain cleaning, and CCTV surveys. The group is headquartered in Dudley near Cramlington, with other bases in Blaydon, Sunderland and Stockton-on-Tees, as well as Marsden Quarry.

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