Setting the Groundwork for a New Facility - Premier Concrete Products, Inc.

A manufacturer who properly researches the marketplace and determines the opportunity for supplying a needed product is bound to make a lasting impression on the industry. Cary Goss is that type of a manufacturer. Not only has he done the homework but he also possesses motivation, patience and entrepreneurial skills. These are key factors that set the groundwork for a new successful concrete products manufacturing company.

Cary has been in the concrete products industry since the early 80s and was involved in geosynthetic distribution. He realized the demand potential for products that utilize geosynthetics such as erosion block and retaining wall units and began Premier Concrete Products, Inc. in 1994.

Premier Concrete Products, Inc. started as a concrete products manufacturing plant in Houston, Texas with an administrative office in Louisiana. Premier secured the Keystone® Retaining Wall Systems license for Louisiana and Mississippi and purchased machine time from other concrete products manufacturers in the area to produce the retaining wall units. This mutually beneficial relationship between Premier and the other producers worked well until 1999 when Premier lost a large order because they were unable to meet the delivery date for the Keystone.

Expecting that demand for concrete products was going to continue climbing, Premier conducted extensive market research and discovered that the state of Louisiana was in great need of a state-of-the-art concrete products manufacturing facility. Cary Goss, Premier president, set forth to take on the challenges of another new facility. Property in Watson, Louisiana, containing the necessary raw materials for manufacturing concrete products, was purchased and Premier began planning for a new production facility.

Thorough investigation into suppliers for the new plant led Premier staff to decide upon Besser equipment for the Watson facility. "After communicating with experts in the field, we found that Besser offered the best package regarding state-of-the-art equipment, reliability, quality production and customer service in today’s market," stated Cary.

The new plant is equipped with a Dynapac® concrete products machine, metering and batching equipment, a 100 cubic foot mixer, a Multi-Spade Besser-Matic®, an LSC-40C car and crawler and an automatic cuber. Chosen for its speed and reliability, the Dynapac is a workhorse that currently operates at 8-10 cycles a minute depending on the type of product being produced. "The Dynapac is very versatile and efficient at producing quality products in a wide range of styles," Cary remarked. Another benefit to choosing Besser equipment was that the Keystone molds already owned adapted well into the Besser concrete products machine. The new Watson facility produces Keystone and standard concrete masonry units.

Premier owns 40 molds between the two facilities and is currently producing Keystone retaining wall units, masonry, erosion and landscaping-type products.

Premier supplies products for two major types of customers: masonry contractors and retail stores. One of the largest projects for Premier occurred this past year for the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development. The project in Jennings was a railroad overpass with a wall height of approximately 32 feet (9.6 m) requiring 40,000 square feet (3680 sq m) of Keystone.

Building the Besser Dynapac plant has definitely provided a positive direction for Premier Concrete Products, Inc. According to Cary, "Our employees were very excited about an additional plant." The capabilities of the equipment prompted them to set a new standard for quality. The goal is to provide the highest quality product with timely service. Some of the key factors that Premier attributes to the success of the business are hard work and long hours. "With the personnel and equipment needed to produce high quality products over a very diverse product line, we definitely feel we are in a position to be a leader in the marketplace," commented Cary.

Five employees currently staff two shifts at the Watson facility in order to meet demand. Cary stated, "Being in business is rewarding but there are not enough trained and qualified people to hire." Fortunately Michael S. Britt joined Premier nine months ago as the Watson plant manager. His 17 years of experience and vast knowledge of Besser equipment is a great value and benefit to the company. David W. Newton is the mechanical engineering manager and general manager for both the Watson and Houston facilities. He has been with Premier for six years and has done an outstanding job. Both Michael and David have expanded their knowledge by attending the award-winning Blockmakers Workshop® courses in Alpena, Michigan. Cary mentioned, "We received positive feedback from our employees on the training and we felt the benefits were tremendous."

Cary also acknowledged, "The Besser equipment purchased by Premier Concrete Products has lived up to its reputation for what we have come to expect from the Besser name in the industry. The Besser staff, through the entire process of building this plant, was superb. Their knowledge and support enabled us to build our plant with the first yard of concrete being placed 1 October 2000, and the first block being produced 7 December 2000. For installation and start-up of a brand new plant, 67 days was a record."

The new Dynapac® plant at Premier Concrete Products operates efficiently with assistance from (L to R) David Newton, engineering manager/general manager;
Michael Britt, plant manager and Cary Goss, president.

Besser Company, 801 Johnson Street, Alpena, MI 49707 USA , 989.354.4111

email: sales@besser.com

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