American Pavement Specialists, a family-owned asphalt, paving and milling contractor in Danbury, Conn., is creating its own asphalt recycling facility to reduce costs and recycle its own asphalt millings.
Owner Bill Stanley Sr., who runs the company along with his wife, Colleen, and their four sons, Josh, Jack, Billy and Matt, decided that the time was right for him to start his own internal asphalt recycling facility to serve his paving and milling business.
“Our company has a single focus to be the best paving and asphalt contractor that we can be. The business supports my wife and I and our four sons and their families,” Bill Stanley said.
The company recently expanded into the asphalt milling business with the purchase of a Wirtgen milling machine from Ehrbar.
“Since this purchase, we have watched the price of asphalt steadily increase to $80 to $90 per ton, and regardless of the price of petroleum, the price of asphalt does not seem to be moving downward. The purchase of asphalt is our company’s single largest operating expense. The asphalt millings created by our milling machine gives us the raw materials to make recycled asphalt. So if the numbers work, it just makes sense that we recycle these asphalt millings into hot asphalt mix.”
“We buy about 25,000 tons of asphalt each year,” he said. “Currently, we are paying approximately $85 per ton for that asphalt. The savings will be substantial. We hope to produce 5,000 to 8,000 tons of recycled product each year.”
The cost savings is not the only area from which the company will benefit.
“Recycling asphalt is going to give us the ability to produce product when we need it, giving us independence from the asphalt plant’s production schedule,” he said.
The recent purchase of two Bagela BA10000s from Ehrbar is a big step toward gaining independence.
“[Sales Representative] Jeff Weston with Ehrbar created the opportunity for us to visit the Bagela distribution center for the United States located in Connecticut. There, we met with Greg Harla, the manager of Bagela sales for the United States, and we were able to watch a demonstration of the Bagela machines,” Stanley said.
“I was particularly impressed with the information that Greg was able to provide us with,” he added. “He knew exactly what production levels to expect from the Bagela machines and how they would respond to the varying types of product that would be processed through them. Having met with the Bagela people and gaining confidence in their knowledge and ability and already having that confidence with the people at Ehrbar, we decided to move ahead with the purchase of two Bagela BA10000 recycling plants. We looked at the volume of millings that we produce and the amount of work that we have bid out for the next year, along with the savings involved, and it became obvious that we needed to purchase two machines to make this work.”
A receiving area has been built at American Pavement Specialists’ facility for stockpiling the asphalt and elevated pads on which the Bagela machines are being placed. From the staging area, the Bagela hoppers are filled with asphalt millings. As material is processed through the Bagela recyclers, the recycled asphalt is dropped into holding bins where it can then be loaded into American Pavement Specialists’ fleet of trucks to be hauled to the paving site.
“Once the facility is up and running, we estimate that if we have the millings available we will be able to reach production levels possibly as high as 120 tons of asphalt a day,” Stanley said. “I’m also attracted to this process because it is very green. We are recycling and re-using asphalt millings. This process is good for the environment, good for the community, and good for us.”
Family Affairs
American Pavement Specialists has been purchasing equipment from Ehrbar for the past four years, including Komatsu earthmoving equipment; Wirtgen milling machines; Hamm rollers; a Mauldin grader; and the two new Bagela recyclers.
“We have been very happy with the equipment and the product support that we have received from Ehrbar,” Stanley said. “Throughout their organization, our experience has been that they are good people and they understand the deal. Like our organization, they are also a family-owned business and they know exactly where the buck stops. The Ahern family [the owners of Edward Ehrbar Inc.] have dealt with us with the utmost integrity and their staff, including Jeff Weston, completely understand the importance of our paving schedules and how critical it is that our entire fleet of equipment be up and running.
“Ehrbar is the best supplier we have ever had,” he concluded.
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