Essentially a greenfield site, with planning permission going back to the 1960s, it had lain empty up until April this year when the recently established company acquired it from its previous owners and moved in to transform and develop the quarry which is named after Skillington village in the South Kesteven district of Lincolnshire.
The establishment of the Skillington Quarry is part of an ambitious plan by Heritage Quarry Group (North) Limited to open a new quarry every year over the next three or four years, with several other greenfield sites already identified.
Company director Steve Johnson has more than two decades of experience in the industry and more recently he was part of the management team at the Johnston Quarry Group, established by Nicolas Johnston and which operates eight quarries and two separate processing sites located across the South West, Oxfordshire and Lincolnshire.
Steve’s knowledge of Powerscreen’s impressive and innovative range of equipment stretches over 20 years, so it was natural that he would continue to build on that successful relationship during which he has also come to know and appreciate the service and support provided by Blue Group who have been the UK dealer for Powerscreen for more than 30 years.
Impressive Powerscreen Package
Awesome Earthmovers met up with Steve to see how the new package of Powerscreen equipment, part of a £2m plus investment by the Heritage Quarry Group (North) Limited, was performing at the new quarry. It includes the very first next generation 1300X Maxtrak sold in the UK. This high throughput portable cone crushing plant, which features the advanced Terex TC1300X cone crusher, is proving to be exceptional in producing high-quality sub-base and aggregate materials.
“WE ARE
VERY IMPRESSED
WITH THIS NEW PACKAGE OF EQUIPMENT, AS WE KNEW WE WOULD BE BECAUSE OF OUR LONGSTANDING RELATIONSHIP.”
It is working at the Skillington Quarry as part of a Powerscreen crushing and screening train which includes a new Premiertrak 600 jaw crusher, two Chieftain 2200 mobile screens and a Warrior 2100 screen.
Once the extracted rock is fed into the primary 600 jaw crusher, the crushed material is then in turn fed into the1300X Maxtrak cone for further processing before it is finally screened and separated into different size categories and grades.
“We are very impressed with this new package of equipment, as we knew we would be because of our longstanding relationship with Blue Group and the Powerscreen brand,” says Steve Johnson. “It is not running yet at its full capacity as we are still in the process of developing the quarry, but we know the equipment will be up to the task.
Remembering Pat Mallon
Steve recalls a time when he acquired his first Powerscreen, a Warrior 2100, from Pat Mallon who sadly passed away in 2021. Described as a true gentleman, and lifelong legend at Powerscreen, Pat played a vital role in many product launches and engineering projects over the years during his time with the company. He was inducted into Powerscreen’s Hall of Fame which was launched at CONEXPO-CON/AGG 2023 to recognise exceptional individuals who have made an outstanding contribution to the development and success of the Powerscreen brand.
“We built up a good relationship with Pat over many years, so it seemed appropriate that with the help of Blue Group we should kit out our new Powerscreen equipment, including the new 1300X Maxtrax, in his memory,” says Steve.
“What we like about Powerscreen is its versatility and value for money. The equipment can be easily modified to suit our particular needs, and from past experience we know it holds an excellent residual value. We know that when the time comes to sell on and reinvest, we will get a good price for the equipment which is always in demand throughout the world.”
The quarry, from which up to 120,000 tonnes of limestone could be extracted per annum, is offering a comprehensive range of limestone products – from pipe bedding and drainage stones to base material and Type 1 sub-base material.
“WE ARE VERY
VERSATILE
AND CAN MEET VIRTUALLY ANY REQUIREMENTS OF OUR CUSTOMERS.”
“We are very versatile and can meet virtually any requirements of our customers,” says Steve, who adds that the quarry is within easy reach of the A1 road, and other major road networks, so it is ideally situated to serve customers over a wide area.
Strong Support & Service
It’s a tight run and efficient operation at Skillington Quarry which can’t afford any unnecessary and potentially costly downtime, so reliability of machinery is crucial, and equally important as the new equipment is the support and service provided by Blue Group.
Steve says he has been dealing with the team at Blue Group, including founder Pat McGeary, for many years and has never been disappointed. He describes Blue’s area sales manager Ian Taylor as his ‘go to’ source if ever there are any issues that need resolving. “He and his team are only ever a phone call away.”
About Heritage Quarry Group
The Heritage Quarry Group is headquartered at Great Tew just outside Chipping Norton in Oxfordshire. It was set up by Nicolas Johnston and operates two distinct and separate businesses. Heritage Quarry Group (North) Ltd’s sister company Heritage Quarry Group (South) Ltd, headed up by Managing Director Julian Veal who joined the group in 2020, already operates three sites at Rollright Quarry, Daglingworth Quarry and Great Tew Quarry.