On January 1, Shimmick kicked off another three-year contract extension for the Bayer Silica Quarry. The team has successfully negotiated contract extensions over many decades by maintaining an exceptional working relationship with the client, Bayer.
This project provides critical raw material to the Bayer manufacturing facility and has been doing so for 48 years with legacy Shimmick companies. The Shimmick team is responsible for mining, crushing, screening, washing, and delivering furnace-grade silica rock to the Bayer Elemental Phosphorous Manufacturing Plant in Soda Springs, ID, processing between 200,000 and 310,000 tons of material per year. The scope includes topsoil removal prior to mining, drilling, and blasting; stockpiling out-of-spec rock materials; and other construction as requested by the client. The work under this $34 million contract will be completed by the end of 2023, with another contract extension under negotiations (hopefully). The team has consistently delivered this work ahead of schedule and well within budget.
The project team has worked 27 years without a lost-time accident and 15.5 years without a recordable incident. Safety and quality are engrained in the team during orientation and carried forward throughout each day on the project. The client requires a focus on these values and continuously audits and measures the project team’s work.
Shimmick owns its mobile and fixed plant-equipment fleet and self performs most work, which keeps cost to customer low and maintains competitive edge in this contract service market. The Bayer team also helped design and build the fixed plant where crushing, screening, washing, and load-out is performed. Until five years ago, the project primary jaw crusher had been in use since the 1920’s at this and other projects.
Over the next few months, the project team will continue winter maintenance to prepare for commencement of a May 2021 production season. The production season is intensive from the very beginning, continuing full steam ahead until customer demand is met.