CASE STUDY

Pontchartrain Materials

New Orleans, Louisiana
LOCATION
River Terminal: Barge Loading
INDUSTRY
TeleStacker Conveyor at Pontchartrain-8-2

The Challenge

Pontchartrain Materials Corporation, a New Orleans-based aggregate supplier, faced significant challenges in efficiently unloading materials from barges along the Mississippi River.

The existing methods, including crane rigs and truck ramp rigs, were either too slow or too inflexible, making it difficult to unload materials safely and efficiently onto the shore or directly into trucks.

With the need to improve unloading speed and operations flexibility, Pontchartrain Materials sought a dependable, long-term solution that would enhance their barge unloading capabilities.

“It’s a very versatile, very safe, and very stead machine, allowing us to unload to stockpiles and hoppers or onto trucks."

Perry Watkinsz
Vice President

The Solution

To address these challenges, Pontchartrain Materials collaborated with Superior Industries to develop a custom-built TeleStacker® Conveyors. This conveyor was specifically designed to operate on the limited footprint of a barge, requiring Superior engineers to create a unique "overcarriage" support system to replace the standard undercarriage design.

This new design reduced the axle length from the standard 50 feet to 28 feet, allowing the conveyor to fit onto the barge while maintaining its reach and stability.

The TeleStacker Conveyor was also equipped with a custom hopper on the tail end to meter material onto the conveyor more precisely, providing crane operators with a more manageable and efficient unloading process. Additionally, the conveyor’s wireless remote control system allowed operators to manage the unloading process from a safe distance.

TeleStacker Conveyor at Pontchartrain-3-1

The Results

The custom TeleStacker Conveyor provided Pontchartrain Materials with a highly flexible and efficient barge unloading solution. The conveyor’s telescoping and radial capabilities allowed the company to unload materials directly onto stockpiles, into hoppers, or onto trucks with ease, significantly increasing the speed of their operations.

The wireless remote control feature enhanced safety by allowing operators to control the process from a safe vantage point, while the custom hopper ensured a consistent material flow.

Overall, the innovative solution developed by Superior Industries enabled Pontchartrain Materials to overcome the limitations of their previous unloading methods, providing a versatile, efficient, and safe way to handle their barge unloading.

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