Concrete Plant Automation from Command Alkon

Why COMMANDbatch?

Quality You Can Count On Superior Productivity & Performance Advanced Administration & Integration Remote Plant Monitoring & Tune Up Remote Diagnostics & Troubleshooting Remote Batching & Mix Design Changes Migration Paths from Legacy Systems

Benefits of COMMANDbatch w

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Connect With Us! Command Alkon Incorporated Headquarters 1800 International Park Dr., Suite 400 Birmingham, AL 35243 USA +1 (205) 879-3282 Fax: +1 (205) 870-1405 www.commandalkon.com

Command Alkon

Available with Precision Water System to reduce Truck In-Yard Time Remote Batching allows low volume plants to operate cost effectively Early identification of plant batching issues, bottle necks, or trends with Plant Performance Graphs Prevent delivery to a job site of expensive out-ofspecification or batch “out-of-tolerance” loads with Plant Watcher Get the first round in the morning out in less time with COMMANDbatch Freewheeling Automatically specify changes to the mix design (i.e. adding hot water, super plasticizer, etc.)

Save time and reduce data entry errors by using the Mix Manager to adjust a large number of mixes at the same time Automated Remote Assistance, including online technician chat, keeps plant downtime to a minimum Automatic data archiving and backup reduces plant shutdown tasks and time while safeguarding data

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C ncrete Plant Aut mati n

Command Alkon offers an economical path to convert existing Command Alkon Batch Systems to COMMANDbatch. Electrical and scale systems do not change. This allows the conversion to be performed in just one evening, with personnel being trained and the plant fine-tuned in just a few days.

“We have converted four Spectrums to COMMANDbatch.

With Command Alkon’s attention to preserving existing investments, the process was straightforward and cost effective. With these plants now converted to COMMANDbatch, we are using the advanced capabilities of this system, such as Remote Batching, to be more efficient and lower costs more than ever before.”

Rob Hawn All Ohio Ready Mix Concrete

BOOKLETS 1 Corporate Overview 2 Ready-Mixed Concrete | COMMANDconcrete 3 Bulk Materials & Automation 4 Concrete Plant Automation 5 Quality Control 6 Business Integration Services 7 Dispatch Optimization 8 Ready-Mixed Concrete | Integra 9 Concrete Products Automation

Command Alkon is proud to provide quality batch control systems and plant automation products that lead the industry in innovation and reliability.

COMMANDbatch Plant Watcher Precision Water System Command Alkon Moisture Probe Precision Temperature System COMMANDcallboard Concrete Production Manager Automatic Bin Fill System These products are part of an integrated suite of products that Command Alkon offers to the Construction Materials Industry. Our goal is to enable the enterprise wide integration of systems to reduce or eliminate information and reporting gaps, eliminate “double entry” of information, achieve completely paperless transactions, capture billing and production data automatically, and ensure that key personnel are always up-to-date on the company’s operation.

Automatic Bin Fill System

provides a fast, automated, and cost-effective way to get materials from underground storage bunkers into overhead bins.

The system’s standard controls permit automatic monitoring and replenishment for up to six bins.

The system allows priority-first replenishment if materials from one underground storage bunker are required more often than others.

The system is designed to:

w determine the need for a material w rotate the turnhead or shuttle conveyor to the correct position w turn on the feed belts as needed w open the correct feed gate on the underground storage silo w monitor the process until filling is complete

As the system sequences from one material to the next the Automatic Bin Fill system will: w close the gate in use on the underground storage w determine the turnhead positioning delay w open the feed gate for the next material while ensuring the proper belt delay to prevent cross contamination of material bins

“Command Alkon’s Automatic Bin Fill System fulfills a critical role within Florida Rock’s Ready Mix production operations. The Automatic Bin Fill System consistently and reliably ensures the right materials are always available in the plant to meet our production needs. We own seven of them; more are sure to follow in the future.”

Any or all materials can be manually overridden at any time. An alarm indicator alerts the user to plant malfunctions. The emergency stop button halts all related plant motion in the event of a belt break or other hazard.

Command Alkon offers an economical path to convert existing Command Alkon Batch Systems to COMMANDbatch. Electrical and scale systems do not change. This allows the conversion to be performed in just one evening, with personnel being trained and the plant finetuned in just a few days.

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Concrete Production Manager & Automatic Bin Fill System

Concrete Plant Automation

Terry Smith Florida Rock Industries

Benefits of Automatic Bin Fill System w

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Automates bin replenishment, allowing staff to concentrate on more important and time critical operations in the plant “Keep Full” ensures the batch plant bins remain full, preventing production delays

www.commandalkon.com

Concrete Production Manager

links COMMANDseries to COMMANDbatch using our open integration platform, COMMANDedx.

Concrete Production Manager provides an enhanced communications interface between COMMANDseries and COMMANDbatch delivering tighter integration, fewer setup errors, increased flexibility, and central control over mix-design specific data. The interface conforms to industry standards and increases the reliability, extensibility, and serviceability of these two integral pieces of your daily operations.

S O L U T I O N S

TO  BU ILD O N

Command Alkon batch control systems and plant automation products are recognized worldwide for helping producers improve their operational efficiency, quality, and profitability. w w w

7,000+ COMMANDbatch systems in operation around the world.

10,000+ Command Alkon Moisture Probes in use at ready-mixed plants worldwide.

200+ Precision Water System installed at ready-mixed operations around the globe.

Concrete Production Manager Features: w Direct system-to-system communication for data synchronization (drivers, trucks, materials, mix designs). w Centralized mix management ensuring that all mix design changes made in COMMANDseries are automatically synchronized with COMMANDbatch. w Delivery ticket information is automatically updated between dispatch and batch systems to ensure material usages, production quantities, and quantities/products shipped are synchronized in both systems for accurate and flexible ticket printing and centralized reporting purposes. w Batch system notifications and alarms are transmitted from COMMANDbatch and stored in COMMANDconcrete. w Unique Concrete Production Manager Report that breaks down batch weights on a batch-by-batch basis.

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www.commandalkon.com

is the industry leading plant automation solution. COMMANDbatch delivers superb plant performance while being very simple to use.

Select tickets and fine-tune batches before they are started. Prepare the next load and change settings on-the-fly, all from the same screen.

Animated graphics show plant equipment weighing up and delivering material to the truck or mixer in real-time. Standard reports allow you to monitor inventory, material usage, and general lists of orders, tickets, and mix designs.

Command Alkon is proud to offer a new range of flexibility to producers when choosing an automation solution for your operations. COMMANDbatch Open Solution* (OS) provides a foundation for meeting the process control needs of the future while maintaining a solid footing in the present.

COMMANDbatch makes concrete production easier and saves your company money.

COMMANDbatch OS provides the link that supports plant automation through commercially available hardware* and scale indicators* resulting in a complete “fly-by-wire” approach to plant control. Common in other manufacturing industries, the COMMANDbatch real time plant display and manual station controls are presented solely through the console, maintaining the operator’s attention on the current running loads with fewer distractions and other indicators to check.

* Open Solution options differ by region. Contact CAI for details for your region and a list of supported hardware platforms and devices.

Benefits of COMMANDbatch OS w w w

“COMMANDbatch is accurate, reliable, and easy-to-use. There's lots of information that can be determined at a glance. Our batch personnel can adjust mixes and materials on-the-fly and they know immediately when something is out of tolerance. With COMMANDbatch there's no more guesswork.”

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Billy Carroll imi-Tennessee

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Overall system footprint is smaller with fewer components Spare parts are available through local reseller channels Leverage existing business partners (scale companies, electrical contractors, etc.) for support of the control hardware at the batch plant Investments in operator training and business system integration is preserved Relies on standard TCP/IP network protocol making COMMANDbatch available to communicate with new sensors or smart controls (power management, environmental monitors, etc.) added to the facility

www.commandalkon.com

COMMANDcallboard & COMMANDbatch Open Solution

Open Solution

COMMANDbatch

COMMANDcallboard

General Features

is designed to expedite traffic flow around the batch plant.

Using information sent from either COMMANDseries or entered directly into COMMANDbatch by the operator, the COMMANDcallboard automatically displays individual truck numbers, lane selection, delivery instructions, and/or other information to assist the driver in loading. When trucks are not being loaded, scrolling messages such as “Number of days since last accident: 161”, or “Be sure to empty your drum before loading” can be displayed.

The callboard includes 7-inch, red, alphanumeric characters utilizing ultra-bright LED technology to provide ease of readability in all lighting conditions including direct sunlight. The board is encased in a weather-resistant enclosure and is designed for wideangle viewing. The standard COMMANDcallboard is 3 characters by 3 lines. Different configurations (characters/lines) are available upon request.

Data is transmitted to the board via Wireless RF from the system. The robust protocol utilizes frequency hopping, data encryption, and verified delivery. The typical range is 1,000 feet line of sight.

Installation is simple. The only requirements are mounting the enclosure in line of sight with the wireless portal and supplying AC voltage.

Benefits of COMMANDcallboard w w

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Reduces lost in-yard time Helps to eliminate unnecessary truck traffic around the plant Truck drivers do not need to leave their trucks Truck drivers can now keep themselves in proper order Cuts down on radio traffic Automatically send messages to driver including: - Delivery Instructions - Lane Selection - Extra Product Information - Special Loading Instructions Scrolling information messages serve as reminders Wireless connection for ease of installation

Hardware Specifications

Power: 85-264 VAC, 50 or 60 Hz, 200 watts maximum (1.7 amps at 120 VAC) Enclosure: 32” H x 26” W x 10” D Weight: 55 lbs Display: 27” H x 21” W, three rows display 3-4 characters each Wireless RF Unit: 2-1/4” H x 6 1/2” W x 7” D RS-232 Cable: 15’ Power Cord: 4-1/2’ RF Link: 915 Mhz, ISM band, license free

Automatic Plant Control: w 4-6 Aggregates, 3 Cements, 2 Waters (metered), 8 Admixes (metered) - (model RM200) w Additional Material and Scale Controls** w Fast Multi-batch and Freewheel Batching Control w Truck Charge Rate Adjustable On-The-Fly w High Speed Weigh-Up Algorithm for Fast Plant Performance w Automatic Scale Tolerance Checking w Automatic Bin Switching on empty bin w Automatic Bin/Silo Vibrator Control w Scale Rate of Discharge Flow Control speeds truck loading w Scale Flow Control Dampening w Continuous Batching/Continuous Discharge w Connect with PLC Devices and remote sensors to extend reach of the system w Central Mixer(s) Control** w Temperature Gun/Probe Interface** w Density Meter Interface** w State Certification Package (NY, CA, NJ, MN)** w Other Optional Automatic Plant Controls Including: Blower, Plant Dust Collector, Silo Shaker, Spray Bar, Conveyor Controls, Mixer Controls, Telescopic Boot, Recirculating Screw, Live Bottom Batcher, Dual Aggregate Discharge Gates, Bin Lamps, and Switches** Remote Batch: w Soft Manual Station (SMS) for plant control w Perform Batching and Mix Design Changes** w Second Client for Order Management** Operator Controls: w Visual and Audible Notification Alerts w On-Hand Inventory Available At-a-Glance w Low Inventory Notification to Prevent Load Start w Discharge, Weigh-Up, and Sequence Diagnostics w Training Mode, Online Help, Operator Manuals w 20” Flat Screen Monitor w Dust Proof Enclosure** Plant Interlocks: w Over/Under Material Tolerance Interlocks w Scale Zero and Bottle Empty Interlocks w Admix Pulse (Dual) Meter Crosscheck w Scale In-Motion Detection **Denotes Optional Feature

Mix Design Control: w Mix Design Modification Utility w Slump Tables by concrete type of Mix Design w Total Allowable Water in Mix Control w Slurry or recycled water compensation** Recordation: w Batch Weights Printing with archiving w Manual Material Activity Report w Bar & QR Code Printing** w Dot Matrix Printer, Laser Report Printer** Quality Control: w Material Blending Sequence by Mix Type improves homogeneity w Access from anywhere for Plant Monitoring and Tune-Up w Plant Performance Graphs track batch accuracy w Plant Watcher Automatic Notification System** w Precision Water System for “Load and Go”** w Precision Temperature System for assuring “on job” concrete temperature** w Auto Consistence Slump Control for mixers** w Verifi integration for “on job” Slump Control** Order Management: w Job/Project Entry with daily orders** w Daily orders can automatically adjust mix** w Third-Party Dispatch one-way Interface** w COMMANDconcrete two-way Interface** Plant Management: w Truck Callboard Interface** Administration & Integration: w User Permissions for Configuration/Editing w Recordation/Logs of Changes w Auto Archive, Auto Purge, and Auto Backup for all data w Ticket and Material Records Export Utilities to other systems w Enterprise Content Management Option for Electronic Access to Tickets/Batchweight Files** w Custom Format Ticket File Export** w Multi-Plant Support** w Multi-Company Support** w QuickBooks Interface** Maintenance: w Remote Diagnostics and Troubleshooting w COMMANDassist Automated Remote Assistant w Maintenance Scheduling Feature w Expendable Parts Kit and Plant Wiring Diagrams w One Year Priority One Support

COMMANDbatch

Command Alkon

"The truck callboards have improved our fleet efficiency at the plants. They have also significantly reduced radio traffic related to truck staging. The callboards have been a worthwhile investment."

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Barb Bailey Central Pre-Mix Concrete Co.

www.commandalkon.com

Remote Batching & Remote Client Do you have a remote plant that doesn't do the business of your high volume plants? With Remote Batching lower volume plants can be operated safely, reliably, and cost-effectively from a different location anytime. Once a truck is in position the remote batcher can load the truck then shut the plant back down. Soft Manual Station (SMS) controls allow for the operation of bins and hoppers, as well as for manual controls such as the air compressor, boot up/down, washout water, etc., from a remote location with the click of a mouse.

COMMANDbatch comes equipped with standardized reporting procedures common to all ready-mixed concrete plants. Standard Reports include: Yards Per Driver Hour, Consolidated Order, Ticket Summary, Materials Inventory, Tickets by Customer Summary, and many others. Many reports can be exported into Microsoft Excel for further analysis.

The Driver Authorization Box is standard with the Remote Batching configuration to tell the COMMANDbatch software when a remotely batched load is authorized by the driver for discharge.

Remote Client allows up to three additional remote users to access one COMMANDbatch system at the same time.

This means that plant monitoring, tune up, mix design management, diagnostics, and troubleshooting are possible anywhere, anytime! Remote Client users can perform tasks without interfering with normal operation. Master records can be created, updated, or deleted for customers, mixes, other products, pricing, orders, etc. Plant automation can be modified including bin tuning, discharge tuning, and device sequencing/material blending. Use built-in tools such as Weigh-Up or Discharge Diagnostics, Sequence Tracer, Custom Equation Monitor, or Ticket Format Helper for troubleshooting. Most reports can be previewed or printed remotely to the user’s location. With the addition of remote batching hardware, these additional clients can perform The Mix Manager screen allows a group of mixes to be selected by a filter Remote Batching. such as “Find all mixes starting with 250”. With a few clicks these mixes can have a material quantity adjustment (add or remove) or material substituted.

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Plant Performance Graphs help determine why a load took too long to complete or why it was out of tolerance. The Load Times Graph shows Weigh-Up and Discharge times for each load. A Deviations Graph shows tolerance information for each material batched. Right-click on a load code and select “Productivity” to display Drop (elapsed) Times for each material.

www.commandalkon.com

COMMANDbatch Productivity & Performance

COMMANDbatch

COMMANDbatch

COMMANDbatch

COMMANDassist connects you directly with the friendly and knowledgeable service professionals at Command Alkon with just a click of the mouse.

COMMANDbatch Freewheeling maximizes plant productivity by weighing-up the next load as soon as a device, such as a scale or bottle, has completed its task for the previous load. Up to three loads can be running at the same time, maximizing the use of plant equipment. This can significantly improve plant throughput with slow feeding materials such as metered water or augered cement.

The Weigh-Up Diagnostics utility displays a material’s open/close gate cycle so you can troubleshoot feeding problems and thereby improve plant production.

Navigating among the diagnostics forms you can determine which feed cycle (Fast, Timed, Jog, or Metered) was used, why it was used, if it fed the expected amount of material, and how drop times and material-in-flight values were calculated.

The Discharge Diagnostics screen monitors scale flow rates, moisture settings, and mixer relative power setpoints (for AutoConsistence). Any displayed information can be saved for later retrieval.

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COMMANDbatch Remote Batching, Remote Client & COMMANDassist

Productivity & Performance

COMMANDassist provides secure transmission of information to and from a Command Alkon service technician via a Virtual Private Network (VPN) connection made through the Internet.

COMMANDassist also facilitates access to COMMANDbatch software updates available for download on our UpdateCenter website.

COMMANDassist allows you to receive technical support via your existing high-speed Internet connection using our secure VPN support network.

Once connected, Plant Operators have the ability to create new support requests, modify existing support requests, and preview pending support requests. The included chat functionality allows communication with our Command Alkon support personnel while continuing production and without tying up the production facility phone lines.

Using COMMANDassist, a service technician can troubleshoot batching issues, answer any questions on specific topics, manually download and assist with the installation of software updates, and modify plant automation.

Benefits of COMMANDassist w

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128-bit encrypted data transmission using Public Key Infrastructure protects your information Point-to-Point connectivity only when you request Command Alkon has access only when you initiate a support request Command Alkon can only access the machine requesting support No need to provide Command Alkon with full access to your company network Only one firewall modification required All data travels outbound on port 1194 (Open VPN) No need for dial-up modem or dedicated analog phone line Uses your existing high-speed Internet connection Facilitates access to COMMANDbatch software updates available for download on our UpdateCenter website

www.commandalkon.com

COMMANDbatch

measures the ingredient temperatures in a concrete batch and adjusts water temperature of the batch process to achieve a target concrete temperature for the load being produced.

As a producer, you know the only place to achieve predictable, consistent concrete is at the plant. The requirements for high-performance concrete at a minimum cost depends on the combination of the best raw materials and how these materials are introduced during the loading process. COMMANDbatch provides tools unmatched by competitive systems to ensure that the mix constituents are combined in a manner that deliver the maximum results.

The Material Sequencing capability of COMMANDbatch ensures consistent and predictable concrete homogeneity load after load. Each class of mix (grout, low slump, SCC, etc.) can have a unique, specialized blending sequence to ensure the ingredients are blended at the precise time and at the precise rate. Different charging sequences can be specified for each individual truck or mixer.

Temperature control is one of the two main quality issues for ready-mixed concrete producers; water management being the other. The Precision Temperature System (PTS) provides a means to control the temperature of your concrete batches to improve the quality of the concrete and reduce energy costs associated with heated/chilled water and/or ice used in the batching process.

The PTS consists of a COMMANDbatch software module and a series of temperature probes in the material bins/silos or tanks. Based on temperature readings from the ingredients, the PTS adjusts the proportions of heated or chilled water and/or ice to achieve the target temperature for the concrete batch. Multiple waters and ice are supported, but the PTS will only adjust two waters per load.

Command Alkon Moisture Probe & Precision Temperature System

Precision Temperature System

Quality You Can Count On

The PTS can be enabled or disabled on a plant level, by mix design, or as the load is being prepared on the Batch Setup form. Command Alkon offers temperature sensors for all types of materials, or you have the option to supply your own sensors as long as they meet system specifications.

Reduce the number of mix designs and the potential for error using Admix Design (modifier mix) capabilities.

A small number of “base” mixes can be customized hundreds of ways on a per order basis using these modifier mixes. When the batcher selects the order to batch, the mix will automatically be customized based upon the order. This provides for a wide variety of mix combinations without having to create a special mix for a

customer. Adding hot water, calcium, or making the mix a bit easier to finish for that certain customer is no longer something that the operator has to remember.

Since these requests are attached to the order you are sure to be paid for these value added items. Finally, since the mix modification is captured by the order, the delivered concrete will be the same no matter how many plants are used to fulfill the order.

“The Admix Design feature on COMMANDbatch allows us to downsize the number of mix designs and ensures that any changes made on-the-fly are billed accordingly. Admix Design allows us to limit the handling of changes made, resulting in fewer mistakes. Accounting is simplified and accuracy of inventory control is much better.”

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John Miller Tarmac/Titan America

Benefits of Precision Temperature System w

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Improve concrete quality by controlling the delivered temperature of a load of concrete Reduce energy costs by minimizing the amount of heated/chilled water and/or ice used during the batching process

www.commandalkon.com

The Command Alkon

COMMANDbatch

Moisture Probe

is the “safety net” for all of your operations. Protect against bad or out-of-specification concrete from being delivered with real-time event notifications for out-oftolerance situations or unauthorized mix design and material changes.

The Command Alkon Moisture Probe has been proven to measurably increase product quality and finish and reduce overall batching times and material waste, resulting in increased customer satisfaction and profitability.

COMMANDbatch is unique in that it can continuously adjust the load water as the material flows over the probe; a method that ensures consistent slump predictability in high specification concrete and concrete product manufacturing. You will always know your moisture value because this probe is consistently accurate to within ±0.3%. The probe achieves this consistency through innovative selfadjusting circuitry that detects and corrects changes caused by time.

Schedule Production , Efficiency , and Material Variance Reports to be automatically collected and e-mailed at the same time every day, freeing the operator from having to manually print and fax this information. Plant Performance Reports provide actionable analysis of plant performance, highlighting bottlenecks and allowing side-by-side comparisons.

The probe is housed in a one-piece stainless steel casing with increased steel thickness in the heaviest wear areas.

Mounted directly above the feed gate, the specially designed probe collar makes it unnecessary to drain the bin when installing, and the simple design eliminates any need to fabricate complicated mounting brackets or pipe assemblies. The probe can be installed and calibrated to the material in a matter of hours. The smaller ceramic faceplate further reduces vulnerability from accidental impact damage.

Hundreds of thousands of truckloads attest to the fact that the Command Alkon Moisture Probe can virtually eliminate “load doctoring” by delivering accurate and consistent slumps every time.

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Size: 75 mm (3") dia. x 60 cm (23.25") long Weight: 7.25 kg (16 lbs.)

Body Material: Stainless steel Face Material: High strength ceramic Measurement Range: Depends on material composition Operating Temperature: 2°-49° C (35°-120° F) Typical Accuracy: +/- 0.3% Connection: 6-pin type PT06 waterproof connector Cable: 6 conductor, 24 gauge, shielded

“Command Alkon’s Moisture Probe is a proven performer. The probe is easy to install, easy to calibrate, and most importantly, provides reliable moisture measurements without further calibration load after load.”

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“Our organization depends on Plant Watcher to help us manage and protect our business. We thought for sure we knew how our plants were running, but the information provided by Plant Watcher highlighted new opportunities for efficiency and cost savings. The realtime notification by Plant Watcher of an out-of-specification load for a critical pour alerts our QC department day or night to step in and prevent that load from being placed! For companies who wish to be proactive about Quality Control, Plant Watcher is a meaningful and cost-effective addition.”

Specifications

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Cliff Morgan Potomac Construction Industries

COMMANDbatch Quality You Can Count On

Plant Watcher Notification System

allows you to measure the moisture content of your aggregates as they flow into a batch.

Steve Wagener Kuhlman Corporation

Benefits of Plant Watcher Notification System w w

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Plant Watcher creates Profiles for each batch plant that you wish to monitor. It stores information about these plants including Events and Plant Performance data. When an event occurs at a monitored plant that matches the criteria defined in a Profile, an alert describing the event is instantly dispatched to all designated recipients. Alerts are delivered only once to each recipient and delivery is guaranteed in the event of network or other outages once the network is restored.

A Plant Watcher Server houses the Plant Watcher database, monitors events at designated plants, and sends alerts to the designated recipients. A Diagnostics Console is used for configuration and troubleshooting. A Plant Watcher Configuration Utility allows the system to be configured for SMTP server identification and authentication as well as Site, Profile, Recipient, and e-mail Setups from a remote location.

Plant ‘Dashboard’ provides a near real-time view of plant activities Automatic notification of “out-of-tolerance” allows interception of a bad or incorrect load before it leaves the plant Instant notification of mix design changes or material substitutions Automatic delivery of key production, variance, efficiency, and other reports keeps you informed about your business and allows the plant operator to focus on production and quality Plant profiles assure that only the right individual(s) for each event are notified Guaranteed delivery ensures notification after a network or other outage is restored www.commandalkon.com

is a fully integrated water management system for COMMANDbatch that provides the tools to simplify and automate the management of moisture compensation.

With Precision Water System, water management is so precise you can allow your trucks to “Load and Go”. Reduce or eliminate wasted truck inyard times for loads that were previously too wet or too dry.

Why continue to struggle with loads that are not produced at the desired slump, increasing your costs and potentially damaging your reputation and customer satisfaction?

With the Precision Water System you are on your way to more consistent loads, better yield management, lower costs, and more satisfied customers.

What are the basic components?

The Precision Water System (PWS) includes: w PWS Software Module w PWS Moisture Interface Controller Junction Box (MIC) with support for up to 12 Moisture Probes Additional equipment purchased separately: w Moisture Probes w Cables to connect Moisture Probes to MIC w Ethernet cable to connect PC to MIC

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The Precision Water System can calibrate and simultaneously measure up to 12 probes. Only by accurately measuring the moisture in all aggregate materials can the desired specifications be achieved load after load. The system allows you to capture sample moisture readings with the click of a button, has an easy and accurate calibration process, and supports multiple bin-material-probe combinations. Through seamless integration with COMMANDbatch, the Precision Water System will reduce or eliminate time-consuming, costly, and manual processes involved in sampling and calibrating probes or adjusting water content truck by truck.

While there are a number of competitive moisture solutions offered, many of these have to be managed by a separate, standalone program or require manual calculations and/or a spreadsheet to calibrate.

Features

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How does the Precision Water System work?

Multiple samples from different materials can be captured and the information automatically stored in the PWS application. The wet and dry weights of the sample are entered into the PWS. The PWS automatically calculates the moisture (compensating for absorption), performs an outof-bounds check, and then stores the results permanently in the PWS database for each sample. As more and more bake-outs are accumulated the program adjusts the probe calibration to reflect the new data resulting in a very accurate calibration. Once calibrated, the system operates independently with no operator intervention required. The system comes with default calibrations for a variety of material types for immediate use.

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Precision Water System

Precision Water System

Provides calibrated readings of up to 12 moisture probes on a variety of materials up to 1-1/2” coarse aggregates. (Contact us regarding larger aggregates) Stores a distinct calibration for each probebin-material combination.

Stores unlimited moisture samples and bake-out pairs for each probe-bin-material combination.

PWS Dashboard allows an operator to review the value of each moisture probe in a variety of views: Active Calibration View, Current Moisture View, Calibration History View.

Operator can choose whether or not to recalibrate based on visual analysis of probe readings.

“Lock and Load” sample mode for automatic capture of probe readings for the next bake-out eliminates mistakes and saves time.

Automatic and manual modes.

Default calibrations for a range of materials allow for immediate use of the system until bake-outs and final calibration occurs.

Replacement probes can be calibrated with one bake-out.

“We have always struggled with load-to-load spread variation. After researching

different methods to help control moisture, we decided that the Precision Water System was the best fit. What used to be a spread variation of +/- 5 inches has now become +/- 1 inch. What used to be a bake-out variation of +1% has now become less than 0.3%. There is no longer the load-to-load variability. With that, we have saved money in scrapped loads as well as savings in labor hours.”

Chris Papich, QA Manager CXT Concrete Buildings

Benefits of Precision Water System w

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Expanding the number of measured materials with PWS reduces unknown sources of slump variability in a load. This diminishes or eliminates the need to overdesign mixes to compensate for unmanaged water.

You can use a single bin for a variety of materials. When the operator informs COMMANDbatch that a different material is now in a bin, the system instantly and automatically reconfigures itself to the correct material moisture calibration profile.

Easy and accurate probe calibration.

Moisture sample capture at the click of a button.

Save time and money by reducing the frequency of bake-outs.

Reduce or eliminate time spent adding water to batches. www.commandalkon.com

is a fully integrated water management system for COMMANDbatch that provides the tools to simplify and automate the management of moisture compensation.

With Precision Water System, water management is so precise you can allow your trucks to “Load and Go”. Reduce or eliminate wasted truck inyard times for loads that were previously too wet or too dry.

Why continue to struggle with loads that are not produced at the desired slump, increasing your costs and potentially damaging your reputation and customer satisfaction?

With the Precision Water System you are on your way to more consistent loads, better yield management, lower costs, and more satisfied customers.

What are the basic components?

The Precision Water System (PWS) includes: w PWS Software Module w PWS Moisture Interface Controller Junction Box (MIC) with support for up to 12 Moisture Probes Additional equipment purchased separately: w Moisture Probes w Cables to connect Moisture Probes to MIC w Ethernet cable to connect PC to MIC

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The Precision Water System can calibrate and simultaneously measure up to 12 probes. Only by accurately measuring the moisture in all aggregate materials can the desired specifications be achieved load after load. The system allows you to capture sample moisture readings with the click of a button, has an easy and accurate calibration process, and supports multiple bin-material-probe combinations. Through seamless integration with COMMANDbatch, the Precision Water System will reduce or eliminate time-consuming, costly, and manual processes involved in sampling and calibrating probes or adjusting water content truck by truck.

While there are a number of competitive moisture solutions offered, many of these have to be managed by a separate, standalone program or require manual calculations and/or a spreadsheet to calibrate.

Features

w w

How does the Precision Water System work?

Multiple samples from different materials can be captured and the information automatically stored in the PWS application. The wet and dry weights of the sample are entered into the PWS. The PWS automatically calculates the moisture (compensating for absorption), performs an outof-bounds check, and then stores the results permanently in the PWS database for each sample. As more and more bake-outs are accumulated the program adjusts the probe calibration to reflect the new data resulting in a very accurate calibration. Once calibrated, the system operates independently with no operator intervention required. The system comes with default calibrations for a variety of material types for immediate use.

w w w

Precision Water System

Precision Water System

Provides calibrated readings of up to 12 moisture probes on a variety of materials up to 1-1/2” coarse aggregates. (Contact us regarding larger aggregates) Stores a distinct calibration for each probebin-material combination.

Stores unlimited moisture samples and bake-out pairs for each probe-bin-material combination.

PWS Dashboard allows an operator to review the value of each moisture probe in a variety of views: Active Calibration View, Current Moisture View, Calibration History View.

Operator can choose whether or not to recalibrate based on visual analysis of probe readings.

“Lock and Load” sample mode for automatic capture of probe readings for the next bake-out eliminates mistakes and saves time.

Automatic and manual modes.

Default calibrations for a range of materials allow for immediate use of the system until bake-outs and final calibration occurs.

Replacement probes can be calibrated with one bake-out.

“We have always struggled with load-to-load spread variation. After researching

different methods to help control moisture, we decided that the Precision Water System was the best fit. What used to be a spread variation of +/- 5 inches has now become +/- 1 inch. What used to be a bake-out variation of +1% has now become less than 0.3%. There is no longer the load-to-load variability. With that, we have saved money in scrapped loads as well as savings in labor hours.”

Chris Papich, QA Manager CXT Concrete Buildings

Benefits of Precision Water System w

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Expanding the number of measured materials with PWS reduces unknown sources of slump variability in a load. This diminishes or eliminates the need to overdesign mixes to compensate for unmanaged water.

You can use a single bin for a variety of materials. When the operator informs COMMANDbatch that a different material is now in a bin, the system instantly and automatically reconfigures itself to the correct material moisture calibration profile.

Easy and accurate probe calibration.

Moisture sample capture at the click of a button.

Save time and money by reducing the frequency of bake-outs.

Reduce or eliminate time spent adding water to batches. www.commandalkon.com

The Command Alkon

COMMANDbatch

Moisture Probe

is the “safety net” for all of your operations. Protect against bad or out-of-specification concrete from being delivered with real-time event notifications for out-oftolerance situations or unauthorized mix design and material changes.

The Command Alkon Moisture Probe has been proven to measurably increase product quality and finish and reduce overall batching times and material waste, resulting in increased customer satisfaction and profitability.

COMMANDbatch is unique in that it can continuously adjust the load water as the material flows over the probe; a method that ensures consistent slump predictability in high specification concrete and concrete product manufacturing. You will always know your moisture value because this probe is consistently accurate to within ±0.3%. The probe achieves this consistency through innovative selfadjusting circuitry that detects and corrects changes caused by time.

Schedule Production , Efficiency , and Material Variance Reports to be automatically collected and e-mailed at the same time every day, freeing the operator from having to manually print and fax this information. Plant Performance Reports provide actionable analysis of plant performance, highlighting bottlenecks and allowing side-by-side comparisons.

The probe is housed in a one-piece stainless steel casing with increased steel thickness in the heaviest wear areas.

Mounted directly above the feed gate, the specially designed probe collar makes it unnecessary to drain the bin when installing, and the simple design eliminates any need to fabricate complicated mounting brackets or pipe assemblies. The probe can be installed and calibrated to the material in a matter of hours. The smaller ceramic faceplate further reduces vulnerability from accidental impact damage.

Hundreds of thousands of truckloads attest to the fact that the Command Alkon Moisture Probe can virtually eliminate “load doctoring” by delivering accurate and consistent slumps every time.

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Size: 75 mm (3") dia. x 60 cm (23.25") long Weight: 7.25 kg (16 lbs.)

Body Material: Stainless steel Face Material: High strength ceramic Measurement Range: Depends on material composition Operating Temperature: 2°-49° C (35°-120° F) Typical Accuracy: +/- 0.3% Connection: 6-pin type PT06 waterproof connector Cable: 6 conductor, 24 gauge, shielded

“Command Alkon’s Moisture Probe is a proven performer. The probe is easy to install, easy to calibrate, and most importantly, provides reliable moisture measurements without further calibration load after load.”

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“Our organization depends on Plant Watcher to help us manage and protect our business. We thought for sure we knew how our plants were running, but the information provided by Plant Watcher highlighted new opportunities for efficiency and cost savings. The realtime notification by Plant Watcher of an out-of-specification load for a critical pour alerts our QC department day or night to step in and prevent that load from being placed! For companies who wish to be proactive about Quality Control, Plant Watcher is a meaningful and cost-effective addition.”

Specifications

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Cliff Morgan Potomac Construction Industries

COMMANDbatch Quality You Can Count On

Plant Watcher Notification System

allows you to measure the moisture content of your aggregates as they flow into a batch.

Steve Wagener Kuhlman Corporation

Benefits of Plant Watcher Notification System w w

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Plant Watcher creates Profiles for each batch plant that you wish to monitor. It stores information about these plants including Events and Plant Performance data. When an event occurs at a monitored plant that matches the criteria defined in a Profile, an alert describing the event is instantly dispatched to all designated recipients. Alerts are delivered only once to each recipient and delivery is guaranteed in the event of network or other outages once the network is restored.

A Plant Watcher Server houses the Plant Watcher database, monitors events at designated plants, and sends alerts to the designated recipients. A Diagnostics Console is used for configuration and troubleshooting. A Plant Watcher Configuration Utility allows the system to be configured for SMTP server identification and authentication as well as Site, Profile, Recipient, and e-mail Setups from a remote location.

Plant ‘Dashboard’ provides a near real-time view of plant activities Automatic notification of “out-of-tolerance” allows interception of a bad or incorrect load before it leaves the plant Instant notification of mix design changes or material substitutions Automatic delivery of key production, variance, efficiency, and other reports keeps you informed about your business and allows the plant operator to focus on production and quality Plant profiles assure that only the right individual(s) for each event are notified Guaranteed delivery ensures notification after a network or other outage is restored www.commandalkon.com

COMMANDbatch

measures the ingredient temperatures in a concrete batch and adjusts water temperature of the batch process to achieve a target concrete temperature for the load being produced.

As a producer, you know the only place to achieve predictable, consistent concrete is at the plant. The requirements for high-performance concrete at a minimum cost depends on the combination of the best raw materials and how these materials are introduced during the loading process. COMMANDbatch provides tools unmatched by competitive systems to ensure that the mix constituents are combined in a manner that deliver the maximum results.

The Material Sequencing capability of COMMANDbatch ensures consistent and predictable concrete homogeneity load after load. Each class of mix (grout, low slump, SCC, etc.) can have a unique, specialized blending sequence to ensure the ingredients are blended at the precise time and at the precise rate. Different charging sequences can be specified for each individual truck or mixer.

Temperature control is one of the two main quality issues for ready-mixed concrete producers; water management being the other. The Precision Temperature System (PTS) provides a means to control the temperature of your concrete batches to improve the quality of the concrete and reduce energy costs associated with heated/chilled water and/or ice used in the batching process.

The PTS consists of a COMMANDbatch software module and a series of temperature probes in the material bins/silos or tanks. Based on temperature readings from the ingredients, the PTS adjusts the proportions of heated or chilled water and/or ice to achieve the target temperature for the concrete batch. Multiple waters and ice are supported, but the PTS will only adjust two waters per load.

Command Alkon Moisture Probe & Precision Temperature System

Precision Temperature System

Quality You Can Count On

The PTS can be enabled or disabled on a plant level, by mix design, or as the load is being prepared on the Batch Setup form. Command Alkon offers temperature sensors for all types of materials, or you have the option to supply your own sensors as long as they meet system specifications.

Reduce the number of mix designs and the potential for error using Admix Design (modifier mix) capabilities.

A small number of “base” mixes can be customized hundreds of ways on a per order basis using these modifier mixes. When the batcher selects the order to batch, the mix will automatically be customized based upon the order. This provides for a wide variety of mix combinations without having to create a special mix for a

customer. Adding hot water, calcium, or making the mix a bit easier to finish for that certain customer is no longer something that the operator has to remember.

Since these requests are attached to the order you are sure to be paid for these value added items. Finally, since the mix modification is captured by the order, the delivered concrete will be the same no matter how many plants are used to fulfill the order.

“The Admix Design feature on COMMANDbatch allows us to downsize the number of mix designs and ensures that any changes made on-the-fly are billed accordingly. Admix Design allows us to limit the handling of changes made, resulting in fewer mistakes. Accounting is simplified and accuracy of inventory control is much better.”

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John Miller Tarmac/Titan America

Benefits of Precision Temperature System w

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Improve concrete quality by controlling the delivered temperature of a load of concrete Reduce energy costs by minimizing the amount of heated/chilled water and/or ice used during the batching process

www.commandalkon.com

COMMANDbatch

COMMANDbatch

COMMANDassist connects you directly with the friendly and knowledgeable service professionals at Command Alkon with just a click of the mouse.

COMMANDbatch Freewheeling maximizes plant productivity by weighing-up the next load as soon as a device, such as a scale or bottle, has completed its task for the previous load. Up to three loads can be running at the same time, maximizing the use of plant equipment. This can significantly improve plant throughput with slow feeding materials such as metered water or augered cement.

The Weigh-Up Diagnostics utility displays a material’s open/close gate cycle so you can troubleshoot feeding problems and thereby improve plant production.

Navigating among the diagnostics forms you can determine which feed cycle (Fast, Timed, Jog, or Metered) was used, why it was used, if it fed the expected amount of material, and how drop times and material-in-flight values were calculated.

The Discharge Diagnostics screen monitors scale flow rates, moisture settings, and mixer relative power setpoints (for AutoConsistence). Any displayed information can be saved for later retrieval.

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COMMANDbatch Remote Batching, Remote Client & COMMANDassist

Productivity & Performance

COMMANDassist provides secure transmission of information to and from a Command Alkon service technician via a Virtual Private Network (VPN) connection made through the Internet.

COMMANDassist also facilitates access to COMMANDbatch software updates available for download on our UpdateCenter website.

COMMANDassist allows you to receive technical support via your existing high-speed Internet connection using our secure VPN support network.

Once connected, Plant Operators have the ability to create new support requests, modify existing support requests, and preview pending support requests. The included chat functionality allows communication with our Command Alkon support personnel while continuing production and without tying up the production facility phone lines.

Using COMMANDassist, a service technician can troubleshoot batching issues, answer any questions on specific topics, manually download and assist with the installation of software updates, and modify plant automation.

Benefits of COMMANDassist w

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128-bit encrypted data transmission using Public Key Infrastructure protects your information Point-to-Point connectivity only when you request Command Alkon has access only when you initiate a support request Command Alkon can only access the machine requesting support No need to provide Command Alkon with full access to your company network Only one firewall modification required All data travels outbound on port 1194 (Open VPN) No need for dial-up modem or dedicated analog phone line Uses your existing high-speed Internet connection Facilitates access to COMMANDbatch software updates available for download on our UpdateCenter website

www.commandalkon.com

Remote Batching & Remote Client Do you have a remote plant that doesn't do the business of your high volume plants? With Remote Batching lower volume plants can be operated safely, reliably, and cost-effectively from a different location anytime. Once a truck is in position the remote batcher can load the truck then shut the plant back down. Soft Manual Station (SMS) controls allow for the operation of bins and hoppers, as well as for manual controls such as the air compressor, boot up/down, washout water, etc., from a remote location with the click of a mouse.

COMMANDbatch comes equipped with standardized reporting procedures common to all ready-mixed concrete plants. Standard Reports include: Yards Per Driver Hour, Consolidated Order, Ticket Summary, Materials Inventory, Tickets by Customer Summary, and many others. Many reports can be exported into Microsoft Excel for further analysis.

The Driver Authorization Box is standard with the Remote Batching configuration to tell the COMMANDbatch software when a remotely batched load is authorized by the driver for discharge.

Remote Client allows up to three additional remote users to access one COMMANDbatch system at the same time.

This means that plant monitoring, tune up, mix design management, diagnostics, and troubleshooting are possible anywhere, anytime! Remote Client users can perform tasks without interfering with normal operation. Master records can be created, updated, or deleted for customers, mixes, other products, pricing, orders, etc. Plant automation can be modified including bin tuning, discharge tuning, and device sequencing/material blending. Use built-in tools such as Weigh-Up or Discharge Diagnostics, Sequence Tracer, Custom Equation Monitor, or Ticket Format Helper for troubleshooting. Most reports can be previewed or printed remotely to the user’s location. With the addition of remote batching hardware, these additional clients can perform The Mix Manager screen allows a group of mixes to be selected by a filter Remote Batching. such as “Find all mixes starting with 250”. With a few clicks these mixes can have a material quantity adjustment (add or remove) or material substituted.

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Plant Performance Graphs help determine why a load took too long to complete or why it was out of tolerance. The Load Times Graph shows Weigh-Up and Discharge times for each load. A Deviations Graph shows tolerance information for each material batched. Right-click on a load code and select “Productivity” to display Drop (elapsed) Times for each material.

www.commandalkon.com

COMMANDbatch Productivity & Performance

COMMANDbatch

COMMANDcallboard

General Features

is designed to expedite traffic flow around the batch plant.

Using information sent from either COMMANDseries or entered directly into COMMANDbatch by the operator, the COMMANDcallboard automatically displays individual truck numbers, lane selection, delivery instructions, and/or other information to assist the driver in loading. When trucks are not being loaded, scrolling messages such as “Number of days since last accident: 161”, or “Be sure to empty your drum before loading” can be displayed.

The callboard includes 7-inch, red, alphanumeric characters utilizing ultra-bright LED technology to provide ease of readability in all lighting conditions including direct sunlight. The board is encased in a weather-resistant enclosure and is designed for wideangle viewing. The standard COMMANDcallboard is 3 characters by 3 lines. Different configurations (characters/lines) are available upon request.

Data is transmitted to the board via Wireless RF from the system. The robust protocol utilizes frequency hopping, data encryption, and verified delivery. The typical range is 1,000 feet line of sight.

Installation is simple. The only requirements are mounting the enclosure in line of sight with the wireless portal and supplying AC voltage.

Benefits of COMMANDcallboard w w

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Reduces lost in-yard time Helps to eliminate unnecessary truck traffic around the plant Truck drivers do not need to leave their trucks Truck drivers can now keep themselves in proper order Cuts down on radio traffic Automatically send messages to driver including: - Delivery Instructions - Lane Selection - Extra Product Information - Special Loading Instructions Scrolling information messages serve as reminders Wireless connection for ease of installation

Hardware Specifications

Power: 85-264 VAC, 50 or 60 Hz, 200 watts maximum (1.7 amps at 120 VAC) Enclosure: 32” H x 26” W x 10” D Weight: 55 lbs Display: 27” H x 21” W, three rows display 3-4 characters each Wireless RF Unit: 2-1/4” H x 6 1/2” W x 7” D RS-232 Cable: 15’ Power Cord: 4-1/2’ RF Link: 915 Mhz, ISM band, license free

Automatic Plant Control: w 4-6 Aggregates, 3 Cements, 2 Waters (metered), 8 Admixes (metered) - (model RM200) w Additional Material and Scale Controls** w Fast Multi-batch and Freewheel Batching Control w Truck Charge Rate Adjustable On-The-Fly w High Speed Weigh-Up Algorithm for Fast Plant Performance w Automatic Scale Tolerance Checking w Automatic Bin Switching on empty bin w Automatic Bin/Silo Vibrator Control w Scale Rate of Discharge Flow Control speeds truck loading w Scale Flow Control Dampening w Continuous Batching/Continuous Discharge w Connect with PLC Devices and remote sensors to extend reach of the system w Central Mixer(s) Control** w Temperature Gun/Probe Interface** w Density Meter Interface** w State Certification Package (NY, CA, NJ, MN)** w Other Optional Automatic Plant Controls Including: Blower, Plant Dust Collector, Silo Shaker, Spray Bar, Conveyor Controls, Mixer Controls, Telescopic Boot, Recirculating Screw, Live Bottom Batcher, Dual Aggregate Discharge Gates, Bin Lamps, and Switches** Remote Batch: w Soft Manual Station (SMS) for plant control w Perform Batching and Mix Design Changes** w Second Client for Order Management** Operator Controls: w Visual and Audible Notification Alerts w On-Hand Inventory Available At-a-Glance w Low Inventory Notification to Prevent Load Start w Discharge, Weigh-Up, and Sequence Diagnostics w Training Mode, Online Help, Operator Manuals w 20” Flat Screen Monitor w Dust Proof Enclosure** Plant Interlocks: w Over/Under Material Tolerance Interlocks w Scale Zero and Bottle Empty Interlocks w Admix Pulse (Dual) Meter Crosscheck w Scale In-Motion Detection **Denotes Optional Feature

Mix Design Control: w Mix Design Modification Utility w Slump Tables by concrete type of Mix Design w Total Allowable Water in Mix Control w Slurry or recycled water compensation** Recordation: w Batch Weights Printing with archiving w Manual Material Activity Report w Bar & QR Code Printing** w Dot Matrix Printer, Laser Report Printer** Quality Control: w Material Blending Sequence by Mix Type improves homogeneity w Access from anywhere for Plant Monitoring and Tune-Up w Plant Performance Graphs track batch accuracy w Plant Watcher Automatic Notification System** w Precision Water System for “Load and Go”** w Precision Temperature System for assuring “on job” concrete temperature** w Auto Consistence Slump Control for mixers** w Verifi integration for “on job” Slump Control** Order Management: w Job/Project Entry with daily orders** w Daily orders can automatically adjust mix** w Third-Party Dispatch one-way Interface** w COMMANDconcrete two-way Interface** Plant Management: w Truck Callboard Interface** Administration & Integration: w User Permissions for Configuration/Editing w Recordation/Logs of Changes w Auto Archive, Auto Purge, and Auto Backup for all data w Ticket and Material Records Export Utilities to other systems w Enterprise Content Management Option for Electronic Access to Tickets/Batchweight Files** w Custom Format Ticket File Export** w Multi-Plant Support** w Multi-Company Support** w QuickBooks Interface** Maintenance: w Remote Diagnostics and Troubleshooting w COMMANDassist Automated Remote Assistant w Maintenance Scheduling Feature w Expendable Parts Kit and Plant Wiring Diagrams w One Year Priority One Support

COMMANDbatch

Command Alkon

"The truck callboards have improved our fleet efficiency at the plants. They have also significantly reduced radio traffic related to truck staging. The callboards have been a worthwhile investment."

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Barb Bailey Central Pre-Mix Concrete Co.

www.commandalkon.com

is the industry leading plant automation solution. COMMANDbatch delivers superb plant performance while being very simple to use.

Select tickets and fine-tune batches before they are started. Prepare the next load and change settings on-the-fly, all from the same screen.

Animated graphics show plant equipment weighing up and delivering material to the truck or mixer in real-time. Standard reports allow you to monitor inventory, material usage, and general lists of orders, tickets, and mix designs.

Command Alkon is proud to offer a new range of flexibility to producers when choosing an automation solution for your operations. COMMANDbatch Open Solution* (OS) provides a foundation for meeting the process control needs of the future while maintaining a solid footing in the present.

COMMANDbatch makes concrete production easier and saves your company money.

COMMANDbatch OS provides the link that supports plant automation through commercially available hardware* and scale indicators* resulting in a complete “fly-by-wire” approach to plant control. Common in other manufacturing industries, the COMMANDbatch real time plant display and manual station controls are presented solely through the console, maintaining the operator’s attention on the current running loads with fewer distractions and other indicators to check.

* Open Solution options differ by region. Contact CAI for details for your region and a list of supported hardware platforms and devices.

Benefits of COMMANDbatch OS w w w

“COMMANDbatch is accurate, reliable, and easy-to-use. There's lots of information that can be determined at a glance. Our batch personnel can adjust mixes and materials on-the-fly and they know immediately when something is out of tolerance. With COMMANDbatch there's no more guesswork.”

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Billy Carroll imi-Tennessee

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Overall system footprint is smaller with fewer components Spare parts are available through local reseller channels Leverage existing business partners (scale companies, electrical contractors, etc.) for support of the control hardware at the batch plant Investments in operator training and business system integration is preserved Relies on standard TCP/IP network protocol making COMMANDbatch available to communicate with new sensors or smart controls (power management, environmental monitors, etc.) added to the facility

www.commandalkon.com

COMMANDcallboard & COMMANDbatch Open Solution

Open Solution

COMMANDbatch

Concrete Production Manager

links COMMANDseries to COMMANDbatch using our open integration platform, COMMANDedx.

Concrete Production Manager provides an enhanced communications interface between COMMANDseries and COMMANDbatch delivering tighter integration, fewer setup errors, increased flexibility, and central control over mix-design specific data. The interface conforms to industry standards and increases the reliability, extensibility, and serviceability of these two integral pieces of your daily operations.

S O L U T I O N S

TO  BU ILD O N

Command Alkon batch control systems and plant automation products are recognized worldwide for helping producers improve their operational efficiency, quality, and profitability. w w w

7,000+ COMMANDbatch systems in operation around the world.

10,000+ Command Alkon Moisture Probes in use at ready-mixed plants worldwide.

200+ Precision Water System installed at ready-mixed operations around the globe.

Concrete Production Manager Features: w Direct system-to-system communication for data synchronization (drivers, trucks, materials, mix designs). w Centralized mix management ensuring that all mix design changes made in COMMANDseries are automatically synchronized with COMMANDbatch. w Delivery ticket information is automatically updated between dispatch and batch systems to ensure material usages, production quantities, and quantities/products shipped are synchronized in both systems for accurate and flexible ticket printing and centralized reporting purposes. w Batch system notifications and alarms are transmitted from COMMANDbatch and stored in COMMANDconcrete. w Unique Concrete Production Manager Report that breaks down batch weights on a batch-by-batch basis.

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www.commandalkon.com

Command Alkon is proud to provide quality batch control systems and plant automation products that lead the industry in innovation and reliability.

COMMANDbatch Plant Watcher Precision Water System Command Alkon Moisture Probe Precision Temperature System COMMANDcallboard Concrete Production Manager Automatic Bin Fill System These products are part of an integrated suite of products that Command Alkon offers to the Construction Materials Industry. Our goal is to enable the enterprise wide integration of systems to reduce or eliminate information and reporting gaps, eliminate “double entry” of information, achieve completely paperless transactions, capture billing and production data automatically, and ensure that key personnel are always up-to-date on the company’s operation.

Automatic Bin Fill System

provides a fast, automated, and cost-effective way to get materials from underground storage bunkers into overhead bins.

The system’s standard controls permit automatic monitoring and replenishment for up to six bins.

The system allows priority-first replenishment if materials from one underground storage bunker are required more often than others.

The system is designed to:

w determine the need for a material w rotate the turnhead or shuttle conveyor to the correct position w turn on the feed belts as needed w open the correct feed gate on the underground storage silo w monitor the process until filling is complete

As the system sequences from one material to the next the Automatic Bin Fill system will: w close the gate in use on the underground storage w determine the turnhead positioning delay w open the feed gate for the next material while ensuring the proper belt delay to prevent cross contamination of material bins

“Command Alkon’s Automatic Bin Fill System fulfills a critical role within Florida Rock’s Ready Mix production operations. The Automatic Bin Fill System consistently and reliably ensures the right materials are always available in the plant to meet our production needs. We own seven of them; more are sure to follow in the future.”

Any or all materials can be manually overridden at any time. An alarm indicator alerts the user to plant malfunctions. The emergency stop button halts all related plant motion in the event of a belt break or other hazard.

Command Alkon offers an economical path to convert existing Command Alkon Batch Systems to COMMANDbatch. Electrical and scale systems do not change. This allows the conversion to be performed in just one evening, with personnel being trained and the plant finetuned in just a few days.

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Concrete Production Manager & Automatic Bin Fill System

Concrete Plant Automation

Terry Smith Florida Rock Industries

Benefits of Automatic Bin Fill System w

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Automates bin replenishment, allowing staff to concentrate on more important and time critical operations in the plant “Keep Full” ensures the batch plant bins remain full, preventing production delays

www.commandalkon.com

Why COMMANDbatch?

Quality You Can Count On Superior Productivity & Performance Advanced Administration & Integration Remote Plant Monitoring & Tune Up Remote Diagnostics & Troubleshooting Remote Batching & Mix Design Changes Migration Paths from Legacy Systems

Benefits of COMMANDbatch w

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Connect With Us! Command Alkon Incorporated Headquarters 1800 International Park Dr., Suite 400 Birmingham, AL 35243 USA +1 (205) 879-3282 Fax: +1 (205) 870-1405 www.commandalkon.com

Command Alkon

Available with Precision Water System to reduce Truck In-Yard Time Remote Batching allows low volume plants to operate cost effectively Early identification of plant batching issues, bottle necks, or trends with Plant Performance Graphs Prevent delivery to a job site of expensive out-ofspecification or batch “out-of-tolerance” loads with Plant Watcher Get the first round in the morning out in less time with COMMANDbatch Freewheeling Automatically specify changes to the mix design (i.e. adding hot water, super plasticizer, etc.)

Save time and reduce data entry errors by using the Mix Manager to adjust a large number of mixes at the same time Automated Remote Assistance, including online technician chat, keeps plant downtime to a minimum Automatic data archiving and backup reduces plant shutdown tasks and time while safeguarding data

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C ncrete Plant Aut mati n

Command Alkon offers an economical path to convert existing Command Alkon Batch Systems to COMMANDbatch. Electrical and scale systems do not change. This allows the conversion to be performed in just one evening, with personnel being trained and the plant fine-tuned in just a few days.

“We have converted four Spectrums to COMMANDbatch.

With Command Alkon’s attention to preserving existing investments, the process was straightforward and cost effective. With these plants now converted to COMMANDbatch, we are using the advanced capabilities of this system, such as Remote Batching, to be more efficient and lower costs more than ever before.”

Rob Hawn All Ohio Ready Mix Concrete

BOOKLETS 1 Corporate Overview 2 Ready-Mixed Concrete | COMMANDconcrete 3 Bulk Materials & Automation 4 Concrete Plant Automation 5 Quality Control 6 Business Integration Services 7 Dispatch Optimization 8 Ready-Mixed Concrete | Integra 9 Concrete Products Automation