GreyStone Inc.

What started as a small sand screw operation in Benton, Kan., has now evolved into a world-class aggregate equipment manufacturer. Today, GreyStone Inc. (GreyStone) develops innovative, green-friendly solutions for complete sand washing, classifying and dewatering from engineering to equipment, controls to structural fabrication, installation to operation and service. As one of the few companies in a specialized market, GreyStone’s eye for ingenuity has earned the manufacturer industry-leading status.

“GreyStone originated in the late 1950s, as L.B. Manufacturing,” shares James Holmberg, president of GreyStone. “In 1982, the local Ready Mix company purchased L.B. Manufacturing and moved the business to Columbus, Neb. The name was changed to GreyStone in 1988 and shortly after, in 1992, my parents bought the company.”

For over 30 years, GreyStone has remained Nebraska-based and family-owned and-operated, but through sustainable-driven product lines, the company has built a network of global dealers and customers. “We’re trying to do more innovating manufacturing more-so now than ever before,” reveals James. “Our patented technologies are better for the environment and for our end users.”

The company has established a global network of dealers, from Canada to South America, Europe to Africa, Mexico and everywhere in between. “There are only about four other companies in the world that make this type of equipment and we’re one of the top manufacturers,” claims James.

A Better Way to Process

The company manufactures a complete line of field-proven portable and semi-portable aggregate equipment, from washing and screening plants to sand classification tanks and systems, single and twin fine material dewatering screws, coarse material washers, log washers, advances computer control systems, water clarifiers, rotary vibrating screens, blade mills, cutter heads, aggregate reclaiming systems and many other solutions for producers. Additionally, GreyStone offers complete plant design and application engineering services, project management, troubleshooting and add-on engineering, tailored to specific product lines and producer needs.

James says GreyStone is always on the lookout for new and improved solutions. “Our Aggre-Dry Washer is our most recent, innovative sand dewatering unit,” he shares.

The Aggre-Dry Washer combines a fine material screw and dewatering screen to produce sand and gravel products with moisture content as low as 8 to 13 percent-by-weight. “The average for our sand is about 10 percent,” reveals James. “Normally it’s 25 percent, so that extra 15 percent water gets distributed back into a retention pond and it gets used again versus sitting in a pile while waiting to dry out. The process uses significantly less water overall.”

Less water means a greener solution. “Not only is the process environmentally friendly, but it’s also faster,” notes James. “The sand is ready to use right when it comes out of the Aggre-Dry Washer; that means end users can start using the product and get onto jobs. The system actually recently won an innovation award at the national CON/AG show.”

Specialized Solutions

Aside from motors, gear boxes and some rubberized parts, GreyStone is designs, engineers and fabricates its equipment all in-house. James says it’s about finding solutions for all kinds of material. “Every type of sand and gravel has a different purpose; some is used for concrete and others for sand traps and all sorts of other applications,” he explains. “Our job is to find ways to sort and better the quality of the material for our customers.”

Through the economic downturn, GreyStone performed specialized manufacturing for the U.S. Navy Seabees. “We had to redesign parts of our equipment for Navy specifications,” details James. “This project really helped carry us through a challenging time.”

GreyStone completed the portable wash plant system in September 2012. The system included a twin 36-inch dewatering screw portable wash plant, a feed hopper and conveyor, four radial stacker conveyors, a generator and a water pump. GreyStone tested the units and designed them to withstand harsh climates.

After weathering the recession through key partnerships, James says GreyStone is positioned for growth and ready to create the next innovative aggregate technology. “We stay on top of what’s going on in the industry,” he explains. “We stay connected as member of the National Stone Sand and Gravel Association (NSSGA) and the American Equipment Manufacturers (AEM) and we’ll attend the annual CON/AG show and introduce some new products in March 2014.”

“We celebrated 20 years of ownership last year,” continues James. “We want to continue to become a trusted green manufacturer as opportunities come down the road.” GreyStone Inc. is building on almost 60 years of aggregate manufacturing expertise, delivering solutions that work for tomorrow.