Metals And Mining Review: Specials Magazine

Customers often approach Paschal Associates to discuss crushers, screens or wear parts. The team, however, takes the conversation in another direction. Before talking about equipment, it wants to understand how the plant operates, where production can improve and what prevents better performance. "We're a group of engineers that are bound together collectively to solve problems in the industry. Our emphasis is first on solving problems in the plant," says Bob Bartok, managing partner. That perspective has remained central for more than five decades. Instead of evaluating equipment in isolation, its engineers focus first on the plant and its process. Process analysis, plant optimization and proprietary programs help identify opportunities across crushing, screening, washing and fine material recovery before recommending a product or change. The approach reflects a simple philosophy, engineering comes before equipment. The team first learns the operation, identifies the constraint or opportunity and determines where it can create measurable value. Equipment becomes part of the solution only after the problem is understood. The engineering experience is grounded in firsthand customer experience. Members of the field sales team have worked as end-use customers, with some bringing three to five years and others 10 to 15 years of experience. Those experiences give the team a practical understanding of customer challenges. Engineers physically visit plants, walk the operation and learn the customer's goals and problems before drawing conclusions. The objective is to identify opportunities to create value rather than start with a product sale. When a challenge cannot be resolved internally, the team works with manufacturers to develop a solution. This customer-first process allows Paschal Associates to serve as an engineering resource within the operation before becoming a source for equipment or components ...Read more