Armstrongs are a reliable supplier of all forms of stone material. From rock armor or cut dimension stone down to aggregate, sand or dust. We operate five quarries across the North West and Cumbria. To do this we run an expansive and efficient fleet. In this blog we will identify the key machines within our business and welcome you to meet our fleet.

To be able to operate these five quarries, our head office and stone workshop- as well as our AMIX Concrete subsidiary- Armstrongs has a strong and vast fleet of machines behind it.

Transport

Our transport fleet has grown immensely over recent years. Continual investment by Armstrongs Group ensures we maintain maximum efficiency and reliability, whilst also meeting our environmental commitments.

The Wagons in our fleet consist wholly of Scania’s who offer excellent service and product to the Group, and we are proud to have worked alongside them for a number of years. The aggregates business utilise 8 wheel tipper wagons for maximum flexibility and articulated tippers for maximum load carrying. We also have walking floor trailers and low loaders for the transportation of equipment.

The high standard of reliability and service we provide is driven by an excellent team of fully qualified drivers, along with a strong safety record. Our new tracking system will facilitate the constant monitoring of driving styles to enhance this further.

Armstrongs Group vehicles and trailers are serviced in line with regulations by our own workshops. Our workshops consist of a versatile and experienced a team of fitters at our disposal. Notwithstanding our work we are also very conscious of cleanliness and appearance and our drivers are responsible for their own vehicles.

We also have an extensive range of heavy duty plant and machinery which is well invested and continually maintained by our internal fitters.

The Armstrong group strongly believe in owning vehicles, plant and equipment. Therefore, allowing for maximum flexibility and demonstrates our long term commitment to our customers, staff and the industry.

Our fleet of vehicle across our sites includes construction machinery from Hitachi, Bell and Case. The fleet of construction machinery we operate includes excavators, wheel loaders, dump trucks, haulers and bulldozers.

Meet Our Fleet

Hitachi

Excavators

ZAXIS 690LCR

The ZX690-6 was built to work reliably in challenging environments. Thanks to robust features and strengthened components, such as the travel motor guard, idler bracket and reinforced arm, it is exceptionally durable. The strengthened new injector also increases the reliability of the engine, while

the main fuel filter prevents dust from entering the fuel circuit.

ZAXIS 210LC

The ZX210LC-5 is a force to be reckoned with. It is easy to transport and is designed for sewer and water contractors, basement diggers and for work in urban areas. An Isuzu engine delivers fuel-efficient and reliable performance; grouped service points simplify maintenance; a spacious cab keeps operators comfortable.

ZAXIS 225USLC

The ZX225USLC-6 is one of our most versatile medium excavators. This is due to its short-tail swing and a variety of optional extras. It was developed to deliver high levels of productivity and fuel efficiency, particularly if space is limited. Due to its compact dimensions, it is suitable for a wider range of jobs than the standard 21-tonne model while retaining its powerful lifting force.

Wheel loaders

ZW310

The ZW310-6 is Hitachi’s most popular wheel loader in Europe due to its bucket capacity. It is suitable for loading trucks in quarries, waste handling applications and road construction projects. The quick power switch increases engine output when more power is instantly required or when driving uphill. Hitachi’s design engineers have improved the traction force on this model by 25% for easier loading.

 

Bell

Dump truck

B40E-ADT

The B40E is a perfect truck for many plant and quarry fleets due to its greater power and increased payload. It delivers the best power-to-weight ratio in the industry at 5.37 kW/ton.

This truck is a culmination of a five-year research and development program. As a result, the B40E has been engineered to handle future emissions requirements and incorporates the latest developments in 6×6 technologies. These technologies give you more in the way of performance and fuel efficiency improvements.

Case

Bulldozer

2050M Dozer

The 2050M has a best-in-class horsepower of 214 hp, massive drawbar pull of nearly 81,000 lbs, fingertip controls and customizable steering. It also has shuttle and blade sensitivity settings that can be adjusted between Smooth, Moderate and Aggressive to match ground conditions and operator comfort. A new v-shaped cooling system with auto-reversing fan also helps maximize uptime by automatically clearing the cooling package of debris.

Scania

Armstrongs Group use Scania trucks exclusively for our fleet. We use many different models to get the job done. Our Flagship truck “Mayson” is an R520 whilst we also deploy a range of 8 Wheeler rigid tippers such as the: G410, P380, P400, P410, P450 & R410.

The Scania P-series cab provides a combination of space and security, with easy cab access ideal multi-drop duties. The P series delivers really powerful, frugal, fuss-free performance, backed by the latest and cleanest Euro 5 SCR technology

However, Armstrongs Group also use articulated tippers to help maximize our fleet and efficiency with the Scania P420 & R440 being a couple of our vehicles of choice.

Our Amix Concrete mixers also utilize Scania as their vehicles of choice with the 6 wheeled P360 being our currently preferred model.

For more information about our fleet you can visit our website or find us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn  @ArmstrongsGroup.

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Over the past month and a half we have published an Armstrongs A to Z on our Instagram page in order to allow you to get to know our business better. Here is that A to Z compiled in a singular handy post. Enjoy!

A is for Aggregates

Direct from our own quarries we provide you with top quality aggregate materials for a range of applications.

B is for Brinscall

Brinscall Quarry covers 40 acres near the town of Chorley and has been operational in excess of one hundred years.

Brinscall stone is a highly desirable and attractive sandstone. It can be used as a building stone, including the present work on the Sagrada Familia cathedral in Barcelona.
The Quarry has been worked in the traditional method of crushing and screening following blasting and extraction of dimension stone to produce aggregate materials.

C is for Cut Stone

The Armstrongs Group has a range of fixed blade and wire saws that enable our stonemasons to supply an extensive range of architectural stonework including Window Cills, Lintels, Fence posts and Door Surrounds.

All of our work is bespoke to your requirements and we are involved in many types of projects ranging from refurbishment and renovation to new build.

D is for Dimensional Stone

Dimensional stone is natural stone or rock that has been selected and finished (i.e., trimmed, cut, drilled, ground, or other) to specific sizes or shapes. Colour, texture and pattern, and surface finish of the stone are also normal requirements.

Another important selection criterion is durability: the time measure of the ability of dimension stone to endure and to maintain its essential and distinctive characteristics of strength, resistance to decay, and appearance.

 

E is for Environmental Services

Did you know Armstrongs Group used to run Environmental Services and Waste management services?

As you can see from our picture we also used to offer skip hire too!

Our business may have now evolved into Quarrying and Aggregates but our high levels of customer service still remain the same!

F is for Fleet

Our transport fleet has grown immensely over recent years, and continual investment by the Armstrong Group ensures we maintain maximum efficiency and reliability, whilst also meeting our environmental commitments.

Our fleet of Wagons consist wholly of Scania’s who offer excellent service and product to the Group. We are proud to have worked alongside Scania for a number of years. The aggregates business utilise 8 wheel tipper wagons for maximum flexibility and articulated tippers for maximum load carrying. We also have walking floor trailers and low loaders for the transportation of equipment.

Our high standard of reliability and service is driven by an excellent team of fully qualified drivers, along with a strong safety record. A new tracking system will facilitate the constant monitoring of driving styles to enhance this further.

Our vehicles and trailers are services in line with regulations by our own workshops. This consists of a versatile and experienced team of fitters. Notwithstanding our work we are also very conscious of cleanliness and appearance and our drivers are responsible for their own vehicles.
The Armstrong Group also have an extensive range of heavy duty plant and machinery which is well invested and continually maintained by our internal fitters.

The Armstrong group strongly believe in owning vehicles, plant and equipment as it caters for maximum flexibility and demonstrates our long term commitment to our customers, staff and the industry.

G is for Gritstone

Gritstone is a hard, coarse-grained, siliceous sandstone. This term is especially applied to such sandstones that are quarried for building material.
Our Gritstone predominantly comes from our Montcliffe quarry and is blasted in the traditional way. It is then used for dimension stone in building works or crushed and screened for aggregates.

H is for Hitachi

Here at Armstrongs Group we use a wide variety of Hitachi construction machinery to get the job done!

Ranging from the Hitachi ZW310 wheel loader to the Hitachi ZAXIS 690 excavator the reliable construction machinery allows us to keep up with demand and supply high quality products.

I is for Inert Landfill

Inert waste is waste which is neither chemically nor biologically reactive and will not decompose. Examples of this are sand and concrete. This has particular relevance to landfills as inert waste typically requires lower disposal fees than biodegradable waste or hazardous waste.

We have two quarries at Pilkington and Pilkington 1 is exhausted but carries permissions to receive 2M tones of inert waste.

J is for Jobs

The Armstrongs Group continuously look to recruit for our ever growing business. We hire passionate and personable people with the right set of skills regardless of experience.

Our people are our business.

K is for Keeping it local

Here at Armstrongs Group we like to provide jobs for our local community. We also like to give back to our local community and often raise money for local charities as well as being hands on in our community!

L is for La Sagrada Familia

Basilica de la Sagrada Familia is a large unfinished Roman Catholic church in Barcelona. It is designed by Catalan architect Antoni Gaudí. The stone used for the bell towers on the Nativity and Passion facades is sandstone from Montjuic in Barcelona.

The quarries in this region were exhausted and closed many years ago thus meaning original stone could only be sourced from demolished buildings. So began a worldwide search for stone that would match that already used.

It is through this process that the sandstone from Brinscall Quarry, near Chorley, was selected. It is to the Armstrongs Group pride that since being identified we have shipped many loads of faced stone to be further cut in Barcelona.

M is for Montcliffe

Montcliffe Quarry covers 64 acres near the town of Horwich.It has been operational for in excess of one hundred years.

It is a gritstone (a well cemented sandstone) quarry worked in the traditional method of crushing and screening following blasting to produce aggregate materials.

N is for New Builds

Armstrongs group are a reliable producer of all stone material from Aggregates to Cut Stone and everything in between.

Our products are ideal for new build houses, be that our Ready Mix Concrete or our bespoke cut dimensional stone bricks and paving stones.

O is for Our People

The leadership team at Armstrong’s are all time-served and experienced.
Our team comes from a variety of backgrounds. They offering differing skills and expertise that blend together to present great solutions and service.

We believe that people deal with people they like. This is why we will always go out of our way to ensure that you come back to us time after time.
We live in the communities that we serve and take great pride in helping to develop both the infrastructure and amenities within those areas.

P is for Pilkington

Pilkington Quarry covers 53 acres near the town of Horwich and has been operational for in excess of one hundred years.

Pilkington 1 is exhausted but carries permissions to receive 2M tones of inerts waste, whilst Pilkington 2 is as yet unmined but carries a pale buff/brown highly durable gritstone.

Q is for Quarries

The Armstrongs Group operates 5 quarries in the North West and Cumbria. Those five quarries are located at Brinscall, Montcliffe, Pilkington, Shap and Waddington Fell. Combined they cover 276 Acres with Brinscall covering the smallest area at 40 acres and Waddington Fell covering the highest area at 66 Acres.
Both Pilkington and Shap cover 53 Acres whilst Montcliffe is our second largest quarry at 64 Acres. Each one of our five quarries serves a different purpose and yields different stone produce.

R is for Ready Mix Concrete

We can supply any mix design you require for the job required. Ranging from GEN1 to RC50 (footings to motorway precast concrete). We use pure portland cement in all our mixes so you can be guaranteed consistent quality every time.

A full range of admixtures are available on request. Such as liquid retarder, during hot weather and AEA (air entraining agent) which prevents cracking of hardened concrete during extreme freeze thaw temperatures. We are also able to provide accelerator admixtures which will provide seven day strength within 24 hours of placement.

If you require groundworking concrete for curbs, drains and fencing then we can supply concrete for all applications.

S is for Shap

Shap Quarry covers 53 acres near the village of Shap and has been in operation since 1950. It is the home of Shap Pink granite, a widely used decorative building stone.

The site yields two types of stone, Light Shap primarily worked as aggregate and Dark Shap used architecturally, one example being the historic Midland Hotel in Manchester. It is also worked traditionally with high demand presently for Rock Armour to build sea and river defences.

T is for Tumbled Stone

Here at Armstrongs we have a number of stone tumblers to meet any order. Our tumblers give a rounded edge to our bricks and paving stones, giving a very popular smoother aesthetic.

U is for Understanding Our Customers

Customer Service is incredibly important to us at Armstrongs and that’s why we pride ourselves on understanding our customers. We have experienced and friendly staff waiting to help you to the bets of our abilities.

We offer bespoke tailored services to every client to make you truly feel like part of our family.

V is for Volvo

Armstrongs Group uses a variety of different construction machinery to get the job done. This includes excavators and wheel loaders from Volvo.
In this picture we see our Volvo machinery shifting the stone from Brinscall Quarry that is used in Barcelona for La Sagrada Familia.

W is for Waddington Fell

Waddington Fell Quarry covers 66 acres near the town of Clitheroe, and has been operational since the 1960’s. The quarry offers a range of sandstones, variable in strength and colour and has been worked in the traditional method of crushing and screening following blasting to produce aggregate materials. The stone from Waddington fell also forms excellent cut products such as fireplaces, lintels, even complete houses.

X is for X-Section

Our range of wired and fixed saws allow for all varieties of cut stone and dimensional stone products. Our Dimensional Stone requires for a X-Section to be cut at one side of our stone. Once the stone is cut it allows for our stone masons to assess the structural integrity and markings of the stone before identifying its uses. It is important that the structural integrity and markings are assessed by our stone masons and by architects from our clients. This is so that we can provide the highest quality and strongest structural integrity in our products.

Y is for Yard

Our yard is home to our stone shed, AMIX Concrete batching plant and houses all 70 of our truck. It’s an integral part of our business and is always a hive of activity.

Z is for Zaxis

Armstrongs Group uses a wide range of Hitachi Construction machinery to get the job done at our quarries. An integral part of that machinery fleet is the ZAXIS series with the ZAXIS 690 being one of our key excavators out in the quarries.

If you have any enquiries about our A to Z contact us today!

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This year Macmillan Coffee Morning falls on Friday 28^th September and thus coincides with our Friday blog. It is no surprise then that our blog this week is all about our Macmillan coffee week.

Setting Up the Coffee Morning

It all started last Friday when the team drew the names of cakes out of a hat to decide what we are baking. The balloons and bunting shortly followed whilst the posters for our coffee week got plastered around the office. In total there are 15 cakes being baked by the staff at our head office. Many of our drivers and passers by expected to pop in for a brew to raise money for this fantastic cause.

Past Fundraising

We are no strangers here at Armstrongs Group to raising money for Charity with a number of our team regularly taking part in charitable events. Members of our accounts team recently completed an 11 mile walk across Morecambe bay. Another member of our team also completed a sky dive from 15,000 feet.

The fundraising isn’t just set for the Friday bake day though as we have plenty of activities throughout the week. It started on Monday with the “Guess how tall the cake is” competition, and has included cake bingo and pin the cherry on the cake.

Baking & Eating!

At Armstrongs Group we encourage all our staff across all of our sites and our AMIX Concrete plant to get involved with the fundraising. This is because we want to be involved in our communities and this includes inviting you to our office events. If you fancy a brew, or a selection of 15 different cakes, then we always have an open door policy! We can’t guarantee the cakes will still be here though as we get pretty hungry in our office!

We also run a raffle during our Macmillan coffee morning with some amazing prizes to be won. This year includes 2 tickets to see Rick Astley in Concert. We would like to thank Nuts Engineering supplies, West Pennine trucks (Scania), Bandag Tyres, Hitachi Construction Machinery, T & C Site services ltd, Trafford Brake and Hose Services, BBS (brick & Stone) LTD and Diamant Boart for generously donating to the fundraising.

Below you can see a number of the cakes we baked for this great cause. Which ones do you think look best?

       

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In this weeks blog I wanted to shed some light on the journey our stone takes from quarry to you. We will look at the “life cycle” of our stone from when it starts at our quarry all the way through the preparation and transport stages until it reaches its final destination.

Our Quarries

The Armstrongs Group operates 5 quarries in the North West and Cumbria. Those five quarries are located at Brinscall, Montcliffe, Pilkington, Shap and Waddington Fell. Combined they cover 276 Acres with Brinscall covering the smallest area at 40 acres and Waddington Fell covering the highest area at 66 Acres. Both Pilkington and Shap cover 53 Acres whilst Montcliffe is our second largest quarry at 64 Acres. Each one of our five quarries serves a different purpose and yields different stone produce.

Brinscall Quarry

Brinscall Quarry is located near the town of Chorley and has been operational in excess of one hundred years. It produces highly desirable and attractive sandstone and can be used as a building stone, including the present work on the Sagrada Familia cathedral in Barcelona. The Quarry has been worked in the traditional method of crushing and screening following blasting and extraction of dimension stone to produce aggregate materials.

Montcliffe Quarry

Montcliffe Quarry is located near the town of Horwich and has been operational for in excess of one hundred years. It yields a gritstone (a well cemented sandstone) that is also worked in the traditional method of crushing and screening.

Pilkington Quarry

Pilkington Quarry is also located near the town of Horwich and has been operational for in excess of one hundred years. It is split into two sites, Pilkington 1 and Pilkington 2. Pilkington 1 is exhausted but carries permissions to receive 2M tonnes of inert waste. Pilkington 2 is as yet unmined but carries a pale buff/brown highly durable gritstone.

Shap Quarry

Shap Quarry is located in Cumbria near the village of Shap and has been in operation since 1950. It is the home of Shap Pink granite, a widely used decorative building stone. The site yields two types of stone, Light Shap primarily worked as aggregate and Dark Shap used architecturally. It is also worked traditionally with high demand presently for Rock Armour to build sea and river defences.

Waddington Fell Quarry

Finally, Waddington Fell is located near the town of Clitheroe, and has been operational since the 1960’s. The quarry offers a range of sandstones, variable in strength and colour. Waddington Fell has also been worked in the traditional method of crushing and screening following blasting. The stone from Waddington fell also forms excellent cut products such as fireplaces, lintels, even complete houses.

Our Products

As you can see from the rundown of our quarries we offer a vast array of products to suit every need. Each product comes from our own stone and this allows us to have strict quality control and provide the highest quality products and material available.

Aggregates

The most popular of our products is Aggregates. Aggregates are a form of coarse to medium grained material made from stone and used mainly in construction. There are a number of different shapes and sizes of aggregates such as: Sand, Crushed Stone & Gravel to name a few.

There are lots of uses for aggregates in construction and they make up a variety of products and building materials.

We supply aggregates of all sizes for a range of applications including concrete production, Pathways/ Driveways and Sea Defence. Click Picture to enlarge.

Cut Stone and Dimensional Stone

The Armstrongs Group has a range of fixed blade and wire saws that enable our stonemasons to supply an extensive range of architectural stonework including Window Cills, Lintels, Fence posts and Door Surrounds.

All of our work is bespoke to your requirements and we are involved in many types of projects ranging from refurbishment and renovation to new build.

Ready Mix Concrete

We can also supply any mix design of ready mix concrete you require for the job. These range from GEN1 to RC50 (footings to motorway precast concrete) via our AMIX Concrete Plant. AMIX Concrete use pure Portland cement in all our mixes so you can be guaranteed consistent quality every time.

Armstrongs Group also supply a full range of admixtures. Examples of this are: liquid retarder, during hot weather and AEA (air entraining agent) which prevents cracking of hardened concrete during extreme freeze thaw temperatures. We also provide accelerator admixtures which will provide seven day strength within 24 hours of placement.

How is our stone extracted?

Depending on the product we have different ways of extracting the stone from our quarries. The most traditional way of extracting stone is via blasting the rock face.

Blasts

Blasts are used to extract large amounts of stone from the rock face and are an efficient way of extracting. The blast technician will identify where on the rock face we are going to blast and then prepare the area in advance. A few days before the blast the blast technician will drill into the rock face at a vertical angle, they will do this at a few points along the rock face in order to make holes for the explosives.

On the day of the blast the explosives will be lowered into the holes along the rock face before being detonated from a safe distance. The stone that is dislodged is then used for aggregates whilst the larger stone pieces are either broken down to be used as aggregates or potentially used for dimensional stone products.

Manual Excavation

As previously mentioned in our La Sagrada Familia blog for more delicate stone products such as some dimensional stone or cut stone products, we will manually extract the stone from the rock face.

Rather than blasting an entire rock face at some height, there is a more methodical process to extracting our stone manually. Extracting downwards in stages is a more logical process in order to keep the stone in the best condition possible.

Our excavator, with its ripper attachment, carefully uses the rocks natural cracks to dislodge the stone . Once the stone is dislodged a wheel loader collects it and transports it to safer grounds away from the extraction site. However, if the stone is too large to transport then we have a unique way of solving this. The loader will load a large metal ball into its bucket and from a height of around 3 metres drops it onto the larger stone below. This actions breaks it into smaller more easier pieces where it is then transported to its next location.

What happens next?

Once the stone is extracted there are a number of different processes that we undertake depending on the finished product.

Screening, Crushing & Washing

To prepare and produce our aggregates we go through a screening process. Screening helps classify the aggregates by size before separating them into piles at different points of the plant. Some aggregates are crushed into smaller sizes however all our aggregates are fed through a washing plant.

Washing is an aggregate standard procedure by which aggregate is washed to make it meet production specifications. However, there is more to the function of water in the aggregate producing procedure. Washing is used to remove clay, silt and other materials such as coal, roots, shale and twigs. The water in the washing process also helps with sizing and separating aggregate as well as dewatering produce like sand.

Once the aggregate has undergone the screening process it is now ready for sale and is used in a number of different applications dependant on its size.

Ready Mix Concrete

We use our own aggregates to create high quality concrete. Once our aggregates have been crushed and screened we use our 0mm-20mm products to mix with a paste made from cement and water. This paste coats the aggregates creating a rock like texture. This produces our high quality ready mix concrete ready for sale.

Wire and Fixed Blade Saws

We have a range of saws capable of fulfilling any jobs. Once the stone is extracted from our quarries they are transported to our stone yard. Here the stone is checked, identified and separated by our stone masons ready to be cut to shape.

Dimensional stone is a popular stone that has been cut to specific shape for use in building and infrastructure work. Our saws cut a section of the stone off to assess the quality before cutting into the final product. Our saws can cut any shape or size from paving stones to large signs.

Hand Finished Bespoke Cut Stone

Once the stone is cut into the desired shape and size some of our products require a hand finish. Our stonemasons work with precision and care to finish off our bespoke products to our clients exact specifications.

Once all the steps above have been completed for each of our products (Aggregates, Concrete, Cut Stone) they are now ready to be shipped directly to you or they are available collection if so desired.

For more information about the products we sell and their life journey from each of our quarries directly to you, get in touch.

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When we first started writing this blog we explored many different themes and topics to discuss. The idea behind this was to give our audience a different look into our business, and to inform people about what we do. In this blog we want to give you an in-depth look at our people and our staff. In the first instalment of this particular blog, we will be discussing working culture and ethos and how it thrives.

Head Office

Based in Horwich, just off Chorley New Road, our head office is home to not just only our physical offices but also our AMIX Concrete plant and our stone workshop too. After the working day is done the yard at our head office then transforms into a depot for our trucks, all 70 of them!

As with any larger business, our head office is always a hive of activity and today is no exception. As I write this blog entry on the Tuesday afternoon before it is released on the Friday, We have our accounts department working hard on tickets that arrive in their office. Our transport and sales teams are dealing with inbound and outbound enquiries as well as arranging all the logistics that go with transporting aggregates and all forms of stone material.

As for myself, I work on our Digital marketing and Web content. I create content calendars and implement marketing strategies whilst dealing with any IT problems in the office. We also have our company directors who are extremely hands on and not afraid to get stuck in and help out. Finally at our head office we have our HR manager who has a range of responsibilities from recruitment to employee incentives and much more.

Now that we have briefly covered the working structure at our head office let us now explore the working culture in the office and how it is harvested.

Harvesting A Productive Culture

There is a popular saying that goes “A happy workforce is a productive workforce” that relates to every single business in the world. It is a proven fact that statistically workers who have higher job satisfaction will be more productive, this boils down quite simply to investing in people both physically and financially. If you invest in people, they are more likely to invest in you.

I want to tell you a little anecdote about one of my first weeks working for Armstrongs Group. It was about a month into my employment and our CEO was walking through the office chatting to the staff. He walks into my office and what he asked me actually took me back a bit. He asked me if I was happy, but more importantly, asked if I was going home happy and if my partner could see that I was happy. Now this may seem like a small deal to some people, but to me this meant a lot. In all my years working, never had I ever had my employer ask about, not only my happiness, but my partner’s happiness too. I knew from that moment that I was in the right place.

Recruitment

Culture and ethos are a born naturally, as a business you can attempt to influence both, but ultimately it is something that is subconsciously bred by employees. There is always a desirable work culture that is chased by employers and that can be ushered in the right direction with the aid of the recruitment process.

The Armstrongs Group recruit with three things in mind, experience, passion and personality. Once you start looking at recruitment as a jigsaw finding the right pieces to fit the puzzle, rather than an incessant need to fill an empty role, you can start to influence company culture and ethos.

Autonomy

Although our directors are hands on in the business they encourage employee autonomy. Employees are encouraged to think for themselves, and act in the business’ best interest. This freedom really allows for creativity in all forms to thrive, and creative thinking breeds creative culture.

Here in the accounts office (and HR too!) we have a daily lunch club called Salad Club. The concept is simple- each day one member of our team makes a salad for everybody else, taking it in turns as to who the days “chef” is. This small and seemingly irrespective task has a big influence on our culture in our offices. It gives us something to look forward to, allows us to try potential new foods and puts your lunch trust (the best part of the day!) in someone else’s hands.

We also partake in Macmillan coffee morning every year, each member of the team drawing out the name of a baked good they need to make and bring into the office. Culture and ethos are bred naturally; it’s the small supposed insignificant actions and events that create the unique and complex layers of company culture.

The BBC released a fascinating article last year that touches on “The many upsides of a happy workforce” and is a must read for anyone who wants to understand how culture can be bred and influenced. More importantly this article directly correlates to the working life at Armstrongs group.

Careers

If you are passionate and experienced and want to be involved in the ever evolving state of our working culture and ethos, then we warmly welcome you to take a look at our careers page for our latest recruitment opportunities.

 

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On Wednesday 5^th September I had the privilege of leaving our head offices in Horwich and accompanying our Director, Emma Armstrong, to Brinscall Quarry in Chorley. The purpose of our visit was simple: La Sagrada Familia.

Earlier on in the day we had welcomed Charlie Holt from BBC Radio Lancashire to our stone workshop in Horwich. Whilst at the workshop he wanted to see how we cut and prepared the stone from Brinscall Quarry ready for collection to be sent to Barcelona.

Basilica De La Sagrada Familia

Basilica de la Sagrada Familia is  a large unfinished Roman Catholic church in Barcelona, designed by Catalan architect Antoni Gaudí. The stone used for the bell towers on the Nativity and Passion facades is sandstone from Montjuic in Barcelona. The quarries in this region were exhausted and closed many years ago thus meaning original stone could only be sourced from demolished buildings. So began a worldwide search for stone that would match that already used. It is through this process that the sandstone from Brinscall Quarry, near Chorley, was selected. It is to the Armstrongs Group pride that since being identified we have shipped many loads of faced stone to be further cut in Barcelona.

Brinscall Quarry

Later on in the day on the Wednesday, We invited Charlie and his digital media team to accompany us to Brinscall to see the stone, and the quarry, up close and personal. It is here where you truly get a feel for the magnitude of the project. Brinscall Quarry covers 40 acres near the town of Chorley and has been operational in excess of one hundred years.

The Extraction

We stayed in the quarry for a good hour showing Charlie around and watching an excavator and loader. In that time they would shift close to 200 tonnes of stone. After watching the excavator closely for some time it became apparent that the way we extract the stone for La Sagrada Familia was somewhat different than other extractions. One side of Brinscall quarry had scorch marks on the rock face from previous blasts- but the other side was almost nothing but pristine sandstone.

The excavator carefully dislodges the stone from the rock face with its long arm using the ripper at the end. Once the stone was dislodged the excavator would unhook the ripper, flip it over and reattach it- all without the driver leaving his cab. The stone would then be transported by the loader to higher ground ready to be picked up by one of our iconic red wagons!

 

Back At Our Yard

Before the Stone is shipped to Barcelona it arrives at our stone workshop. Here our stone mason loads it onto one of our saws to cut a section off. The practice of cutting the stone allows for the architects in Barcelona to have a cross section of the stone. This allows them to assess the structural integrity of the stone and to also see the beautiful beige colouring that is so highly desired.

 

Channel 4’s Building Giants Documentary, which features the Armstrongs group, goes behind the scenes the journey our stone takes and the fascinating problems the architects in Barcelona face when building La Sagrada Familia.

For more information about the La Sagrada Familia Project visit our website here.

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At Armstrong Group we have a range of products and services, that allow for us to create bespoke and unique cut stone for any occasion. Our dedicated stone masons hand and machine craft our stone to your exact specifications, creating bespoke stone for a bespoke home.

A report dated February 2018, published by the BBC, highlighted that First-time house buyers were at an 11 year high. This signalled a rise of 7.4% in first time buyers compared with 2016. This means that there were 365,000 first time buyers in the UK in 2017, the highest number since the financial crisis.

The numbers highlighted in the BBC report are a shift in the right direction for the housing market. Over a quarter of a million people are now looking to make a home in their new property. The Armstrongs Group firmly believe that unique bespoke and tailored furnishings and products add the little touches you need to stamp your personality on your house.

Our company is family owned and run in a physical and metaphorical sense. At our core, we have the Armstrongs family- who are hands on and a part of every aspect of our business. Then you have the staff- most of them are hired locally- who are welcomed into the family with open arms. There is a real sense of community (you can read how important community is to us here) that harvests a unique and positive attitude across our 6 sites. This unique ethos that runs through our business allows for us to provide the best service possible to those looking for that personalised touch. From our family to yours.

At the heart of our business are our quality aggregates. At this point it’s worth pointing out that all our products come from our own stone in our own quarries. The majority of our aggregates are available as sandstone/gritstone and Granite. They range from 0-2mm all the way up to Rock Armour. Our 4mm-20mm aggregates are suitable for concrete production and are used in our AMIX Concrete mixing plant, as well as being used on driveways and paths.

We know that any good structure needs a foundation to build on. Our 75mm crusher run aggregates are perfect and are ideal for back fill and trench fill sub base. This allows for your home to be built on solid foundations.  Away from aggregates we also offer cut stone and dimensional stone services. This is where the true bespoke nature of our work takes places.

Dimensional Stone Services

Dimensional Stone is popular product we provide; our finest durable stone is to cut into any shape and size. We can create stone slabs, stone bricks and more to literally supply the building blocks to your new home. A tumbling machine that gives our stone amazing rounded edges for a more bespoke finish is also available.

Cut Stone Services

Our Cut stone serves use a range of fixed blade and wire saws that enable our stonemasons to supply an extensive range of architectural stonework including Window Cills, Lintels, Fence posts and Door Surrounds.

All of our work is bespoke to your requirements, and we are involved in many of projects ranging from refurbishment and renovation to new build.

One of our favourite types of cut stone products are our stone signs.  The stone plaques are a special way of christening your property and range in all shapes and sizes.  Customers can buy anything from corporate signage to individual hand crafted home naming slates.

There is something fascinating about watching how the rock in our quarries is blasted. It is then collected by our excavators and transported to our stone masons. From there is it transformed into works of art, that are hand finished and crafted with utmost care and precision. We truly believe in the smaller details that give you that personalised feel of bespoke tailor made products.

Other challenges we have undertaken with our cut stone services are garden furniture and statues big and small. We recently donated a bespoke monument to Queens Park, in Bolton; to commemorate the fifth battalion of the Loyal North Lancashire. It was unveiled by Lord Derby and honours the 1,060 members who fell in both World Wars.

Contact us today to see how we can tailor make bespoke crafted stonework for you and truly make your house a home.

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Here at Armstrongs Group, across our Armstrongs Aggregates and AMIX Concrete sites, we believe that if you invest in people that they will invest in you. Our company values: Safety, Responsibility, Customer Focus, Team Orientated, Performance Driven and Entrepreneurial echo more than just hollow words on a page, they are our way of life. They cover a wide variety of differing factors but ultimately aggregate to one thing, Community.

As our brand and social media channels grow, we want to use our position in our communities in a positive manner. We want to help shape and build our local communities, sharing our knowledge and expertise where possible. Teaching, learning, and acting within our communities to provide support and understanding to those in our local areas, Armstrongs Group are dedicated to being Community Strong.

The importance of local community

The importance of community cannot be understated, whether it is in the workplace, in academic institutes or in your neighbourhood; there should always be a sense of community and belonging. The Armstrongs Group has five quarries across the North West and Cumbria, as well as our head offices in Horwich, we are implanted in the centre of many a community, and we want to be a part of those communities.

We may be a company that works in quarries, producing aggregates, ready mix concrete and bespoke cut stone, but we still have a duty to our communities and welcome people to come and see how we work. Our iconic red wagons are easily identifiable and we often get enquiries from the public about coming to see them.

Occasionally we offer academic and community trips to our quarries and have welcomed everyone from schools to geologists, providing an educational and “behind the scenes” visit for all age groups.

For more information on visits to one of our sites or information on how we can assist further in our local communities you can email us on enquiries@armstrongsgroup.com.

 

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