Gila River Sand and Gravel's Turnkey Sand Plant | Seamless Design, Build & Performance

Case Study

A Seamless Turnkey Sand Plant Built for Performance

Location Coolidge, AZ

Industry Aggregates: Sand & Gravel

The Challenge

The operation needed a modern, efficient processing plant, but faced several industry realities:

Limited internal resources to design and manage a complex system
Increasing need for reliable partners rather than managing multiple subcontractors
A constrained site footprint (only ~35 acres) requiring a compact layout
High water demand for a wash plant, creating concerns around sustainability and resource depletion

Additionally, coordinating multiple vendors and ensuring clear communication across the project could have created delays and inefficiencies.

Equipment

Spirit® Sand Plant
Guardian® Screen
Radial Stacking Conveyors
Fine Material Washer

The Solution

The team partnered with Superior to deliver a full, end-to-end system, combining design, equipment, and execution into one cohesive project.

Key elements included:

Collaborative plant design using 3D renderings to align the customer’s vision with Superior’s expertise
A fully integrated processing system, including:
- Tunnel feed system with multiple feeders
- Blade mills, sizing screens, and split processing for mortar and concrete sand
- Spirit® Sand Plants with hydrocyclones and dewatering screens
A water reclamation system using thickeners, polymers, and freshwater tanks to recycle water
A compact plant layout designed to maximize production within a limited footprint

The result was a seamless, turnkey approach that eliminated the complexity of managing multiple vendors.

Everything just fell together, and it made for a very, very seamless project.

Scott Wetherbee Constriction/Production Specialist

The Results

The finished plant delivered strong operational and strategic benefits:

Seamless project execution with minimal redesign or delays
High production capacity within a small footprint, maximizing available land
Significant water recovery (90–98%), reducing strain on local water resources
Improved efficiency and coordination through a single-source provider
Strong long-term support and service, ensuring ongoing reliability

The collaborative approach also ensured the final plant exceeded initial expectations in both design and performance.

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