Case example: aggregate substitution audit



Choosing between a familiar long-haul source and a closer alternative, when the closer source has not yet been characterized against the printing envelope.

Aggregate substitution: closer source qualified against the printing envelope A schematic showing two candidate aggregate sources at different distances from a central print site, with the closer source highlighted as the qualified path and the long-haul source retained as backup. DELIVERED FREIGHT RADIUS PRINT SITE Long-haul source retained as backup Closer source qualified for routine production SUNNYDAY TECHNOLOGIES · CONSULTING CASE EXAMPLE

The situation

A regional ready-mix producer had carried a long-haul pumice line item for years. A closer source was on the table, but the technical team had not been able to confirm it met the gradation and reactivity profile the printing envelope required. Switching without that confirmation risked an in-production failure on a customer-facing print.

What we did

Matched-EPD comparison against the existing source. A fresh-state rheology forecast for the producer’s working mix. A hardened-state risk register specific to the candidate source. A regional supplier matrix with delivered cost, lead times, and contingency routing. The same supplier database and matched-EPD logic anchor every LOGiMIX report, so a substitution audit run on a consulting engagement uses the same data structure customers receive directly when they buy a report.

Regional context

Regional supplier pictures vary dramatically by location, and so does the trade-off the matrix has to surface. Two illustrative examples below, drawn from the same supplier database that drives LOGiMIX reports, parameterized to the respective project location. The pictures also extend beyond 3D-printed formulations: the Mumbai example is precast.

Wisconsin, USA

For a Wisconsin project site, the supplier picture looks like the sample below. Aggregate sources cluster densely inside the typical delivered-freight radius because glacial outwash deposits run through most of the state. Cement is a different story: Wisconsin no longer hosts an active cement plant, so every yard of cement is delivered across state lines from kilns in Iowa, Illinois, or Michigan, each sitting in the two-hundred-to-three-hundred-fifty-mile range. The matrix is what surfaces the trade-offs an engagement has to navigate.

Representative regional supplier picture for a Wisconsin project site A stylized regional map showing a Wisconsin project site with aggregate sources clustered densely inside Wisconsin within roughly a hundred-mile freight radius, and four cement kiln locations sitting outside Wisconsin in Iowa, Illinois, and Michigan with distance labels. Wisconsin no longer hosts an active cement plant; the picture illustrates the typical regional sourcing trade-off. Regional supplier picture — Wisconsin project site MICHIGAN (UP) MICHIGAN MINNESOTA IOWA ILLINOIS WISCONSIN ~100 MI ~250 MI PROJECT SITE Alpena, MI ~340 mi Charlevoix, MI ~310 mi Mason City, IA ~280 mi Buffington, IN ~290 mi LEGEND Project site Aggregate source Cement kiln ~100 mi freight radius ~250 mi freight radius Delivery path WHAT IT SHOWS Wisconsin no longer hosts an active cement plant. Cement is delivered across state lines from kilns in Iowa, Illinois, and Michigan, each in the 250 to 350 mile range from a central Wisconsin project site. Aggregate is the opposite story. Glacial outwash deposits put dozens of sources within freight radius of most of the state, which is what makes substitution decisions tractable. SUNNYDAY TECHNOLOGIES · CONSULTING CASE EXAMPLE

Mumbai, India (precast)

For a Mumbai precast project running an IS 10262:2019 M30 mix on OPC53 plus fly ash, the picture is denser and the trade-off shifts. Two cement plants sit within a hundred-kilometre freight radius (ACC Thane, JSW Dolvi). Fly ash is co-located with thermal power generation; Tata Power Trombay sits inside Mumbai itself. The matrix here surfaces consistency and spec-compliance trade-offs across a dense supplier network rather than long-haul cost, and the same engagement structure runs against IS standards (IS 456, IS 10262:2019) instead of ASTM.

Representative regional supplier picture for a Mumbai precast project, IS 10262:2019 M30 mix A stylized regional map of Maharashtra and surrounding states showing a Mumbai project site with cement plants within freight radius (ACC Thane and JSW Dolvi both within roughly seventy kilometres) and additional regional cement plants and fly ash sources spread across the state and in Gujarat. The picture illustrates the dense supplier coverage typical of an Indian project context, in contrast to the sparse cement supply around a Wisconsin project site. Regional supplier picture — Mumbai precast project SPEC: IS 10262:2019 M30 · OPC53 + FLY ASH ARABIAN SEA GUJARAT MADHYA PRADESH CHHATTISGARH TELANGANA KARNATAKA GOA MAHARASHTRA ~100 KM ~400 KM MUMBAI ACC Thane ~30 km JSW Dolvi ~70 km Ambuja Maratha ~400 km UltraTech Awarpur ~700 km Tata Power Trombay NTPC Solapur ~400 km Mahagenco Chandrapur Adani Mundra ~750 km LEGEND Project site (Mumbai) Cement plant (OPC53) Fly ash source (thermal power station) ~100 km freight radius ~400 km freight radius WHAT IT SHOWS India’s cement and fly-ash supply within freight radius of Mumbai is dense. Two cement plants sit inside a hundred-kilometre radius (ACC Thane, JSW Dolvi). Fly ash is co-located with thermal power; Tata Power Trombay is inside Mumbai. The supplier matrix surfaces a different trade-off than Wisconsin: consistency and spec-compliance across a dense supplier network, rather than long-haul cost. SUNNYDAY TECHNOLOGIES · CONSULTING CASE EXAMPLE

The outcome

The closer source was qualified for routine production. The original source stayed in the books as a backup. Modest per-cubic-yard reduction in raw-material cost. Meaningful drop in delivered freight intensity. The producer’s procurement team now runs the same comparison structure on every new aggregate inquiry.

This page describes a composite of common consulting work and does not refer to a specific past customer, project, or engagement terms. Outcomes vary considerably with project specifics and are not guaranteed. Sunnyday Technologies provides technical analysis. Sunnyday Technologies does not provide professional engineering, legal, regulatory, or financial advice. Engineering sign-off on any specific project remains the responsibility of the licensed engineer of record.