Brick Kiln and Crusher Yard Checklist: 12 Mistakes

Walk through almost any kiln, crusher or sand yard in Nepal and the same yard management mistakes appear. None needs software to fix, but software makes them easier to catch. Use this checklist before the busy season and tick off what you already do.

The gate

1. Loading before a slip exists. Make the rule absolute: no slip, no loader. Exceptions create the very loads you cannot explain later.
2. One unit for everything. If bricks, dust and boulders all go through a single quantity column, reports become meaningless. Keep the real unit for each.
3. Reusing old tare weights. A truck's empty weight changes. Re-weigh, or at least review a vehicle's tare regularly.

Credit and cash

4. No credit limit. Decide for each contractor how much you will carry and review it. A quiet contractor with a growing balance is a risk.
5. Collecting only when you remember. Pick a day each week for reminders. A short WhatsApp message with the statement works better than a phone call at the wrong time.
6. Cash mixed with personal spending. Keep a separate cash book for the yard, even if the owner takes money out. Record it as a drawing.

Stock and production

7. Guessing the stock. Count at least monthly and compare with the record. A gap larger than normal wastage means a leak.
8. Mixing grades. First class, second class and broken bricks, or different gravel sizes, have different prices. If they share one line, you lose margin.

People and money out

9. Advances without dates. An advance written as a lump with no date or purpose is impossible to defend at settlement.
10. No fuel record per vehicle. Diesel is your biggest hidden cost. Note litres and the trip counts, then compare.
11. Everyone can edit everything. The gate clerk should not be able to change a closed day's weights. Give edits to a manager and log them.

Papers and planning

12. Permit and renewal dates in someone's head. Put them in one place with a reminder well ahead of expiry. Confirm what each document requires with the issuing office.

Score yourself

Ticks	What it means
10 to 12	You have strong habits. Software will mainly save time.
6 to 9	Gaps exist. Software would also close real leaks.
0 to 5	You rely heavily on memory. Fix the gate first, then move to a system.

A short walkthrough of one good day

The following is a generic example, not a real client. At 7 am the clerk opens the day and sees yesterday's balance of bricks. A tipper arrives, is weighed empty and is given a slip for a named contractor on credit. The system shows his balance and the manager releases the load. The truck returns, gross weight is taken and net is recorded. By noon the owner checks the phone and sees six loads out, two paid in cash and four on credit. At close the clerk compares the slips with stock and the cash with sales. The whole routine adds a few minutes per truck and produces a clean record without a late-night rewrite of the khata.

Putting the checklist into practice

A list only helps if someone owns it. Give each item to a named person with a date. The gate rules belong to the manager, credit follow-up to the accountant, wage records to the supervisor and permit dates to the owner. Review the list in a short meeting at the start of each month and note which points slipped. Repeating mistakes are usually a sign that the owner is not reading the report, not that the staff are careless.

Small habits that pay off

• Read the previous day's dispatch summary before the first truck arrives.
• Send customer statements on a fixed day each week, not when you remember.
• Photograph weighbridge slips for any disputed load and keep the image with the record.
• Back up your records every night and test a restore once a quarter.
• Keep one list of vehicles and drivers, so a stranger on the gate stands out.

A note on customer messages

Statements and reminders sent over WhatsApp or SMS work best when the customer has agreed to receive them and the tone stays polite. Do not send unrelated promotions to people who only bought one load, and give anyone who asks a simple way to stop messages.

Your next step

Mark your own score and pick the three weakest points. Fix them before the season rush. If you want help turning the checklist into a daily system, see the WebsNP brick kiln and crusher software and message us on WhatsApp for a demo. Yards that also sell building supplies may want building materials software as well.

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