CONCRETING EFFICIENCY!

The growth of Concrete Equipment is led by growing customer preference for high capacity and technologically advanced concrete equipment. Moreover, factors such as increasing number of construction projects, shorter completion time, and demand for customized solutions by end-users are fuelling growth of Concrete Equipment. Philip Varghese looks into the growth prospects, technological innovations, training imperatives, after-sales initiatives and portfolio expansion in the Concrete Equipment space.

Paving and concreting equipment are used to prepare and refurbish concrete and asphalt. A paving machine, also called as paver, is used to lay asphalt on roadways, bridges, walkways, and parking areas. Concreting equipment usually includes concrete batching plant, concrete mixers, and concrete pumps. A concrete batching plant is used for homogenous mixing & blending of concrete ingredients. Concrete mixers are divided into two major categories – batch mixers and continuous mixers.

Government initiatives towards infrastructure development are boosting the demand for concrete equipment in India. Some of the construction projects in the country include Smart City Mission, AMRUT, the Atal Mission for Rejuvenation of Urban Transformation, Metro Rail in urban areas, Bharatmala, and Sagarmala, among others.

In addition, government is also supporting India concrete equipment market by liberalizing taxation policies for construction industry such as GST and custom duty. In 2018, the government of India reduced the GST on concrete equipment from 28% to 18%, which will help the concrete equipment manufacturers to reduce the overall cost of equipment and other operational losses.

Rapid urbanization and increasing investment in infrastructure development are driving the demand for paving and concreting equipment across the globe. Construction companies are increasingly preferring advanced machineries and tools for efficient execution of their projects. Private builders and government authorities use high-performance construction equipment to meet the infrastructure needs of emerging metropolitan areas.

According to transparencymarketresearch.com, the introduction of new construction materials drives the demand for advanced construction machines. The need and compatibility of the machines may vary for different materials, and hence customers are looking for integrated solutions suitable to different applications that can minimize the maintenance cost and overall investment in equipment and machines.

Opportunities

Growing trend of automation and high demand for low maintenance and small size products is the key opportunity in the paving and concreting equipment market. Automatic equipment are viewed as cost-effective and an efficient alternative in recent years as it uses computerized programs for some operations. Furthermore, automation enables enhanced productivity and safety of workers.

Artificial Intelligence (IoT)

GPS trackers and IoT sensors on equipment for concrete construction allows for predictive maintenance and can improve production cycles. Intelligent equipment is one of the newer concrete construction technologies because it can use human knowledge through computer processes. Adding sensors to equipment gives field workers more accurate and timely information about their assets, so there is no need for second-guessing!

There is an evolution to strength gauges, and we can understand curing and the overall concrete lifecycle. The curing and hardening processes are crucial to the final formation of cement. IoT applications can automatically regulate temperatures and humidity to ensure the adequacy of concrete properties in the chemical reactions. Although new technology is expensive, it is a necessary investment because problems are addressed, and you can prepare accordingly. Data from AI and IoT empowers concrete contractors to monitor concrete, access data quickly to make decisions in a timely manner.

Automation

Concrete was first used by the Romans to build what are now some of the oldest, most durable structures in the world today. While the recipe hasn’t changed very much since then, the methods used to work with this versatile and ubiquitous substance are drastically different.

Mixing, pouring, working and finishing concrete is more forgiving that the most exact sciences, but there’s no question the more precision that goes into every aspect, the better the results will be.

With that in mind, today’s concrete equipment is seeing a profound movement toward automation that removes human error from the equation. The result promises fewer mistakes, greater productivity, lower costs and higher-quality results.

Covid19 Impact

Major customers of paving and concreting equipment are from the construction industry and are using the services through rental channels. Customers and service providers are expected to renew and update the service contracts to face the economic crisis through mutual understanding and contribution. Furthermore, the progress of some projects is restricted due to the shortage of labor and the city-wide shutdowns.

Growth and Mergers

Key companies in India and abroad are heavily spending on R&D to launch advanced machines and equipment for paving and concreting. Most of the companies are focusing on regional expansion, mergers & acquisition, new product launches, and technological advancement in order to ensure the product offerings are according to the evolving needs of end-use industries. Further, strategic partnerships with dealers and distributors allow companies to serve customers in untapped markets.

Industry leaders set the tone

Ramesh Palagiri, Managing Director & CEO, Wirtgen India, said, “With more sophisticated machines coming into the market, skill upgradation is very key and all manufacturers including Wirtgen Group have been working very closely with our customers in training their operators, imparting application knowledge to them so that we get better roads. We are also running operator schools at our premises which help youth to get employment and for our customers to get trained manpower to operate and maintain their machines.”

He further added, “We with our direct after-sales approach are focused to give our customers the best-in-class experience in terms of machine availability and productivity. This has been backed by our dedicated team of engineers posted all India and spare part availability at strategic locations to reduce the machine down time. We also offer complete fleet management services on per ton basis, annual maintenance contract, customized service contract based on customer requirement.”

V. G. Sakthikumar, Managing Director, Schwing Stetter India, said, “Schwing Stetter has pioneered many game changing technologies and to name a few – IOT enabled Concrete Pump, Mixers and Loaders – makes life easier on the Logistics monitoring of the fleet management. Innovative technology like easy mode in Boom Pumps and single side pumping of concrete are some of the unique features of Schwing products. The spirals in the Stetter Concrete Mixer are technologically designed to give better homogeneity mix and higher strength mix. This saves cement on the client’s side. There is savings due to lesser fuel consumption across all the equipment due to open loop hydraulic system and optimized prime movers. The Batching Plants are designed for faster erection and are easy to maintain.”

Speaking about the emerging technologies in this space, V. Senthilkumar, Managing Director – Propel Industries, said, “Our main focus has always been to help our clients optimize production. Recently, we received a design patent for innovation in manufacturing dual sand apparatus for sand washing plants. Our dedicated R&D lab works round-the-clock for the benefit of the customers. The lab houses infrastructure needed to measure and analyse specific gravity, water absorption, bulk density, bulking, slit, flakiness, elongation, abrasion and impact, among others. The properties of the rocks and minerals thus tested act as a guiding tool for customers. This kind of testing helps the customer understand the feed gradation for the input material, determine the shape and size of the aggregate, analyse the properties of the sand and check if it is as per IS: 383/ IS: 1542 standards and also, understand the strength and durability. We have leaned more towards technology for the benefit of our customers. Our track plants operated with electric power rather than by hydraulic means is the latest trend and it has been an enthusiastic acceptance from our customers too.”

Ajay Aneja, Chief Marketing Officer, AJAX Engineering, “AJAX was the pioneer in bringing the concept of SLCM in India way back in 1992 and revolutionised the way of concreting in project sites. Over the years we have added new features like Load Cell weighing system for higher accuracy that has been patented. Further, we have introduced Smart Fleet Telematics, Rear View Camera, Admixture Dosing Units, Bidirectional Tyres, AC cabins, EH drum control, High Pressure water jet, Smart CBC etc., to name a few and many of these have been Industry first keeping in mind our customers evolving needs. In August 2021, we introduced India’s First all new CEV Stage IV compliant ARGOs that offer the best-in-class benefits with excellent fuel efficiency as well as less down time due to longer service intervals ensuring very high reliability due to our high-quality standards.” 

He further added, “AJAX has a widest network of Dealers for Product Sales & After Sales Support among all Concrete Equipment players in the country. Currently, AJAX has 35+ Dealers and 100+ touch points PAN India. AJAX serves the international market through 16+ International Distributors and has its presence in Asia-pacific, Middle East, and North African (MENA) regions.

The network is equipped with a full-fledged team of skilled engineers trained to handle both preventive and general maintenance. They offer Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul (MRO) for the equipment that ensures the best value for money to customers.”

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