Hybrid and electric powered machinery are definitely the future of the construction and mining industries
The focus for Propel at IMME 2022 will be to showcase our latest equipment and innovations. We have recently given inventive solutions for the Iron ore Industry and we have successfully commissioned crushing plants for big corporates in this sector. Crushing plants for the coal industry will also be a focus at IMME.
– V Senthilkumar
Managing Director, Propel Industries
What is your focus at IMME this time?
The focus for Propel at IMME 2022 will be to showcase our latest equipment and innovations. We have recently given inventive solutions for the Iron ore Industry and we have successfully commissioned crushing plants for big corporates in this sector. Crushing plants for the coal industry will also be a focus at IMME.
What is your view of IMME as a trade show in terms of value it offers to the stakeholders of construction equipment sector and the allied sectors – particularly the mining sector?
IMME is India’s largest expo for the mining and allied sectors. Propel’s range of crushing and screening equipment are used in both construction and mining industries and IMME offers tremendous exposure to both these sectors. As it is being held in Kolkata it will be a good chance to attract customers from North and North East India and also from Bhutan and Nepal.
How do you look at the mining sector in terms of construction and mining equipment?
The construction industry is growing at a faster pave in India compared to mining sector, but demand for mining equipment remains steady. Propel is India’s fastest growing Crushing and Screening equipment manufacturer and our sales are largely to the construction industry but our share of the mining equipment market has been rapidly increasing. We have designed equipment, specifically mobile solutions, for the needs of the iron ore and coal mining industries. Our ProFast (Semi-Mobile) range of machines is designed to need minimum of civil construction at site. We expect to see a rapid growth in these segments in the near future.
At a time when there is so much discussion around artificial intelligence and machine learning, do you see construction and mining equipment gradually becoming autonomous?
The use of IoT and AI is rapidly increasing in every field and the same is true for the construction and mining industry. At Propel, our IoT architecture is driven by three goals- reducing process variability, increasing productivity and improving plant uptime. We use a data driven proactive method to help analyse the condition of our plant and predict problems before they occur. This helps us prevent sudden outages, machine trips etc., and reduces maintenance costs and manpower required. This has proved to be a big success and we enable customers to increase machine uptime and prevent breakdowns. This helps customers achieve higher ROI’s and efficient, trouble free operations at site.
How do you look at the concept of hybrid and electric power in construction machinery?
Hybrid and electric powered machinery are definitely the future of the construction and mining industries. Propel offers a range of hybrid multi configuration, high capacity dual powered track plants. Our dual powered track equipment use hydraulic power for plant set-up and crawler movement and electric motors are used 100% for plant operation. This results in a saving of 8 to 10% in fuel costs. We don’t see a scope for complete electrification in the near future in India, it will happen in the long run.
What engineering improvisations have been carried out in your machine in the recent past to improve productivity, fuel efficiency and safety?
Propel has a dedicated R&D centre which constantly gauges the needs of the ever evolving crushing and screening industry and designs inventive solutions to improve plant efficiency and productivity. Safety is also one of our foremost concerns. As the current market trend is towards higher capacity machines we have introduced higher TPH equipment across all segments. A 1200 TPH Jaw Crusher is set to be launched soon. These higher capacity machines offer quicker return on investments as the production cost per ton is significantly reduced.
Propel has introduced Motorized Pulleys that offer many advantages like power saving and ease of maintenance. Level sensors, automation, design to improve product shape- there are many such small innovations constantly being designed to help improve plant productivity. To improve plant safety we have designed wear parts that are easy to change and we offer operator training to enable safe operations.
How is your company addressing the issue of operator training/skill development?
At Propel we conduct regular training sessions for operators aimed at improving their skills. We are planning to hold operator orientation and training programs in every state in India, one session per month. We plan to give operators a certificate on completion of the training module.
Please give information on your dealer network and new markets you plan to be present in.
Propel has an extensive pan India dealer and service network. We have dedicated team’s for every region across India and the team is rapidly increasing in size and reach. We are present in 15 countries worldwide mostly in Middle East, Africa and South East Asia. We are looking to foray into newer markets like Australia and South America in the near future.
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