ABI Jan-Feb 2023 by Prime Creative Media

INTERNATIONAL

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2023 | VOL.11 ISSUE No1 | www.AggBusiness.com

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INTERVIEW Dilip Vaidya & Piero Torassa on BKT’s sustainability-driven goals p08

QUARRY PROFILE A big production boost for SA’s Bon Accord p16

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I N T E D & PO S

Premium OTR tyres for the toughest quarry sites p30

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CONEXPO-CON/AGG 2023 PREVIEW All the key launches and North American product debuts p43

“CONEXPO-CON/AGG SHOWS US THE FUTURE OF OUR INDUSTRY, WITH INNOVATION, EQUIPMENT AND IDEAS YOU CAN’T FIND ANYWHERE ELSE.” — GRANITEROCK, AROMAS, CA

TAKING CONSTRUCTION

TO THE NEXT LEVEL. MARCH 14-18 / 2023 / LAS VEGAS / NEVADA

250,000 sqm of Exhibits 130,000 Attendees 1,800 Exhibitors 150 Education Sessions

COMMENT

HEAD OFFICE EDITOR: Guy Woodford ASSISTANT EDITOR: Liam McLoughlin CONTRIBUTING EDITORS: Patrick Smith, Dan Gilkes EQUIPMENT EDITOR: Mike Woof DESIGNERS: Simon Ward, Andy Taylder PRODUCTION MANAGER: Nick Bond OFFICE MANAGER: Kelly Thompson CIRCULATION & DATABASE MANAGER: Charmaine Douglas INTERNET, IT & DATA SERVICES DIRECTOR: James Howard WEB ADMINISTRATORS: Sarah Biswell, Tatyana Mechkarova MANAGING DIRECTOR: Andrew Barriball PUBLISHER: Geoff Hadwick CHAIRMAN: Roger Adshead

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EDITOR A growth passage to India

ndia has been on many people’s minds lately – including my own. Varied media outlets have reported that the southern Asia nation will, on 14 April 2023, become the world’s most populous country, with 1,425,775,850 inhabitants. And in its recent fascinating in-depth feature series looking at the future of work, The Economist noted that India is expected to provide more than a sixth of the increase in the world’s working population age (15-64) between now and 2050. India is the place to be when it comes to long-term global-commerce growth, and I am writing this column just before flying out to Mumbai to see Indian off-highway-equipment tyre giant BKT. My four-day trip includes a tour of the company’s state-of-the-art Bhuj R&D facility in Gujarat state. I am very excited about what I will see with BKT, and looking forward to interviewing more of the company’s senior management team, following a wide-ranging interview with BKT senior president & director Dilip Vaidya and BKT field engineering manager Piero Torassa on the company’s stand at the bauma exhibition in Munich (24-30 October 2022). During the interview for this issue of ABI, sustainability was among the major topics covered. Vaidya highlighted how BKT is working on a more sustainable solution for its off-theroad tyres. “Much of the natural rubber comes from Southeast Asia, in countries like Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam, and Malaysia, a region conducive to growing [Hevea brasiliensis] trees. However, as demand for natural rubber is increasing, we are also considering using a shrub [TKS Dandelion – a Russian dandelion] as an alternative rubber producer, said Vaidya, adding, “We are working with a US-based company on that. At the same time, we are doing research at our Bhuj R&D facility into potential rubber extraction from another desertbased shrub, the Guayule. “We are also looking to reclaim and selectively reuse rubber from scrapped tyres and are researching different oils and chemicals to see how they might contribute to our off-road tyre production.”

“India is the place to be when it comes to long-term globalcommerce growth”

This issue’s other big interview - with Metso Outotec aggregates president Markku Simula and Metso Outotec services president Sami Takaluoma – also has strong Indian market content. Simula noted that the Finnish quarrying crushing and screening plant major is continuing to expand its manufacturing and assembly capabilities at its impressive site in Alwar, Rajasthan, north India. In November 2021, the company announced plans to grow its Alwar production value by 30% from its current level and global track-mounted mobile machine capacity by 15%. As Simula explained, the increased capacity in India will be used for the manufacturing of McCloskey, Tesab mobile and Lokotrack equipment, creating around 200 new jobs. After the extension is completed in Q1 2023, the Alwar factory will be one of Metso Outotec’s biggest manufacturing sites globally, employing about 800 people. Most of the machines manufactured and assembled in Alwar are shipped to customers in Southeast Asia and Africa. “In each of the past three years, we have also doubled our engineering personnel in Alwar. We will be looking to increase our numbers again in 2023,” emphasised Simula. “The commercial potential for us in the Indian aggregates market is huge given the way the country’s infrastructure is being developed.” From a services perspective, Takaluoma added: “What is very interesting already for us is that we have more than 100 Indian aggregates customers with Life Cycle Services contracts. They truly see the value of being more connected to OEMs [original equipment manufacturers] with their plant maintenance, wear parts replacement and wider services provision.” GW © AGGREGATES BUSINESS INTERNATIONAL January/February 2023

CONTENTS

MARKET REPORT

“Relatively cheap labour and land costs have attracted many foreign investors to shift production capacity to Southeast Asia” p12

INTERNATIONAL

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2023 | VOL.11 ISSUE No1 | www.AggBusiness.com

Vol.11 ISSUE No.1 January/February 2023

Regulars 03 COMMENT

25 HAULING

A growth passage to India

The Turin–Lyon high-speed railway is one of the projects providing major opportunities for hauler manufacturers in Europe, involving extensive earth-moving and construction

19 CRUSHING & SCREENING The importance of versatile equipment that can deal with a range of demanding applications is being demonstrated by recent crushing and screening machinery

22 LOADING A family-owned Portuguese marble quarry business has a new Cat star of the show, while Doosan, which recently became Develon, believes its eye-catching technology and loading machines can be big assets for quarrying customers

30 TYRES – 1 Two of the world’s leading off-the-road (OTR) tyre manufacturers are highlighting the beneﬁts of two products from their latest quarrying-suited ranges

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INTERVIEW Dilip Vaidya & Piero Torassa on BKT’s sustainability-driven goals p08

QUARRY PROFILE A big production boost for SA’s Bon Accord p16

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Despite ongoing issues with costs and supply of components post-COVID, conveying equipment manufacturers report healthy order books for 2023 and are responding to the market challenges with innovative new products

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Features

26 CONVEYORS – 1 RB

Cummins launches new CS IV engines for China; CEMEX expands Regenera with Israel acquisition; Indian construction industry boost

Premium OTR tyres for the toughest quarry sites p30

06 NEWS

Rock hard

DUCE OU

CONEXPO-CON/AGG 2023 PREVIEW All the key launches and North American product debuts p43

COVER STORY: A BKT OTR tyre-equipped rigid dump truck being loaded with quarried material

33 SCREENING BUCKETS & ATTACHMENTS Screening buckets can offer huge productivity and efficiency gains for quarry operators

36 CONCRETE PLANT Demand for concrete plant remains strong, creating a wealth of commercial opportunities for leading manufacturers

26 04

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CONTENTS

38 SUSTAINABILITY ROUNDTABLE World Highways and Aggregates Business spoke with a trio of experts from leading construction and quarrying equipment and linked-technology-sector manufacturers to hear their takes on helping to address customers’ current and future sustainability needs

43 CONEXPO/CON-AGG 2023 SHOW PREVIEW Leading OEMs will be showcasing a wealth of new products and innovations at CONEXPO-CON/AGG 2023 in Las Vegas, USA

Specials 08 INTERVIEW 1

12 MARKET REPORT

16 QUARRY PROFILE

Dilip Vaidya and Piero Torassa discuss off-theroad tyre major BKT’s big sustainability-driven plans to develop its premium product portfolio

After the huge disruption of COVID-19, the construction industry and aggregates demand has recovered in the Philippines, Vietnam, and Thailand

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NEWS

he Indian construction industry is expected to receive a significant boost in 2023, supported by a sharp increase in capital expenditure as part of the financial year (FY) 2023/2024 (April 2023 to March 2024) Budget, says GlobalData,

HYUNDAI DOOSAN INFRACORE REBRANDS EQUIPMENT AS DEVELON South Korea-headquartered Hyundai Doosan Infracore (HDI) is replacing the Doosan brand on its construction equipment and introducing its new brand named Develon. The change takes place a year and a half since August 2021 when HDI became a subsidiary of HD Hyundai. HDI says it will be changing the brand name on its construction equipment to Develon, conﬁrming this as its new global brand identity from 18th January 2023. Develon is a combination of the words ‘develop’ and ‘onwards’. HDI says the new brand name conveys the direction of its move onwards to the future through innovation and its intention to relentlessly change the world with innovative products and solutions. The company adds that it has planned the launch of the new brand since it became a subsidiary of HD Hyundai in August 2021. It says that it plans to take a leap forward to becoming a global top-tier player in the construction equipment industry with the launch of the new brand. With the change of the brand name, the new Develon decal will be used on HDI’s construction equipment.

a leading data and analytics company. In its latest budget, the government increased its total expenditure by 7.5%, from an estimated expenditure of INR41.9 trillion ($522.2 billion) in FY2022/2023 to INR45 trillion

Pic: Messe München

Indian construction industry boost

($561.6 billion) in FY2023/2024. The capital investment outlay for FY2023/2024 is equivalent to 3.3% of the country’s GDP and is nearly three times the outlay made in FY2019/2020. Pooja Dayanand, analyst at GlobalData, comments:

“The sharp increase in capital investment is in line with the government’s focus on boosting economic growth and increasing job creation through investment in infrastructure development. The increase in funding will also be necessary for assisting ministries in implementing projects that have been delayed by constraints such as rising interest rates and construction material prices, and labour shortages.” The budget, which offers big commercial opportunities for construction and quarrying equipment manufacturers, is based on seven key priorities, including inclusive development, reaching the last mile, infrastructure and investment, and green growth. As part of the latest budget, the government increased its allocation to the state-owned National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) by 14% to INR1.6 trillion ($20.2 billion). It had also announced a record-high capital outlay of INR2.4 trillion ($29.9 billion) for the Ministry of Railways.

The ﬁrst sale at the new Abu Dhabi auction facility will be on 27th April 2023

Euro Auctions in the Middle East Euro Auctions Group is expanding its global operation with the establishment of what it says is the largest auction house in the United Arab Emirates. The company - which operates auction sites for industrial plant, quarrying and construction equipment, and agricultural machinery in the UK, Germany, Spain, Australia, Middle East, and the USA - adds that the new facility extends to over 43,000m² with facilities for handling all aspects associated with the sale of industrial plant, construction and agricultural machinery, from transportation to minor repairs. Located in the Khalifa Economic Zones Abu Dhabi, by

collaborating with Abu Dhabi Customs and KEZAD Group, Euro Auctions will also have a proportion of the yard categorised as a bonded warehouse, offering import and export customers the same advantages as a free zone operation. Richard Sweatt, general manager, Euro Auctions in Abu Dhabi comments: “We are delighted to announce the agreement with KEZAD Group and are proud to choose Abu Dhabi to open our largest regional auction site. This move provides Euro Auctions with massive strategic advantages in the region. For UAE customers, this means they no longer have

the documentation requirements to deliver and collect equipment from the auction site and they will also have easy access to come and inspect the stock prior to auction day. “We look forward to enhancing our service offering for local customers in Abu Dhabi and to growing our international footprint thanks to Abu Dhabi’s strategic location and KEZAD Group’s streamlined and costeffective connectivity to major markets, and this new auction house will contribute to the growth of this strategic sector”. Euro Auctions has operations worldwide, conducting more than 60 auctions per year.

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NEWS

CEMEX expands Regenera with Israel acquisition CEMEX has acquired a 51% stake in Israel-based SHTANG Recycle, a construction, demolition, and excavation waste (CDEW) recycling company. The acquisition aligns with CEMEX’s strategy to strengthen its business in developed markets through bolt-on acquisitions in businesses with strong circular and sustainable attributes. SHTANG Recycle (SHTANG) will form part of Regenera, CEMEX’s recently launched business that provides circularity solutions, including reception, management, recycling, and waste co-processing. SHTANG has been awarded a 13-year licence to build and operate a CDEW recycling facil-

ity. The enclosed, state-of-the-art facility will be capable of processing approximately 600,000 tons of waste annually. The CDEW will be used by Regenera as raw materials for aggregates production, reintegrating them into the construction value chain. “We are committed to continuing making investments that promote a more circular and sustainable construction industry

CEMEX-acquired SHTANG Recycle will form part of Regenera

AMBUJA CEMENT AWARD FOR ENERGYEFFICIENCY EFFORTS

and strengthen our Urbanisation Solutions business,” said Fernando A. Gonzalez, CEO of CEMEX. “Concrete is an infinitely recyclable material. Through smart CDEW management, we can reduce waste generation and produce building materials with more sustainable attributes.” CEMEX’s Urbanisation Solutions business has highlighted CEMEX’s recent performance. In its third quarter 2022 report, the company announced double-digit growth in both sales and EBITDA for this business. Through Regenera, CEMEX aims to serve a diverse client base, including industrial, manufacturing, and waste collection companies, NGOs, and governments.

Ambuja Cement has won the National Award for Energy Excellence in the Indian cement industry. Ambuja, which is the cement and building material company of Adani Cement, was awarded under the grinding category for the measures adopted to improve energy efficiency at its Roorkee plant. The award instituted by the National Council for Cement and Building Materials was given during the 17th NCB National Conference on 9th December 2022 in New Delhi from Shri Som Prakash, Minister of State, Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Government of India.

Cummins launches new CS IV engine range for China market C ummins has unveiled a new generation of clean off-road engines that meet China National Stage IV emissions (CS IV) which started on 1 December 2022. The upgraded engines, with displacements from 2.8 to 15 litres, range from 36-503kW. They achieve higher power output and torque than their predecessors and continue to bring proven, premium performance ideally suited for the toughest duty cycles. The integration of Cummins latest aftertreatment systems, the single module and switchback, with leading combustion and air-handling technology allows the B6.7, L9, X12 and M15 CS IV engines to be EGR-free, offering benefits of improved NOx conversion efficiency and better fuel economy. Their multiple configurations fit diversified off-road applications with easier installation into equipment, and ease for service and maintenance. “Cummins provides a broad and diverse product portfolio in the off-road market to ensure we are compliant in all applications

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A Cummins CS IV M15 PLUS engine

and geographic markets,” said Jason Wang, Cummins vice president and general manager of Engine Business Unit of China. “We are uniquely positioned to be the right value partner for OEM customers as they seek a dependable and all-round solution to meet stringent emissions standards and tough requirements on economy and performance.” “Cummins has invested significantly in China for almost half a century,” said SU Zimeng, chairman of China Construction Machinery Association (CCMA). “With continued investment in research and

development, manufacturing and service network in China, Cummins has raised the levels of productivity and performance in the construction industry.” As part of this launch, Cummins has three new CS IV PLUS engines that will exceed customer expectations, delivering market-leading CS IV power with faster response and smarter system integration capability, helping operators reduce running costs and environmental impact.

The company also presented a paper titled ‘Correlation of Chemistry and Process Parameters on Formation of Alite in Portland Clinker’ at the conference, adjudged as the best paper in the ‘Productivity Enhancement and Process Optimization’ category. Ajay Kapur, CEO of Ambuja Cement, said: “We are happy to be acknowledged and felicitated for our efforts towards energy excellence, We will continue to focus on resource conservation, utilising green and clean energy sources and driving energy efficiency in all our plants. We are glad to play our role in strengthening the nation’s net-zero ambitions while contributing to the concerted global efforts to create a sustainable future.”

INTERVIEW

Dilip Vaidya, BKT senior president & director Technology (left), and Piero Torassa, BKT ﬁeld engineering manager, at bauma 2022 Munich

BKT further enhances its off-the-road tyre street tread Off-the-road tyre major BKT has big sustainability-driven plans to develop its premium product portfolio. Guy Woodford sat down with Dilip Vaidya, the company’s senior president and director of technology, and Piero Torassa, BKT Europe’s ﬁeld engineering manager, at the recent bauma exhibition to get the inside track on BKT’s exciting growth agenda

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INTERVIEW

any of the thousands of visitors each day to the recent bauma 2022 exhibition in Munich, Germany, will have passed an outdoor area by the East Entrance where a large, animated crowd was taking part in BKT’s (Balkrishna Industries Ltd) basketball hoop challenge. Participants attempting to score basket after basket as the clock ticked down were flanked by the Indian off-roadtyre major’s giant 3.5m-high EARTHMAX SR 468 tyre for rigid dump trucks (40.00 R 57), the largest in the company’s history, plus two EARTHMAX SR 46 tyres (33.00 R 51 and 27.00 R 49, respectively). The eye-catching off-theroad (OTR) tyre trio is aimed at quarrying customers looking for tyres to complement their increasing demand for high-power and robust machines. Meanwhile, attendees at the latest (24-30 October 2022) tri-annual showpiece event for the construction, quarrying, mining, and recycling equipment and linked technology industries entering the Messe München site from the West Entrance will have struggled to miss BKT’s EARTHMAX SR 51 (35/65 R3-3) tyre designed for loaders and dozers employed in loading and levelling activities requiring increased cut resistance. Alongside it stood the EARTHMAX SR 315 (26.5 R 29) tyre designed for LHD loaders working in loading and transport applications at underground mining sites in highly demanding rocky environments. The BKT attractions continued on the company’s indoor stand with the baumalaunched EM 933 SUPER (290/90 – 20) tyre for excavators and specific digging and loading operations and an EARTHMAX SR 313 (15.5 R 25) all-steel radial tyre made of a particularly cut-resistant compound for articulated dump trucks (ADTs), loaders and LHDs working in tough, rocky conditions, joined by a MAGLIFT (10.00 – 20, available on 7.00 and 8.00 rim width) solid tyre for forklift operations in industrial settings. On BKT’s bauma stand, I enjoyed a great half-hour discussion with Dilip Vaidya, the company’s senior president & director of technology, and Piero Torassa, BKT Europe’s field engineering manager. As well as being buoyed by BKT’s huge exhibition presence, the pair were keen to highlight Oxford Economics’ recently published report, The Future of Construction, and its construction machinery segment, including OTR tyres. According to the report, the construction machinery segment will likely grow in value from US$150bn in 2021 to $200bn in 2028. The same publication expects the global construction market to grow by US$4.5trn in a decade from 2020 to US$15.2trn in 2030. BKT reported double-digit (20.6% to US$287.6mn) growth in earnings and sales revenue for the fiscal year ended 31 March 2022, with management forecasting doubledigit volume growth in the 2022-23 fiscal year. “Almost half our production is for Europe,” explains Torassa. “Around five years ago, we

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BKT’s EARTHMAX SR 468 OTR tyre for rigid dump trucks on show at bauma 2022

Piero Torassa (left) and Dilip Vaidya with Aggregates Business editor Guy Woodford at bauma 2022

INTERVIEW

started to invest heavily in more challenging products, including some of those you can see outside [at bauma 2022], as well as tyres for machines involved in underground applications. “For a long time, the big issue has been trying to extend the life of big off-the-road tyres by reducing their wear, which lowers their cost per hour. You must also have reliability in underground work, such as mining and tunnelling. If you have a problem, it is much harder to address. I visited an underground mine in Germany, and to reach the extraction site by car, you had to travel almost 100 kilometres.” Torassa says that mining, construction and quarrying equipment manufacturers’ focus on sustainability and plant electrification is helping to shape BKT’s and other major sector players’ OTR tyre research and development (R&D). Among current industry R&D priorities are OTR tyres that can respond to ‘communications’ from intelligent and automated equipment by relaying the current state of tread wear and can modify their pressure depending on the terrain over which they are passing, thus better reflecting the kind of operations performed by the equipment on which they are fitted. “These customers need a strong tyre to support new kinds of on-site machines. We are well prepared to react to this,” he stresses. BKT’s 25” to 57” OTR tyre range spans many industries, including construction, quarrying, mining, industrial, earthmoving, port and agriculture. The company has an 8,400 workforce and offers a staggering 3,200 products in 160 countries across five continents. With its global headquarters in Mumbai, the company has three subsidiaries: BKT Europe in Seregno, near Milan, Italy; BKT USA in Copley, Ohio; and BKT Tires in Toronto (Canada). Then there are BKT’s six production sites in India, one in Bhiwadi, Chopanki, Dombivali and Bhuj, and, since autumn 2021, two in Waluj, a large village located to the west of the city of Aurangabad in the central part of Maharashtra state.

An OTR tyre being made at BKT’s new state-of-the-art factory in Waluj, India. Pic: BKT

The new €56mn Waluj production site’s annual production capacity is around 30,000 tonnes of OTR tyres. Medium- and smalldiameter tyres are being manufactured at the plant, designed for machinery operating in the agricultural and industrial industries. At full capacity, the site will house about 500 workers. For BKT, the new facility represented a strategic choice that increased its production and made it more efficient. Spread over 22 acres, the new greenfield plant is just 5km from BKT’s original Waluj production facility, which opened in 1987.

“We have many tyres and different compounds. We must match up the right tyre and compound for each type of industry customer,” continues Torassa. “It is not about the cheapest option but the most productive and reliable off-the-road tyre. We support our dealers by carrying out TKPH [tons-kilometres per hour] and vibration analysis of our tyres’ performance on, for example, articulated dump trucks. It lets us better understand the kind of work the customers do and how our dealers can best help them with the right tyre choice.”

BKT’s OTR tyre test track at its Bhuj facility. Pic: BKT

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INTERVIEW

“We are working on using natural rubber as a more sustainable off-the-road tyre solution,” says Vaidya. “Much of the natural rubber comes from Southeast Asia, in countries including Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam, and Malaysia, a region conducive to growing [Hevea brasiliensis] trees. However, as demand for natural rubber is increasing, we are also considering using a shrub [TKS Dandelion – a Russian dandelion] as an alternative rubber producer. We are working with a US-based company on that. At the same time, we are doing research at our Bhuj R&D facility into potential rubber extraction from another desert-based shrub, the Guayule. “We are also looking to reclaim and selectively reuse rubber from scrapped tyres and are researching different oils and chemicals to see how they might contribute to our off-the-road tyre production.” Vaidya says BKT can produce up to 140,000 tonnes a year of carbon black. The material is produced by a hydrocarbon fuel [gas or oil] reaction to limited combustion air at temperatures of 1320 to 1540°C. The unburned carbon is collected as an extremely fine, fluffy, black particle, 10 to 500 nanometres (nm) in diameter, and this ‘carbon black’ is used to strengthen tyre rubber compound. “We are the only global off-the-road tyre manufacturer that can produce its carbon black. Extra heat generated in our carbonblack production is used for producing high-pressure steam for power generation and tyre vulcanisation,” Vaidya explains. He continues: “We spend 3.5% a year of

BKT Europe HQ in Seregno, near Milan, Italy. Pic: BKT

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company turnover on R&D. We are adding another 350 acres to our 450-acre Bhuj site. That will be a highly sustainable expansion. We recently completed our sustainability report highlighting our work in this business area.” The report was presented at SIMA 2022 [The International Agricultural Machinery Show], staged 6-10 November in Paris. Being very close to its customers is of great importance to BKT, says Vaidya: “Piero [Torassa] heads up our large European field engineering team, and we have a similarly large team in India and North America. All our people go and see customers’ work sites and often make special bespoke tyres by modifying our product range to best meet their needs.” Caterpillar and Komatsu, the biggest and second-biggest off-highway machine manufacturers by sales, are among BKT’s long list of off-highway OEM (original equipment manufacturer) clients. Vaidya describes how BKT partnered with Caterpillar to test some of the company’s OTR tyres on various Cat machines at its US proving ground. “One or two drivers reported that they felt vibrations from the tyres, and within a month, we modified the mould in our workshop to resolve the issue. They were surprised to see such a quick response.” I ask Vaidya and Torassa how BKT has coped with the widespread supply chain challenges impacting the global off-highway equipment industry. “There has been no difference in our Indian business, but it has been our export business’s big challenge over the last two years,” says Vaidya, adding: “Shipping our bigger tyres in open-top

containers has been difficult. Thankfully, the situation is improving.” “Most of our dealers have off-the-road tyre specialists who can advise on what is needed in our tyre warehouses globally,” explains Torassa. “They have succeeded during a difficult period in maintaining our high standard of customer support.” Vaidya stresses how the training of BKT’s field service engineers and dealers is very important to the company. “All of them know how best to reduce tyre wear and pass this knowledge on to our mining and other customers.” I am keen to learn more about BKT’s focus on quarrying tyre provision. “We are supplying quarries worldwide with many tyres,” says Vaidya. “For example, South Korea only has stone quarries, and they need high-quality tyres on their ADTs. We have been supplying customers there for a very long time. In India, we also supply tyres for many machines working in cement plants.” “A lot of European quarries like our [size] 24.00 R 35 off-the-road tyres on their rigid haulers. This size can be offered in different patterns and load capabilities,” says Torassa. “But in the South of France, for example, where the quarry site roads can be very narrow, they could fit 26.5 R 25 or 29.5 R 2-5 (E3 or E4) tyres for their articulated haulers. Our 23.5 R 25 and 26.5 R 25 tyres are also popular for quarrying applications. Our story in off-the-road tyres for quarries started around ten years ago. We now have a complete range, and our quarrying business has increased as customers appreciate the range of tyre sizes we can offer.” Focusing on the growth potential in the global construction, quarrying, mining and recycling OTR tyre markets, Vaidya says: “There is growth for us in the US. There is a lot of construction work going on there. It is a very interesting market, and we think we can double our sales there. We also expect a big jump in our Australian mining tyre customer business and growth in our mining tyre sales in South America.” AB

MARKET REPORT

Volvo excavators in the Legaspi region of the Philippines

Soaring prices concern for stakeholders After the huge disruption of COVID-19, the construction industry and aggregates demand have recovered in the Philippines, Vietnam, and Thailand. V.L.Srinivasan reports

overnment spending and budget on major infrastructure projects have increased across Southeast Asia, including in the Philippines, Vietnam, and Thailand. However, the soaring prices of the construction material, lockdowns in China and the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war have been a matter of concern for the regional industry’s stakeholders. In its latest report, Southeast Asia Construction Industry Report 2022: Analysis & Outlook 2018-2022 & 2023-2032, ResearchandMarkets.com said that the construction industry in the Southeast Asian countries, including Thailand, the Philippines and Vietnam, will continue to grow from 2023 to 2032. “Relatively cheap labour and land costs have attracted many foreign investors to shift production capacity to Southeast Asia. Foreign trade has expanded, and the development of industrial real estate, commercial real estate and infrastructure sectors has boosted the construction industry. On the other hand, with the economic growth in Southeast Asia, the real estate industry is also growing rapidly, promoting the development of the construction industry,” the report noted.

Vietnam The General Statistics Office of Vietnam said that despite headwinds, the construction industry grew by 13.8% year-on-year in Q3 2022, following an expansion of 5.3% in Q2 and 3.3% in Q1 of 2022. This means the demand for aggregates has been on the rise in the country. GlobalData, a leading data analytics and consulting company, projected that the

Vietnam construction industry was expected to grow by 8.5% in real terms in 2022, supported by investment in renewable energy and transport infrastructure projects. It also said the industry would register an annual average growth rate of 8% between 2023 and 2026, supported by the government’s focus on the development of the country’s rail and road transport and energy infrastructure, coupled with investments to develop affordable housing. The construction of Ho Chi Minh City’s 454km of transport infrastructure by 2025, at a cost of US$11.4bn, and a 98km ring road connecting the capital city of Hanoi and two neighbouring provinces at a cost of $3.6bn, are expected to underpin the transport sector’s outlook.

“Economic growth is expected to be held back in 2023 due to the weakening effect of global demand, increasing fuel prices and rising inflation” Wilson Shee, head of market Myanmar, Cambodia & Vietnam, Volvo Construction Equipment

“In addition to this, the Power Development Plan Eight (PDP VIII) for the period of 2021-30, with a vision towards 2045, and the government’s plan of constructing 1.8 million houses by 2030, are expected to add further support to the industry,” GlobalData said. Wilson Shee (WS), head of market Myanmar, Cambodia & Vietnam, Volvo Construction Equipment (Volvo CE), said that Vietnam’s construction industry growth was supported by investments in renewable energy and transport infrastructure projects despite the global impact of the slow economy and COVID-19. “Vietnam’s government executed plans to develop infrastructure, in particular airport, seaport, and major highway projects. Economic growth is expected to be held back in 2023 due to the weakening effect of global demand, increasing fuel prices and rising inflation.” However, in H1 of 2022, the prices of building materials such as steel, cement, asphalt, sand, and stones skyrocketed, slowing down the disbursement of public investment and worrying many investors and contractors involved in large-scale Vietnamese infrastructure projects. In its report to the steering committee on price management, Vietnam’s Ministry of Construction said that prices would continue to increase sharply during the second half of 2022. Tran Anh Tu, general director of Vietnam Infrastructure Development and Finance Investment (Vidifi), said that the price volatility was discouraging investors and contractors from getting involved in infrastructure projects. Ho Dinh Chung, general director of Deo

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MARKET REPORT

Ca Group, which has invested in the 78.5km Cam Lam-Vinh Hao expressway project, also expressed concern over the abnormal prices of construction materials. He said that while most investors clearly saw the risks before executing them, they failed to take building material price fluctuations into account. The Deo Ca Group urged Vietnam’s Ministry of Transport to remove these obstacles.

Thailand Thailand is the second-largest economy in Southeast Asia and was badly hit by COVID-19. The economic aftershocks of the Russia-Ukraine war were felt across all major sectors, Russia and Ukraine being the world’s major sources of iron and iron ore, accounting for 14% of global exports. Iron ore is one of the most important components of building materials. Stefan Hunger, associate director of business development (SE Asia) CDE Asia, said that Thailand’s aggregates industry suffered in 2022 due to global price hikes in fuel and building materials. Despite this, Thailand’s GDP has grown by 3.7% in 2022, exceeding the 2.9% World Bank projection. However, 2023 is likely to be a much better year, with 4.5%-5.5% predicted growth in investment in the Thai construction industry. The 2023 GDP growth for Thailand is projected to be 3.6 %, Hunger said. According to him, a significant pre-requisite to achieving the projected growth in construction will depend on increased investment in government megaprojects and the projects connected to the Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC). To fulfil this requirement, works will need to be accelerated to deliver the Phase II EEC transport infrastructure development plan for 2022-2026. The EEC project is initially

focused on the three Eastern provinces Rayong, Chonburi, and Chachoengsao. “This project has already suffered significant delays in 2022 due to quarries functioning at only 50%-70% capacity because of low aggregate demand in the struggling construction economy,” Hunger explained. “Q4 2022 ended on a note of hope as the EEC project restarted with the anticipation that aggregate production and demand will increase with normalcy returning to global trade relations and lower aggregate prices,” he said.

Construction spending dips Pimnara Hirankasi, head of industry research department at Krungri Research, which is part of Bank of Ayudhya in Thailand, said that overall spending on construction in Thailand dipped -1.5% year-on-year to US$32.52bn in the first nine months of 2022 due to weak demand and higher costs of transport and construction materials. Although private construction spending edged up 0.6% year-on-year because of increases in residential and commercial developments, public construction spending dropped 2.9% due to delays in disbursement. For the rest of 2022, combined spending on construction is expected to slide slightly compared with a year ago. Total construction spending for the year is forecast to shrink by 1.2% to $41.14bn, split between a fall of 2.7% in public construction and an increase of 0%-1% in private construction, she said. However, all hope is not lost as public construction spending is predicted to increase by an average of 5%-5.5% per year, driven mostly by an acceleration of work on EEC-related projects. “Private construction spending should expand by 4%-4.5% annually due to an acceleration in work on public-sector infrastructure projects that will then attract greater private-sector investment, especially along or near new communication routes/ links; heavier spending in the EEC that will

A Volvo EC350DL excavator at work in Thanh Hua Quarries, northern Vietnam

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support an uptick in work on factories and industrial estates in the area; and a generally improving outlook for the residential housing market,” she said.

Challenges and opportunities According to Hunger, population growth in Thailand’s major cities compared to rural areas has increased from 31.39% in 2000 to 49.95% in 2018, and the World Bank Data recorded a 0.2% increase in 2022. With consistent urban population growth projected, it is important to acknowledge Thailand’s demand for urban developmental infrastructure and construction. Thailand’s construction industry maintained a steady growth rate even during the pandemic, and the supply chain of construction aggregates, which is dependent on virgin resources such as natural sand, has been rapidly overwhelmed. As a result of overconsumption, various environmental problems are emerging, leading to every project having a high environmental impact along with the lurking possibility of complete depletion of natural resources and fossil fuels. “Under such circumstances, the opportunity for green aggregates intensifies. Manufactured Sand (M-Sand), which is a superior and sustainable alternative to river sand produced through advanced recycling of assorted urban waste, therefore can emerge as a saviour,” he said. As of now, M-sand is a new material category which is perceived negatively owing to its history of failure resulting from improper use of equipment and processes. There is inadequate demand for M-sand at present, and the appeal of CDE Asia’s potentially game-changing equipment technology remains at the nascent stage. However, the ready-mixed concrete market and construction sectors continue to use natural sand for construction and are unfamiliar with washed sand and green aggregates. The problem is further compounded by the Royal Highway Department’s regulation allowing only natural sand to be used in road-building contracts. “The challenges are extreme, and only the goodwill generated by us and our technical marketing skills will be able to sway the officials and major companies. However, the final challenge remains as to how we safeguard our leadership position after paving the way for a full-fledged green aggregates industry,” he added. Raven Chua (RC), head of market Thailand, Laos & East Timor, Volvo CE, said that in the post-COVID-19 re-openings, roads and highway projects contributed strongly to the Thai construction sector. “For this year, the current governmentbudgeted construction spending is set to increase by 5%, but we feel the overall market could experience some slowdown due to elections and some major contractors already advancing equipment purchases in 2022,” he said. © AGGREGATES BUSINESS INTERNATIONAL January/February 2023

MARKET REPORT

Makapa Corporation’s Sandvik UJ300 wheeled jaw crusher and QA335 Doublescreen

The Philippines The retail and wholesale prices of building materials in the National Capital Region (NCR) continued to rise at a slower pace in December compared with the previous month, The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) said. PSA data showed the annual increase of the Construction Materials Retail Price Index (CMRPI) in NCR eased further to 5.6% in December last year from 6.2% in November. Compared to the 2.7% growth in December 2021, construction materials’ retail prices picked up at a much faster pace in the same month last year. The drop in construction materials’ prices is partly due to the recent downward correction in the US dollar or peso exchange rate and in global oil and other major commodity prices from higher levels earlier in 2022, especially shortly after the start of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, leading to an easing of import prices or costs. Peh Jing Peng, head of market Philippines, Taiwan & Brunei, Volvo CE, said that the Philippines construction industry witnessed a growth rate of 7% in 2022. It is poised to increase by a further 7% to 7.5% in 2023, mainly thanks to government spending on infrastructure, with the continuation of the Build Build Build programme. The government has allocated a total of 1.2trn pesos for infrastructure development in 2023, Peng said. Eco-friendly According to Hunger, the devastating effects of pollution have meant that environmental protection has become an increasingly important issue in Thailand. Eco-consciousness in domestic quarries gained significance after the formalisation of the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) system by the Office of Natural Resources and Environmental Policy and Planning. However, even with stricter environmental parameters, most corporates lacked skilled personnel to implement and monitor their company’s environmental impact and ESG performance.

“We take environmental liability of quarries seriously. We work towards decreasing the overconsumption of Thailand’s river sand by the construction and aggregates industry, which is creating environmental disruption in the country and causing the corrosion of banks and riverbeds, triggering landslides, and depleting underground water tables,” he explained. He continued: “We aim to leverage our expertise in zero-waste mining technology to usher in a circular economy. This can be possible by employing our revolutionary waste management systems that process assorted waste material into high-value construction sand and green aggregates, which can be fed back into Thailand’s growing construction industry. We believe that our focus on sustainable and responsible mining strategies will prolong the life of Thailand’s precious natural resources.” Chua also said that climate change, environmental standards, and eco-friendliness have gained more awareness in Thailand. “Though Volvo CE is yet to launch its electric machines in Thailand, we have started building awareness of the new technology. We are highlighting its benefits, which include a smaller carbon footprint and

“We take environmental liability of quarries seriously” Stefan Hunger, associate director of business development (SE Asia) , CDE Asia Limited

reduced noise, whenever possible through our dealers’ social media. We want to build market awareness of the eco-friendly offerings we have in the pipeline,” Chua said. In Vietnam, environmental standards and eco-friendliness are gaining awareness in the local market. The launch of Volvo CE electric machines in the future will be one big step in building awareness of the company’s eco-friendly offerings. Hirankasi said that the construction business needs to adapt to be more consistent with ESG megatrends. Construction-material manufacturers now place increased emphasis on eco-friendly material products and carbon-footprint labels on products. For example, hydraulic cement is a product which helps to reduce energy and CO2 emissions in the manufacturing process, and the manufacturing process of house paints uses innovative technology to extend longer product life and consume fewer resources. She said that contractors have increasingly shifted towards green building, starting from structural design, material selection, construction, and building maintenance. All processes can potentially reduce the emission of greenhouse gases and are eco-friendly. According to the Global Construction Survey published in Q2 2021, Thailand’s green construction industry is expected to record a CAGR (compound annual growth rate) of 12.5% during 2021-2025. ”Overall, Thailand’s green construction output will increase from US$13.77 billion in 2021 to reach $22.05 billion by 2025,” Hirankasi added.

Technology and CE market With an active interest in using sustainable aggregates and construction materials in the construction industry on a global scale, Hunger said that CDE Asia is the technology partner to enable global industry giants to recover high-value construction aggregates from assorted urban waste. He said that CDE Asia has collaborated with Uawithya Machinery Limited, a worldclass solutions provider to Thailand’s extractive industries, to set up a sandwashing plant in the Chonburi district near Bangkok to convert waste material to M-sand and green construction aggregates. CDE Asia has also installed and launched its Combo Alpha-i plant for Thepsila Group, a renowned sand and gravel supply company in Thailand. “Besides, we have patented Combo

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MARKET REPORT

sand-washing unit features, the latest mobile sand-washing technology that can wash the dirtiest of crushed rock sands and deliver sand with consistent specification, with complete removal of silt and clay and assured cleansing of deleterious fines,” he said. The near pin-point accuracy of modern sand-washing technology has far surpassed older methods which are prone to cause environmental hazards and water wastage and cannot achieve the precise gradation and quality demanded of industrial sand. In 2022, Hunger said Uawithya Machinery's client – Sanon - using CDE Asia's eco-friendly machinery, was awarded the Green Mining Award by the Department of Primary Industries and Mines as the best quarry to operate with environmental care. Hirankasi said that not only challenges but opportunities too existed in the construction equipment market in Thailand. While the challenges included price competition from imported goods, especially for steel, ceramic tiles, and sanitary ware, and the high operating cost for construction projects caused by increasing construction material prices, the opportunities for the CE market are plentiful due to megaproject investments (especially in the EEC), which will be another key growth driver in 2023-2025. “Even the gradual recovery of the real estate sector and continuing investment and facilities, including construction investment from FDI, especially from China in neighbouring countries, are among the opportunities for the sector,” she added. Volvo CE is not lagging behind its competitors in these three countries. “We are actively participating in tenders and C offering premium equipment and services to M customers and contractors in the segment along with our local dealer ITI in Thailand and Y TCMP in Viet Nam respectively,” Chua and CM Shee said. In the Philippines, Volvo CE’s Peng said the MY brand had sold many machines through its CY local dealer, Civic Merchandising, to key local contractors who are involved in major works. CMY They include the Navotas reclamation project K and the Legaspi Development project.

Sandvik plant Makapa Corporation in the Philippines, based in the Bicol region, is operating a Sandvik UJ300 wheeled jaw crushing unit together with a tracked QA335 Doublescreen to process river gravel, which is used to produce material for Makapa's own construction company. Some of Makapa’s work has involved construction of flood-control structures and drainage systems to protect lives and properties against major flooding in the area. One of its latest projects has been processing riverbed gravel to produce sand and gravel for consumption at its construction sites. Sandvik UJ300 is a primary crushing unit assembled on a single trailer frame and mounted on a double-axle bogie. Electrically driven, it has been designed to offer simple and user-friendly operation aimed at high-

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capacity production at a low cost per tonne. reduction efficiency, as well as hydraulic Suitable for use in various applications, its push-button controls for simple operation. design enables quick set-up and ease of A soft starting crusher for trouble-free maintenance, resulting in more uptime and operation and a frequency inverter for feeder higher productivity. speed control are also fitted to optimise the For Makapa, the UJ300 is ideally suited to feed and make the crushing process easier. its river gravel application. The grizzly feeder To size the products, Makapa selected the system, which has adjustable openings and Sandvik QA335 Doublescreen. The QA335 is a by-pass chute for greater flexibility, has a a highly productive unit that comes equipped wire-cloth screening element beneath, which with a heavy-duty Doublescreen system. enables efficient removal of natural fines. This technology features two highThe material is then fed into the Sandvik velocity, angle-adjustable screens, where jaw crusher, a single-toggle type, which both the primary and secondary screening possesses a deep, symmetrical crushing angles can be adjusted to optimise screening chamber for smooth material flow and high performance 02-13-23_AggBus_insertV1.pdf 1 2/6/23 8:53 AM and accuracy. AB

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QUARRY PROFILE

South Africa’s Bon Accord Quarry has commissioned the ﬁrst locally manufactured FastPlant from Sandvik Rock Processing

NEW ERA OF PROCESSING EFFICIENCY

Having previously experienced endless issues with its old processing plant, Bon Accord quarry, owned and operated by South Africa’s City of Tshwane, has taken delivery of the ﬁrst locally manufactured FastPlant from Sandvik Rock Processing. Commissioned in May this year, the fully automated 220 tonnes-per-hour-capacity plant has ushered in a new era of efficiency, boosting the quarry’s production by almost 80%. Munesu Shoko reports

ounded in 1904, Bon Accord quarry was established to meet the City of Tshwane’s material needs for the construction and maintenance of its roads. In 2014, the quarry had to close its doors due to issues with the old processing plant. Mine manager Johan Marx says the old crushing plant was built more than 50 years ago and had never been refurbished. Owing to aged infrastructure, it experienced constant breakdowns which made it difficult to operate efficiently. It also posed health and safety risks because of the rusting steel structures, worn-out foundations and footing, making it non-compliant with the stringent Mine Health and Safety Act (MHSA). In fact, the old plant was issued a section 54 notice by the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE) for falling short of the MHSA regulations. During the operation’s closure, the city had to acquire

aggregates from a nearby commercial quarry for use at its asphalt plant. This, says Marx, was a costly exercise which necessitated the reopening of Bon Accord Quarry in May this year. To restart operations, a decision was made to procure a completely new plant. Refurbishing the old one was out of the question as the cost would surpass that of buying a new, modern plant. The FastPlant concept from Sandvik Rock Processing appealed to quarry management mainly because of the fast delivery and installation times, allowing the quarry to start production sooner. FastPlant is a range of pre-defined crushing and screening plants made for the most common mining and quarry applications, reducing waiting time, maximising uptime and increasing profitability. Delivery generally takes about 12-14 weeks ex works, as opposed to double or thrice the timeline of a custom-designed plant.

“We also considered the long-term future of the quarry. Longevity and reliability were, therefore, key factors in our decisionmaking. From an equipment point of view, we wanted something that would last us for the rest of the quarry’s life, which is about 50 years, with a potential of 5-million m³ material still to be mined,” says Marx. The plant is designed to last the projected lifetime of the mine, says Jaco Benade, project manager– Crushing and Screening, at Sandvik. With its plug-and-play nature, components of the FastPlant can be easily exchanged as and when required. It is also possible to upgrade to larger crushers, such as the new 800i series, if the need arises. The conveying system is already designed to meet any future increases in tonnages. “We have gone for the 600mm conveyors feeding the crushers, which can cater for a substantial increase in production. The screen is also generally designed to allow for an increase in capacity,” says Benade.

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QUARRY PROFILE

Every piece of equipment is only as good as its aftermarket support. With that in mind, the management team of Bon Accord quarry also considered a supplier with a good track record in not only supplying equipment but also offering sound backup support to ensure maximum plant uptime. “Sandvik’s track record speaks for itself,” says Marx. While Sandvik has been offering the concept for a while, this is the very first FastPlant to be manufactured in Africa, confirms Benade, who adds that a total of 200 tonnes of steel, all-inclusive, went into the production of the plant. The deal was negotiated right in the middle of the hard COVID-induced lockdown in 2020. Despite the challenges brought about by the restrictions, compounded by the global supply chain disruptions, the plant was still delivered on time. Sandvik collaborated with several long-standing partners on the project, mostly black-empowered companies, for steel design and fabrication, MCC design and fabrication, and instrumentation and electrical installation. TCT was appointed by Bon Accord to conduct the civils, installation and site management. One of the key challenges during installation was removing the old plant first, as the new one needed to be installed in the same place as the existing plant. The new plant comprises a full suite of Sandvik equipment, including jaw and cone

The primary section of the plant crushers, screens and feeders. Run of mine is tipped into a grizzly ST feeder before it goes through a pre-screen to remove natural fines before the material is sent to a Sandvik CJ411 jaw crusher, which can take a top size of up to 750mm. The plant design specified a 600mm top size capability.

“We will in future sell aggregates to the external market, which will allow us to generate some much-needed revenue for the city”

From there, the material reports to the first storage bin, which feeds the Sandvik CH430 secondary cone crusher. It crushes material down to about 30mm. Material then goes through a screen before it reports to the Sandvik CH440 tertiary cone crusher, which crushes it down to about 12mm. Notably, the cone crushers come with Sandvik’s Automatic Setting Regulation (ASRi) control system. ASRi, explains Benade, delivers real-time performance management, enabling the plant operator to monitor and optimise crusher performance and

Jaco Benade, project manager – Crushing and Screening, Sandvik Rock Processing

The life of the quarry is about 50 years, with a potential of 5 million m³ material still to be mined from the mountain

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QUARRY PROFILE

productivity. The ASRi system allows the plant to preload crusher programmes as per the requirement of the client and the closed side setting can even be adjusted during operations. The system continuously optimises crusher performance without overloading it. The ASRi system allows the operator, with the touch of the screen, to automatically calibrate the crusher and re-adjust crusher settings to compensate for crushing-chamber wear – ensuring consistent product size. The plant also has a human-machine interface (HMI) which gives a user-friendly overview of the system, allowing the plant operator to troubleshoot faster and more efficiently. The HMI also displays minor and major alarms for the system, which can be easily bypassed, if not critical, in order to maintain production and increase uptime. Within three months of operation, the plant had already proved to be a worthwhile investment for Bon Accord. Due to the high efficiency of the plant, production has already increased by about 80% compared to the previous plant. The installed capacity of the plant is 220tph, producing crusher sand and various sizes of stone, including 7mm, 10mm, 14mm, 19mm and G1 base material. “We have, however, recently tested production of a 32mm stone, and the

The installed capacity of the plant is 220tph, producing crusher sand and various sizes of stone, including 7mm, 10mm, 14mm, 19mm and G1 base material

The Sandvik CH430 secondary cone crusher crushes material down to about 30mm

Jaco Benade, project manager – Crushing and Screening, Sandvik Rock Processing

plant punched well above its capacity by producing 275tph,” says Marx. “At the moment, we are largely producing crusher dust and 9mm stone for the asphalt plant, which is producing between 150 and 180 tonnes of asphalt per day. Given the extra capacity we have on the crushing plant, we will in future sell aggregates to the external market, which will allow us to generate some much-needed revenue for the city.” Marx is also thrilled by the ease of maintenance of the plant, which is enhanced by the automation system. The previous plant, he says, had 12 major components. It did not have any form of sensors to monitor the different parameters of the plant, which called for manpower on

every major component. Consequently, the old plant was run by 12 people at any given time. In contrast, the new plant is currently being run by five people, one in the control room and four on the belts. “The automation system is impressive,” says Marx. “If something goes wrong on any part of the plant, the system quickly picks up where the problem is. If, for example, a certain belt is tripping, the plant stops itself and informs the operator where the issue is. Unlike the previous plant, we don’t need to run trip wires to detect where the issue is. The ease of operation and maintenance is a big plus in our quest for maximum uptime and productivity.” AB

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CRUSHING & SCREENING

Multi-faceted crushing and screening The importance of versatile equipment that can deal with a range of demanding applications is being demonstrated by recent crushing and screening machinery deployments. Liam McLoughlin reports

rom rock-face gravel through railway ballast and on to building rubble: when such a wide variety of materials are loaded on the machines, multi-talents are required from the crushing and screening equipment that is being used. These requirements provided a highly suitable environment for the new Kleemann screen for coarse elements Mobiscreen MSS 802i EVO. In Germany, the first machine of the new design has been put to work at a quarry operated by Ernst Krebs at Neumünster in central Schleswig-Holstein. Ernst Krebs, located in the far north between Hamburg and Kiel, is a very diversified company. Owner Caren Krebs and her son André operate several gravel quarries and their portfolio includes demolition and recycling work, earthwork, road-building and also a transport and logistics section. The company's machinery was to be extended in 2021 by a new screening plant. The plant had to be flexible and perform in the gravel quarry just as well as on the recycling site – which is not an easy task. Whereas sand and fine-grained material are processed in the gravel quarry, in the recycling of rubble and railway ballast Krebs processes almost everything. This includes, for example, topsoil which is often

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particularly cohesive. The screening plant therefore has to deal with stone material ranging from very fine to very coarse as well as with all degrees of contamination. André Krebs took his request to his longtime contact partner at Wirtgen Germany, Henning Lüdtke. After hearing the task description, Lüdtke believed that this was an ideal application area for the new Kleemann Mobiscreen MSS 802i EVO screen for coarse elements whose strength is its high flexibility and productivity. The problem: at the time, the machine was not yet available on the German market. But Lüdtke found an unconventional solution, offering André Krebs a pilot series model of the plant for coarse materials. An offer that Krebs accepted, stating: "Even though it was bit like buying a pig in a poke. There were hardly any documents on the product. “In our gravel quarries and in recycling we have been using Kleemann machines for a long time with real conviction. I was therefore fully confident that this machine would also do a good job.” Krebs adds that he was not disappointed. "Everything is so much quicker; set-up times are shorter and output is higher. All in all, it pays off.” The flexibility begins with the large feed hopper. The hopper rear wall and the filling aids can be folded variably so that

Kleemann’s MSS 802i EVO mobile screen is designed for changing challenges in different application areas loading from different heights, from both sides and from the rear can proceed in an optimum manner. The screen surface change is comparatively easy even in the lower deck because the screen casing can be placed completely in a horizontal position. The screening parameters can be adjusted precisely and even conversion, for example from three to two final grain sizes, is uncomplicated. Transport from one work site to another is also swift: the discharge conveyors can be folded in – without the disassembly of parts. Thanks to the stepless driving control, the plant can also be moved precisely into position. Krebs says that one of the real challenges for the company is the gravel extraction process, with the side discharge conveyor for fine grain having a very tough job. “This is no problem for the new plant!" he adds. After a few months of practical testing, the screen for coarse elements was able to demonstrate its qualities. "One of the real challenges for us is, for example, gravel extraction. We have to deal with a lot of sand with a relatively small proportion of stone. This means that the side discharge conveyor for fine grain has a real tough job. This is no problem for the new plant," says Krebs, adding that the company has already ordered a further plant. Another advantage of the new plant is that the screen casing can be set more than 20% steeper than many other screens for coarse elements on the market. This guarantees a great cutting effect for the separation of fine material such as sand and a significantly higher output. Also in Germany, a Kleemann cone crusher is proving itself in the production of railway ballast and high-grade chippings. A company near Berlin is using the Mobicone MCO 90i EVO2 cone crusher for recycling and the production of crushed rock and high-grade chippings. Since summer 2021, the plant - the first of this type worldwide - has been recycling mainly railway ballast. A Mobiscreen MS 953 EVO © AGGREGATES BUSINESS January/February 2023

CRUSHING & SCREENING

screening plant operates downstream of the cone crusher. High demands are placed on railway ballast because, in a high-quality ballast bed, the stones dig into one another with their sharp edges to form a stable base. The sharpness of the edges is therefore an essential quality criterion of the crushing procedure. Furthermore, only suitable material gives the track system the required elasticity and ensures the unrestricted downward flow of rainwater. At the work site near Berlin, the two Kleemann plants mainly process pre-crushed and screen material. This includes large amounts of crushed rock, which is processed for reuse or is crushed to produce high-grade chippings. The tolerances for the grain sizes in railway ballast production are very tight. An important quality criterion is to observe these values, which is why the cone crusher is fitted with an oversize grain returning system. From the single-deck, post-screening unit of the Mobicone MCO 90i EVO2, the oversize grain can be transported via a return conveyor back to the feed hopper and therefore processed in a closed material loop. The large screening surface with optimised screen utilisation makes effective screening possible even for grain sizes below 20mm. For separating other grain sizes, a screening plant Mobiscreen MS 953 EVO is positioned downstream of the cone crusher. The classifying screen has large screening surfaces, which guarantee a high throughput even with small final grain sizes. Thanks to the plant design and overall concept, these screening plants are ideal for coupling with the Kleemann crushers. The complete process is optimised by line coupling of the machines: the interaction of crusher and screening plant is stabilised via an automatic control system. Although both machines work independently of one another, in case of malfunctions or overfilling they send signals to the upstream or downstream machine. The plant train is then switched off quickly and reliably. Among other things, this saves fuel and relieves the burden on personnel: there are no emissions at the upstream or downstream unit and, furthermore, a single person can operate the

A Powerscreen Warrior 1400X in action. Pic: Blue Scotland

complete system. A crusher from Finland-based Metso Outotec is also proving itself in a German deployment. Due to the unique properties of the local basalt and an increase in demand, RF Sand needed a powerful mobile primary crusher that can take on a challenge. To increase throughput and enable the feeding of large quantities of abrasive natural stone at once, they decided to go with a Metso Outotec Lokotrack LT120 mobile jaw crusher. RF Sand is part of the Reinhard Group which dates back to 1927, when it was founded by the great-grandfather of today's managing directors Marco and Ralf Reinhard. The basalt extracted from the Balduinstein open-cast mine has an extremely high bulk density, which is why it is suitable, among other things, for applications on the Rhine, Main and Moselle rivers for bank or slope stabilisation. Armourstones from the traditional plant are also supplied as wave breakers to the Dutch coast or to more distant regions. Due to the unique properties of the local basalt, such as its high abrasion resistance, resilience and acid resistance, and the resulting increase in demand, it was decided

A new Metso Outotec Lokotrack LT120 crusher is proving its ﬂexibility in combined processing with machines from different manufacturers

to use a more powerful mobile primary crusher to increase throughput. After an intensive testing phase, the investment decision was taken in favour of a Metso Outotec LT120, which has been produced almost 1,000 times worldwide and has already proven itself in a wide range of applications. Ralph Phlippen, MD at authorised Metso Outotec dealer Fischer-Jung Aufbereitungstechnik, commented: "To meet the desire for a significant increase in throughput and to enable the feeding of large quantities of abrasive natural stone at once, our recommendation clearly leaned toward the Lokotrack LT120 mobile jaw crusher.” Fischer-Jung initially provided the jaw crusher to the open-cast basalt mine for testing purposes for a period of two months. This gave Marco Reinhard and his team, who rely exclusively on mobile processing plants within the site, the opportunity to test the LT120 in interaction with existing units such as the fine crusher and screening plant. JCB Power Systems has won a contract to supply Stage V IPU engines to leading crushing and screening equipment manufacturer Powerscreen. The partnership will see bespoke specification JCB 81kW and 97kW Stage V IPU engines power the latest models in Powerscreen’s Warrior and Chieftain screening ranges. Production of the new JCB-powered equipment began in August 2022, with the first models now in the market. This includes the Chieftain 1400, Warrior 1400X and Chieftain 2100X models, which have been flagships of the Powerscreen brand for over 20 years. JCB Power Systems OEM engines sales and applications manager Jon McNulty said: “To be selected by a market-leading screener manufacturer such as Powerscreen is a fantastic achievement for JCB engines, and it is a testament to the capability and durability of our IPU models that they can excel in the arduous crushing and screening environment. Their proven performance in this type of application is seeing JCB Power Systems gain significant traction in this huge market.” AB

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A WIRTGEN GROUP COMPANY

Powerful performance. Application versatility. MOBISCREEN MSS 802 EVO

Visit us at: Silver Lot S5020 March 14 – 18, 2023 . Las Vegas www.wirtgen-group.com/conexpo

MSS 802 EVO

IMPRESSIVE FROM A TO Z. Thanks to its robust design and extensive range of screen linings, the MSS 802 EVO can easily adapt to changing locations and new operating conditions – making it ideal for a wide variety of applications. The coarse screening plant features an intuitive system control that reduces the risk of operating error. And all relevant functions can be operated from a safe distance for increased work safety. The MOBISCREEN MSS 802 EVO – the heavy-duty, versatile solution in natural stone and recycling.

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Handling the load with ease

next-generation Cat 980BH (Block Handler) is the new star of the show at one of António Galego & Filhos Mármores’s (AGF) two Portuguese Estremoz marble quarries, just two kilometres from each other in Bencatel, around 14km south-west of Vila Viçosa in southern Portugal. The state-of-the-art machine removes unwanted waste material in combination with two Cat 730C articulated dump trucks (ADTs), spreads waste material for haul-road maintenance, and creates gravel material ‘beds’ to allow primary marble blocks to fall softly after being diamond-wire-saw cut and excavator-nudged away from the quarry face. The Cat 980BH also removes secondary marble blocks up and out of the quarry to the company’s processing plant, where further cutting and polishing work is done. Additionally, the versatile machine is used to lift raw marble blocks from the yard onto on-highway trucks for export to Indian and Chinese customers. Fitted with a powerful Cat C13 313kW EU Stage V emissions standard engine, the 30-tonne class Cat 980BH can be fitted with a Performance Series bucket to offer improved material retention while reducing dig times. The robust next-generation 980BH is built for premium efficiency and productivity, with its easy-to-use technologies a standard offering. “We can move a 30-tonne marble block easily with the 980BH as it has got even greater lifting capacity than our 980MBH. Our operators tell me that the 980BH operates smoothly, with all four of its tyres always remaining on the ground,” says Marco Galego, co-general manager of AGF with António Galego, his father and co-founder of the third-generation family-owned business. Since 1996, AGF has purchased 20 Caterpillar machines, with a Cat 980G

António (left) and Marco Galego at AGF HQ

A family-owned Portuguese marble quarry business has a new Cat star of the show, while Doosan, which recently became Develon, believes its eye-catching technology and loading machines can be big assets for quarrying customers. Guy Woodford reports wheeled loader and Cat 325B crawler excavator, the first two bought models. As well as the 980BH and 980MBH, AGF has a 980KBH in its current machine fleet. “We are longtime Caterpillar customers,” continues Marco. “We traded in our Cat 980G in 2009 for the next-generation Cat wheeled loader after it had worked 18,000 hours on the same tyres. We trade all our wheeled loaders in after 18,000 hours, and they are always in great resale condition. “Our Cat 345D [large hydraulic] crawler excavator, bought in 2009 along with a Cat 330D, was my favourite machine - the best Cat machine ever!” says Marco. “It never had a problem, was very powerful and worked really well.” When asked to describe Cat machines in a word, António says: “Strong,” adding that the servicing of all AGF’s Cat machines has been very good, helped by a strong relationship he and Marco have built up with Caterpillar’s longstanding Portuguese dealer, STET. Marco explains that he and his father have used Product Link and VisionLink since 2014 to better assess their Cat machine fleet’s performance, with the pair estimating it has halved the fleet’s running

cost. They use the technology to identify points in the production cycle where they can reduce machine fuel consumption. They also proactively handle fleet maintenance by getting fault-code information sent directly to their smartphones. Fault-code monitoring is an essential part of machinecondition monitoring and repair, significantly increasing fleet uptime. Marco and António stress that due to increasing energy and fuel prices, Cat Product Link and VisionLink have become even more invaluable to AGF. The father-and-son team is looking into expanding its data and fleet-monitoring capability by investing in a state-of-the-art Cat Productivity solution. A €9mn-a-year-turnover business, AGF extracts around 150,000t of marble a year across its two Vila Viçosa quarry sites (Tex - where the Cat 980BH is deployed - and MSB), with 30,000t resulting in final product for sale, leaving an 80% waste ratio. Site operating hours are Monday-Friday 8am-5pm and Saturday 9am-1pm. Tex and MSB are running at capacity, with a further increase in production not feasible. Marco and António decide which marble blocks are selected for final sale,

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The 30-tonne class Cat 980BH is equipped with a powerful Cat C13 313kW EU Stage V engine

“Domestic customers are mainly wholesalers who sell to export customers”

The new Cat 350 crawler excavator offers powerful digging force and strong swing torque

with the process drawing on their vast industry experience. “No two marble blocks are the same. The way the veins move throughout the block, their brightness, and the background behind them. All this goes into setting the price for what is a unique product,” explains António. “We have a lot of repeat business and customer relationships going back a long time,” says Marco, who lists the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, India, the US, China and North Africa among key export markets for AGF’s premium marble products. “Domestic customers are mainly wholesalers who sell to export customers. We are getting big orders connected to the Line-Neom project, a new city being built

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in [Tabuk Province, northwestern] Saudi Arabia. It will be five times bigger than New York,” stresses Marco in highlighting the US$5trn, 170km-long city megaproject. “India is another big market for us. Its population is growing fast, and even if just a small percentage of the larger population can afford to buy marble blocks, that’s a lot of people.” While AGF’s trading remains strong, the number of marble quarry sites in the Portuguese Estremoz marble region has reduced from 120 sites down to around 25 following a market consolidation process which began in 2015. Some of the reduction in marble quarry firms is also linked to tightening health and safety regulations.

Despite a difficult global economic climate, Marco and António say the size of the world’s wealthy marble-block client market is growing, which, along with reduced regional competition, is good for AGF’s long-term future. Marco says that AGF has another 50 years of marble reserves to extract, with the business’s Cat’s 980BH and other Cat loading and hauling machines sure to play a key part in the company’s continued success. Doosan Infracore, which became Develon on 18th January 2023, has invested significantly in its quarrying-suited medium and heavy excavator and wheeled loader model research and development in recent years. Speaking to Aggregates Business at the bauma exhibition in Munich (24-30 October 2022), Chris Jeong, CEO of formerly Doosan Infracore’s European subsidiary, said: “The last three years have seen us improve our market position across the heavy equipment lines, including medium-to-large excavators where we are now at a 9% market share. We think we can grow further in this area.” Visitors to bauma 2022 saw the latest developments in Doosan Infracore’s XiteCloud system as the company further expands its business portfolio into the field of construction-site management to complement its existing operations in manufacturing and sales of construction equipment. “Our quarrying and construction customers are very keen on XiteCloud and the big fleet management capability it gives them, and we are keen to give them the best machines to support it.” Asked how he sees European construction and quarrying equipment customers' expectations differing from what he saw in his extensive experience working in emerging markets, Jeong replied: "Customers in Europe are very diverse and very specific in their requirements. We always look to be well prepared when we launch new products so that we can meet what customers in Germany require, for example, and the differing requirements of, say, those in the UK and so on." So how does Jeong see the construction and quarrying equipment in a decade’s time? "I read an article some time ago which said that the construction industry is one of the most conservative industries in the world, but the COVID-19 pandemic brought forward the desire for autonomous machines and technology. Also, to make the [construction or quarry] job site more efficient, connectivity will be key. No single job site has one branded equipment fleet, and customers want full visibility of their job site and its running costs. As not just a manufacturer but also a solution provider, this is something we are very keen on giving to our customers now and in the technology we are working on for the future." Featuring powerful digging force and strong swing torque, the new fixed-gauge Cat 350 excavator can be equipped with large buckets up to 3.2m³ for claimed classleading productivity. While productive, the 350 consumes up to 13% less fuel than the Cat 349 to lower costs, reduce CO2 emissions, and © AGGREGATES BUSINESS January/February 2023

operate more sustainably. Three power mode options – Smart, Power, and Eco – match the excavator to the job to further reduce fuel consumption. “Caterpillar is committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions while helping our customers meet their climate-related objectives,” said Brian Abbott, Caterpillar’s global product manager for large hydraulic excavators. “The 350 is our latest example of delivering on that commitment.” The new 350 excavator’s standard Cat 2D Grade system indicates depth and slope on the monitor with alerts to increase operating efficiency. Grade Assist helps the operator to

Doosan's Concept-X was showcased at bauma 2022 effortlessly stay on grade with single-lever digging. For truck loading and trenching applications, Swing Assist automatically stops excavator swing at operator-defined set points to consume less fuel. Lift Assist

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helps to avoid machine tipping by letting the operator know the load is within safeworking-range limits. To safely work around obstructions, 2D E-Fence prevents the excavator from moving outside operatordefined set points. Cat Payload onboard weighing gives real-time weight estimates to achieve precise load targets and improve efficiency. When combined with VisionLink, Payload offers remote managing of production targets. Alternatively, the monitor’s USB port allows fleet managers to download up to 30 days of work for progress management without an internet connection or VisionLink subscription. Available in-cab technology upgrades include Cat Grade with Advanced 2D for creating and editing grade designs via a second high-resolution touchscreen monitor and Cat Grade with 3D to create and edit designs on that second monitor plus the ability to see the front linkage’s full range of motion. All Cat Grade systems are compatible with radios and base stations from top thirdparty technology suppliers. The Cat C9.3B engine has more than 14 million hours of service to attest to its long-term reliability. Synchronized 1,000hour oil- and fuel-filter service intervals reduce downtime. The hydraulic oil filter offers a 3,000-hour replacement interval – an increase of 50% over the previous design – and provides improved filtration performance. The 350 can work up to 4,500m above sea level. It features a standard highambient temperature capability of 52˚C (126˚F), cold-start capability at -18˚C (0˚F) with optional cold-start capability at -32C (-25˚F). Automatic hydraulic warm-up in cold temperatures gets the machine to work faster and prolongs the life of machine components. A double-element air intake filter with pre-cleaner features high dust capacity, and the machine’s high-efficiency hydraulic fan offers an optional automatic reverse function to keep cores free from debris. Product Link collects data automatically and gives fleet managers critical operating information like location, hours, fuel usage, idle time, maintenance alerts, diagnostic codes, and machine health online through web and mobile applications. Maximising machine uptime, remote troubleshoot and remote flash allow dealers to remotely connect with the machine to diagnose fault codes and update operating software. Operators can easily track filter life and maintenance intervals through the touchscreen monitor. AB

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HAULING

The €25bn Turin-Lyon railway project will require robust and reliable hauling equipment. Image: TELT

Hauling opportunities from Franco-Italian rail link The Turin–Lyon high-speed railway is one of the projects providing major opportunities for hauler manufacturers in Europe, involving extensive earth-moving and construction. Liam McLoughlin reports

aving recently marked one year since its rebrand in September 2021, articulated hauler manufacturer Rokbak is looking to expand its operations in key territories including France and

Germany. The Scotland-based, Volvo CE-owned manufacturer says there are major opportunities in the hauling machines sector from major current infrastructure initiatives in Europe. One of the prominent projects on the radar in Western Europe is the rail connection between France and Italy, a collaboration partly financed by the European Union. The Turin–Lyon high-speed railway is a rail line under construction between the cities of Turin and Lyon. It is intended to link the Italian and French high-speed rail networks and will be 270km (170 miles) long. The core of the project is its international section, which will cross the Alps through the Mont d’Ambin Base Tunnel between the Susa Valley in Piedmont and Maurienne in Savoie, and at 57.5 kilometres (35.7 miles), it will be the longest rail tunnel in the world. The estimated total cost of the line is €25bn and it will involve extensive earth-moving and construction. “This is exactly the type of project Rokbak’s RA30 and RA40 are designed for,” says Rokbak regional sales manager EMEA Paul Culliford. “Large infrastructure projects require robust and reliable equipment that delivers high productivity and low total cost of ownership in tough conditions.” Rokbak has been strengthening its team

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Rokbak says its haulers are well-suited for projects like the Turin-Lyon railway with around 200 new employees joining the company in the last year, one of whom is Culliford. “France and Germany are historically strong markets for us,” Culliford explains. “We are seeing an increase in demand and we are currently looking to expand our dealer network in France and Germany to support our customers and strengthen our presence in these important hauler markets.” Rokbak says the numbers reflect this move. In 2020 there were around 200 units sold – across all brands – within the articulated hauler market in France. In 2021, that increased to in excess of 300 and it looks to be a similar number in 2022. In Germany the numbers were around 150 in 2020 and 2021, heading towards 200 in 2022. Rokbak already has machines working on French and German job sites. In Germany, an RA30 is working at a gravel pit for earthworks specialist Erdbau Schrader. The machine was sold through one of Rokbak’s

German dealers, Klarmann-Lembach. One of Rokbak’s French dealers, Framateq, which covers the south east of the country, recently inaugurated a new site in Perpignan. And the Manu Lorraine Group, which covers the north east, held an open day at Walygator Park in Maizières-les-Metz. Culliford also attended the French Mineral Industries Society (SIM) exhibition together with Framateq in October. “Rokbak’s articulated haulers are reliable, simple to operate and easy to maintain,” says Mathieu Godard, president of Framateq. “They are fuel-efficient and deliver low total cost of ownership, which is what our customers want. We have a strong articulated hauler market in France and we have recently opened a new site to better support our customers and expand our operations, so it’s great that Rokbak is prioritising our market and sees the same potential as we do for growth.” Working closely with existing and new dealers and customers is Culliford’s priority. With close to two decades of experience in the articulated hauler industry – including a previous tenure with Rokbak before the company rebranded – and possessing fluency in English, French, German and Spanish, Culliford is able to work with a multitude of targeted territories as the company looks to expand its operations. “It’s a great opportunity and an exciting time to come back to Rokbak,” he says. “Since relaunching the brand, we’ve found that there are a lot of dealers and customers interested to learn more about our articulated haulers, and I’m looking forward to working with them.” AB © AGGREGATES BUSINESS January/February 2023

CONVEYORS – 1

Conveyor manufacturers innovate to tackle component supply issues Despite ongoing issues with costs and supply of components post-COVID, conveying equipment manufacturers report healthy order books for 2023 and are responding to the market challenges with innovative new products. Liam McLoughlin reports

022 has been another challenging year for manufacturers of conveying equipment, with cost increases coupled with component supply issues have been the biggest issues being the biggest

problems. That is the view of Darragh Cullen, MD of Northern Ireland-based conveyor and materials-handling equipment manufacturer EDGE Innovate, who adds that the challenges brought forward by availability of components have eased but only slightly. “We have had to constantly adjust our production schedule to meet this everchanging scenario,” says Cullen. “Ultimately, we have surpassed our output goals and targets, but the order in which equipment has been shipped to customers has had to be realigned. Issues at ports have been exacerbated by huge demand and strike action, which has placed further stress on delivery times.” He says that the good news is that the challenges brought forward by COVID seem to be over, and life has more or less returned to normal: “The size and quality of our team have increased, and we have again

invested heavily in product development and innovation. 2023 will see the launch of more new world-class, innovative products. “Our order book has never been as healthy. We continue to challenge everything we do to improve efficiencies, machines design and customer support.” Cullen says EDGE Innovate is looking to 2023 with excitement and determination. “We are building relationships with new partners and new markets but are more than thankful for the long-standing relationships and partnerships that we already have,” he adds. Northern Ireland-based dry bulk materials-handling solutions manufacturer says that the needs of its customers have led to improvements across its quarrying operations. One example of this is the introduction of the ‘Self-Driving’ smart stockpiling solution found on Telestack’s radial telescopic conveying range. By deploying technology and experience, this advanced autonomous stockpiling solution aims to maximise returns within any operation, ensuring operational efficiency, improved site safety, reduced operational overheads and complexity, as well as a quality in-spec 'blended' product. The Telestack radial

telescopic conveyor range has a proven record of performance and reliability operating in a range of aggregates applications around the globe. The mobility options of the unit allow the operator to utilise this technology anywhere on site, ensuring a high production capacity and a 30% greater stockpile capacity on the same footprint when compared to fixed length/ height conveyors. The smart system, once set up, can be operated locally by an operator or operated remotely using the smart onboard PLC (programmable logical controller) to feed information back to the remote central control station. Once the unit’s physical constraints are established, the unit can work independently using the pre-programmed parameters determined in the set-up. The smart stockpiling system starts at a low working angle, such as 8°, maintaining its lowest workable drop height throughout the operation as the stockpile increases in increments. This is in comparison to a fixed length unit, for example, that would start at an 18° angle, thus wasting more energy to discharge the product at a greater height. In addition, this also results in a greater potential to compromise the

Major conveying equipment makers are reporting healthy order books for 2023

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quality of the product due to fracture and degradation of the product caused by material dropping from the elevated operating height. The reduced power usage required for the radial telescopic conveyor ensures less energy/fuel is used in the daily operation, and fuel consumption can be further enhanced with the introduction of an optional VSD (variable speed drive) by allowing the operator (remotely or locally) to increase or decrease the speed accordingly, depending on the needs of the operation. Telestack says that the continuous autonomous stockpiling ensures that the blend of the product is maintained throughout the stockpile and a higher quality product is achievable, ensuring the product is evenly mixed over a wide area. This helps to eliminate segregation, degradation, contamination and compaction, providing not only a higher-grade product for a lower stockpiling cost per tonne but also reduced labour dependency and reduced labour costs as well as the environmental impact of reduced traffic, dust and noise. The smart system also hosts a range of automatic sensors that guide the independent unit as determined in the set-up. These sensors, as well as safeguarding the drop height of the product, also ensure that the unit will pause when the material has stopped flowing. This ensures the integrity of the continuous stockpile structure, producing an “in-spec” blended product. This would be a significant factor for many in the aggregates sector, for example, where product integrity is critical. The Telestack range of radial telescopic stackers is available in lengths of 32m (110ft), 42m (140ft), 46m (150ft), 52m (170ft) and 58m (190ft) with possible stockpile capacities up to 200,000 tonnes at 270°. Stockpiling rates range from 100-3,000tph, and stockpile heights up to 20m (65ft) are easily achieved. In addition, the option of several PLC automatic stockpiling programmes provides the operator with a versatile, economic and reliable stockpiling system that offers the ability for a radial window, incline window and radial

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conical stockpile formations, which, in all, offer a larger stockpiling potential and a radial stockpiling potential of up to 270° for maximum stockpiling. The smart stockpiling system controls the operation of the unit and gathers information, and sends it back to the central control station/ remote location. This helps to troubleshoot when issues arise, giving the controller operational information and specific status updates. In addition, the optional Telestack telematic system Telecore, offers remote monitoring and support from the factory to enhance performance. This has proven critical not only in the operational performance but also relating to the general maintenance of the unit. Particularly when labour was restricted, for example, during the recent COVID restrictions, the support from the factory was vital in supporting operations through challenging times. The Telestack team will be in attendance at the forthcoming CONEXPO-CON/AGG 2023 in Vegas (14-18 March) on the Astec Industries Stand in Central Hall (Booth #C30235). Mike Schroeder, technical consultant with ContiTech conveying solutions at US specialty belting manufacturer WCCO Belting, is sharing his two decades of experience at the company to set out the factors to consider when selecting a cleated conveyor belt and how a strategic approach to belt design can have drastic impacts to output and uptime. Schroeder says the height of the cleat will be determined by the conveying angle and the size of the material being conveyed. Typically, conveying angles higher than 15° would benefit from a 0.50” (12.7mm)-tall cleat pattern (or more) to prevent spillback. Spillback creates unnecessary abrasion to the top cover of the belt in addition to decreasing capacity. A cleat’s profile needs to have an adequate radius and chamfer features to prevent cleat cracking and tearing from the belt carcass. Most profiles will be drafted from the base to the top of the profile to help release it from the moulds post-vulcanisation. Fabricated cleated belts made via skiving and glueing have a higher tendency to delaminate and © AGGREGATES BUSINESS January/February 2023

CONVEYORS – 1

Telestack’s smart stockpiling system with onboard sensors negates the need for human intervention

fail compared to single-step vulcanized manufacturing. Cleat ends, in most cases, are angled to prevent stress build-up around rollers and pulleys that can also lead to cleat failure, reduced capacity, and downtime. “Aggregate material has an abrasive texture. However, almost all industry ‘V’ or ‘U’ cleat profiles are encouraging material movement directing it to the centre of the belt,” says Schroeder. “This results in unnecessary wear and tear on the belt cover, such as high wear points, plus stress on the cleats. Spillage is one symptom of the cleat’s inability to capture and hold product effectively.” He adds that the angle of the cleat in relation to the drive and tail pulleys is critical. Too little angle (parallel to the roller) and cleat chatter develops from a lack of continuous contact between the rollers and cleat profile, bringing excessive vibration, noise, and eventually, cleat failure. If the cleat angle to the rollers is too large (perpendicular to the roller), cleat cracking can ensue, followed by cleat tear and separation from the belt carcass. Furthermore, cleat height in conjunction with angle will determine the minimum pulley diameter the belt requires to operate. Taller cleats with large angles to the rollers will experience higher bending stress and are at greater risk of cracking and tearing. The individual cleats will be laid out across the width of the belt. Cleat frequency refers to the repeated pattern down the length of the belt. The frequency by which the cleats repeat is critical in creating a fully nested pattern. A nested cleat pattern allows for a smooth transition over rollers and pulleys, thereby reducing premature cleat wear and belt failure. In terms of other considerations, Schroeder says the belt construction itself with the cleat pattern must be able to trough appropriately given application requirements.

The flexibility prevents mis-tracking, premature wear, and belt failure. In troughed systems, the belt must be able to make correct contact with the guide rollers when operating under load or empty. “Cleat profile design is tied to the conveyor system’s discharge,” he adds. “If the discharge stream needs to be small or targeted, the pattern can support material movement to the centre of the belt. Another consideration is if moisture build-up would prevent the success of the operation. An open-type pattern can allow for drainage through the cleat pattern.” In summary, Schroeder says the ideal cleated conveyor belt will have the cleat height needed based on the material size and conveying angle. The cleat profile should be designed with optimum features to ensure the longevity and performance of the cleats, which impacts operational capacity and uptime. The cleat pattern should be nested and make continuous contact with return rollers to allow the system to operate with limited noise and vibration for a smooth operation. The more continuous contact points on the return rollers, the better the belt and the system will operate. “If price remains the decision-driver to purchase a conveyor belt and belt design isn’t approached as a strategy, equipment owners and operators will continue to leave a lot on the table,” says Schroeder. “Working with a belting expert on your unique operating requirements can help you learn how your cleated belt is working for you and, more importantly, how it’s not.” Martin Engineering is highlighting the importance of proper conveyor cleaner blade tensioning, the types of tensioners, and some of the best uses for each. The US bulk materials-handling company says that there are many issues to consider when specifying the most appropriate conveyor belt cleaner, not the least of which is maintaining proper tension to achieve optimum cleaning

performance without introducing related problems. Inadequate tensioning causes carryback to cling to the belt and spill along its path, piling up under the conveyor and emitting excessive dust. This requires extra labour for clean-up and can affect air quality. Over-tensioning leads to friction damage to the carrying side of the belt, premature blade wear and potential splice damage. Both scenarios contribute to unsafe work conditions and raise the cost of operation. “There are two basic approaches to applying tension to the belt cleaner: linear and rotary,” said Dave Mueller, product manager, Martin Engineering. “The blade’s cleaning position and angle of approach to the belt often dictate whether a linear or rotary tensioner is used.” The Conveyor Equipment Manufacturers Association (CEMA) defines the cleaning positions as primary, secondary, or tertiary. Primary cleaners typically function with a “peeling” action, while secondary and tertiary cleaners are usually scrapers. Belt cleaners mounted in the primary position generally employ a rotary style tensioner, while most units mounted in the secondary or tertiary positions use linear style tensioners. In most cases, belt tensioners have to be monitored and adjusted manually so they can maintain optimum pressure and carryback removal. Estimating when blades need changing is often a guessing game that, if left too long, could lead to unnecessary complications. “Linear tensioners are most often applied where the compensation for wear is required in small increments, such as with hard metaltipped cleaners located in the secondary cleaning position or with brush cleaners,” Mueller said. The simple design of linear tensioners often allows just one setting for full blade wear. Further, these tensioners can accommodate actuator deflection for accurate adjustment of cleaning pressure, delivering the ability to accommodate uneven mounting positions or asymmetrical blade wear.

Mike Schroeder of WCCO Belting says high wear points in cleats can increase the risk of premature belt failure

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SMART AUTONOMOUS STOCKPILING SOLUTIONS Smart stockpiling system with onboard sensors negating the need for human intervention

BENEFITS •Information feedback to control station to help monitor operation •30% more stockpile capacity on the same footprint when compared to ﬁxed length conveyors •Maintains its lowest possible drop height ensuring less energy use and less product fracture •Eliminates segregation, degradation, contamination and compaction of product •Continuous autonomous stockpiling ensures that the blend of the product is maintained throughout the stockpile •Wide range of dust containment and suppression options available

CENTRAL HALL | BOOTH #C30235

www.telestack.com sales@telestack.com

CONVEYORS – 1

The required tensioning forces can be applied by springs, hydraulic or pneumatic cylinders, electric actuators or from torque stored in an elastomeric element. Rotary tensioners like the Martin Twist Tensioner are often used with urethane blades, where the change in blade height and thickness as it wears is significant. Rotary designs tend to be compact and, in most cases, the actuator(s) can be mounted at any orientation, which provides options for installing the belt cleaner in the optimum position. Air tensioners use the resilience of a pneumatic cylinder to cushion impact. The tensioners can use Martin’s Air Connection Kit to plug them directly into an existing air system, allowing for a more streamlined installation process. Spring tensioners maintain efficient belt cleaning with a rugged coil spring. The Martin XHD Spring Tensioners deliver effective cleaning while cushioning splice shock to prevent damage, well suited for tensioning heavy duty belt cleaners while standing up to tough conditions. Dual tensioning is recommended for belt cleaners installed on belts wider than 1,200mm.

A Martin Engineering rotary twist tensioner on a primary belt cleaner

However, dual tensioning does not change the fact that regular adjustment is required to maintain suitable cleaning pressure on the belt, which is where Martin’s N2® Smart Technology comes into play. Martin Engineering’s smart technology platform includes the company’s patented N2

Position Indicator to monitor primary cleaner blade wear and inform operators when the blade needs changing. The system uses a cellular gateway that relays data to the cloud and then to the user, delivering actionable information in real-time. The N2 PI and Smart Device Manager App are designed to ease the burden on managers and workers so they can focus their attention on other critical details of the operation. Precise tensioning and improved belt cleaning reduce the volume of dust and spillage from carryback, improving workplace conditions and decreasing the labour needed to maintain and clean around the discharge zone. While manufacturers continue to improve belt cleaner effectiveness, it has become clear that there is no single or ideal solution for belt cleaning and tensioner selection. The safety of personnel and the belt itself is the primary consideration when selecting a tensioner. Ease of inspection and maintenance is critical for belt cleaner effectiveness, so the tensioner must allow quick and safe service. Martin Engineering offers the services and tensioning products that are necessary to meet the multifaceted demands of belt cleaning. AB

TYRES – PART 1

The tyre premium Two of the world’s leading off-the-road (OTR) tyre manufacturers are highlighting the beneﬁts of two products from their latest quarrying-suited ranges. Guy Woodford reports

remium OTR tyres from BKT (Balkrishna Industries Limited) are proving their worth on rigid dump trucks (RDTs) operating at a quarry in northwest Spain. Cufica, a Spanish company founded in 1980 in Valdeorras, Galicia, which also has a notable presence in Bierzo, Castilla y León, specialises in the extraction and sale of slate, a waterresistant stone commonly used in the roofs of buildings. An employer of around 100 people, Cufica sells much of its premium slate products to customers in France and the UK. Juan Antonio Illescas Mateo, the Spanish company’s financial director, says Cufica relies on a large equipment fleet to extract, load and transport slate from the company’s quarry to its processing factory. To improve their efficiency, he decided to equip the site’s five RDTs with BKT Earthmax SR 45 M tyres sized 24.00 R 35. “In such difficult operating conditions, the required main features of a tyre are robustness, grip and traction, and of course, resistance and a long tyre lifecycle,” says Fernando Buelta Gonzalez, foreman of Cufica’s mineral operations. “At our quarry,

Quarry operator Cuﬁca has chosen BKT's Earthmax SR 45 M OTR tyres for its RDTs

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A LONG WAY

TOGETHER

EARTHMAX SR 41 No matter how challenging your needs, EARTHMAX SR 41 is your best ally when it comes to operations that require extraordinary traction. Thanks to its All Steel radial structure and the special block pattern, EARTHMAX SR 41 provides excellent resistance against punctures and an extended service life. In addition to long working hours without downtime, the tyre ensures extraordinary comfort. EARTHMAX SR 41 is BKT’s response to withstand the toughest operating conditions in haulage, loading and dozing applications.

For info: europe@bkt-tires.com

TYRES – PART 1

there are paths with a 10% slope. So, above all, in adverse climatic weather conditions such as rain and snow, excellent traction and grip are required. Cufica’s experience with BKT tyres is extraordinary since they fully correspond to our needs, and our operators can work safely.” The Earthmax SR 45 M is an all-steel radial tyre available in three different compound types: normal, heatresistant, and cut-resistant. Thanks to its distinctive feature, an E-4-deep tread, the tyre is able to withstand cuts and punctures. BKT says this means it is able to deal with operating sites like extraction quarries with very demanding usage conditions. It adds that excellent traction and great resistance for transport conditions on long hauls are guaranteed for all available versions. Headquartered in Mumbai, India, BKT says that one of its priorities is catering for varied user needs by developing increasingly effective and specific products for different operating conditions. "This is exactly why BKT considers important the direct testimonials of those who actually use their tyres on a daily basis, like Cufica," a company spokesperson said. Continental is another OTR tyre maker with a major global quarrying and construction sector presence. Speaking during the German company’s bauma

The LD-Master L5 Traction radial tyre Munich (24-30 October 2022) exhibition press conference, Wolfgang Thomale said Continental’s new LD-Master L5 Traction radial tyre offers durability and high traction in very big vehicle-carrying load environments such as quarries, which often encounter severe working conditions.

“The LD-Master L5 Traction also gives high productivity and ensures vehicle uptime,” he noted. Initially offered in size 35/65 R33, the LD-Master L5 Traction radial tyre expands the ContiEarth range and is fitted with integrated tyre sensors. “This enhanced intelligence allows us to monitor tyre air pressure and temperature in real time. With this, we can ensure the most efficient operation,” said Thomale, Continental’s head of speciality tyres. He continued: “Digitalisation of all our radial tyres is an essential element for their operation today and into our future. It also supports sustainability in our customer operations. “If tyre pressure is optimised, it can save 15 minutes of [daily rigid haul truck fleet] vehicle inspection time which can add up to almost 200 hours a year. It also saves about 1% fuel in an [rigid haul truck fleet] operation and can add 15% to the life of a tyre compared to the same tyre underinflated by 10%. This adds up to a significant improvement in operation.” Thomale said the sensors fitted to Continental’s off-the-road radial tyres feed information to the company’s ContiConnect tyre-management system. As showcased at bauma 2022, Version 2.0 of the system is said to put in place the necessary infrastructure for the all-encompassing digital tyre management of the future. “By using big data and digital solutions, we enable fleet managers to avoid vehicle downtime, ensure serviceability and maximise [tyre] productivity,” Thomale concluded. AB

The LD-Master L5 Traction offers durability and high traction in heavyvehicle-carrying load environments

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SCREENING BUCKETS & ATTACHMENTS

An ALLU Transformer DSB 2-12 screening soil

Buckets of screening appeal Screening buckets can offer huge productivity and efficiency gains for quarry operators. Guy Woodford looks at the latest products and on-site success stories from some of the major global market suppliers

innish premium hydraulic screener crusher and crusher bucket attachment manufacturer ALLU is targeting big growth in the US and China as it looks to step up its already impressive trading in the global construction, quarrying, mining, and recycling sectors. Last year, ALLU opened its new Chinese manufacturing and operating facility in Kunshan, near Shanghai in eastern China, giving the company a firm platform to grow its commercial offer in the world’s biggest off-highway equipment and building materials market. ALLU’s big trading push in the US is being made from its base in New Brunswick, New Jersey state. The company will have a strong presence at CONEXPO/CON-AGG 2023 in Las Vegas (14-18 March), including launching a new screener bucket well suited to quarrying applications. A busy 2023 exhibition showcase schedule will also see ALLU making its steinexpo debut during the 11th staging of the major construction materials industry exhibition in Homberg/Nieder-Ofleiden, Germany (23-26 August). The company will also showcase its product range at SIM 2023 in Bordeaux, France (4-6 October). Offering a diverse range of hydraulic screener crusher and crusher bucket attachments for 1-200-tonne excavators, ALLU has long been renowned among quarrying, mining, construction and recycling customers for its Transformer hydraulic screener crusher bucket attachment range. This includes the now fourth-generation Transformer D Series, well suited to small- to medium-sized quarrying, construction and recycling applications, and the Transformer M Series for 50+ tonne excavators, popular

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among large quarry and mining customers. At its new Kunshan facility, ALLU recently started production of Transformer DC Series hydraulic screener crusher bucket attachments for Chinese customers. Meanwhile, ALLU’s crusher hydraulic bucket attachment, suited to various applications in industries including quarrying and construction, also continues to sell well. After a November 2022 tour of ALLU’s state-of-the-art product assembly and testing centre at the company’s HQ site near Lahti, led by factory manager Tero Saarikangas and head of ALLU projects, Frederick Dromberg, Aggregates Business heard how

ALLU is investing heavily in a 2022-launched global dealer management programme. The programme is being significantly ramped up in 2023 as a key part of the company’s global growth plan. Jeroen Hinnen, ALLU’s global vice president of sales since January 2018, says that while ALLU sees its biggest sales growth coming from the US and China, Europe remains a vital market for the company, accounting for over half of its sales (including 5% direct sales to Finnish customers). The US currently represents around 20% of ALLU sales, with China and the rest of the world generating the remaining 20%.

ALLU’s Crusher hydraulic bucket attachment

SCREENING BUCKETS & ATTACHMENTS

ALLU has dealer sales teams in Finland, Sweden, France, Germany, China, the US, Indonesia, and Australia, who all report to Hinnen. While he notes that 80% of ALLU’s Germany sales in 2022 were secured by major national equipment dealerships, Hinnen says dealers generally account for two-thirds of ALLU’s annual product sales. He stresses that ALLU tends to directly supply key account customers. Stepping up ALLU’s global dealer management programme this year will, says Hinnen, lead to an even better understanding of frontline customer and dealer needs, further increase sales, and, effectively, “shut the door to the competition” in their attempts to partner with the best dealers. “Every geographical area has its high runners on sales, so we need to be able to adapt to that,” explains Hinnen. “In Germany, we sell many more of our mediumsized bucket attachments. In the US, it was mainly large, and now it’s also more small and medium buckets because of the change in the project pipeline business. The Transformer DC Series buckets for China are Transformer D Series models adapted to the Chinese market. They have been very well received. We have hired two new China salespeople to further cover the vast part of the country. Understanding the differentiation in the various geographical locations in a market is key. Our Kunshan facility handles final bucket attachment assembly as we do in Finland, with the buckets for Chinese customers all manufactured in China.” Focusing on ALLU’s approach to product research and development, Hinnen says: “We have a strategy that says we need to come up with new features or new products every year. It has been like that for years and is part of our ethos of being ‘One Step Ahead’. We achieved that in 2022 and will do it again in 2023.”

Hinnen says ALLU has seen big growth over the last two to three years in its sales linked to material-recycling applications, with material-recycling-based business expected to grow “much more” in the coming years. ALLU remains a family-run company whose owners are, says Hinnen, very sustainabilityminded. ALLU’s building management system is regularly updated to accommodate new green goals, and the bulk of the firm’s product-linked suppliers are also within near range of the company’s HQ, lowering ALLU’s production carbon footprint. Before Aggregates Business left ALLU, we spoke to Ilpo Ellonen, the company’s longtime Finland area sales manager, to get the lowdown on home-market trends. Ellonen says ALLU has seen growth in its Finnish rental market business, with screener crusher and crusher buckets suiting 20-30tonne excavators proving the most popular among customers involved in quarrying and gravel screening work, domestically.

MB Crusher launched its mid-sized MB-HDS220 shafts screener shovel bucket at bauma Munich 2022

ALLU’s headquarters near Lahti, Finland

“We have sold more than 1,500 buckets to Finnish customers since the company started [in 1985],” says Ellonen. “We have many old and new customers, and our products are used in many big roadbuilding and maintenance works in Finland. The unit rental market here is also increasing rapidly.” At the bauma exhibition in Munich, Germany (24-30 October 2022), MB Crusher launched its new mid-sized MB-HDS220 shafts screener shovel bucket. The Italy-based manufacturer says the bucket is suitable for loaders and excavators for groundworks and agricultural applications. Alessia Valerio, responsible for product growth & content at MB Crusher, said that the MB-HDS220 fills a gap in its MB-HDS shafts screener range, bringing the product line-up to six sizes. The MB-HDS523 bucket, the biggest in the range, is suitable for quarrying applications. Valerio said the company is seeing much demand for its smaller buckets in Italy and the rest of Europe, while many customers in Asia and the US are moving towards the larger models. In Mallorca, Spain, Trans Pep Soler (TPS) has invested in MB Crusher’s MB-LS170 screening bucket to work with the company’s eight-tonne Komatsu WB 97 S5 backhoe loader. The screening bucket allows TPS to recover clean sandstone from cement and demolition debris rather than spending money taking the mixed material to a recycling plant. The MB Crusher bucketscreened sandstone is used for a variety of construction tasks. At Monrupino quarry in Trieste, northeast Italy, Marmi Repen is said to have achieved great results with a Simex VSE 20 screening

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SCREENING BUCKETS & ATTACHMENTS

bucket mounted on a CAT M314 wheeled excavator. The customer needed to screen quarry waste material at different particle sizes for subsequent reuse and resale as stabilised aggregate, useful in the building and construction sector and for road bases. The material to be screened derives from the processing of marble, specifically from the cutting and extraction of the blocks. Given the composition of the material, with the presence of gravel and mixed rock, it was decided to equip the bucket with mixed tools (with lateral blades), which are well suited both for the selection of humid soils and for screening stony materials, as they also guarantee a light crushing during the screening process. Simex’s patented FIT tool system, which is modular and customisable, allows multiple configurations depending on the materials to be screened. Tools are easily and quickly replaceable, thanks to interlocking elements with no welding, which means saving up to 75% in maintenance costs compared to its predecessor. All models in the VSE range (with the exception of VSE 2) benefit from the FIT screening tools, which allow the operator to get the best bucket configuration for the intended use and the material to be screened. The customer, who was supplied with the Simex solution by Udine-based off-highway equipment dealer Edilmeccanica, is delighted with the instant adjustment of the output

A Simex VSE 20 on a CAT M314 wheeled excavator gets to work at Monrupino quarry in Trieste, Italy

size and added value of its Simex VSE screening bucket. All Simex VSE products allow customers to obtain different particle sizes in a few seconds via a simple control activated from the cab. The rapid variation system guarantees speed of execution,

versatility (being able to work on different materials) and a considerable saving of time. In fact, Simex says there is no downtime due to the spacing operations of the shafts for the particle size change, as happens in traditional technologies. AB

MBCRUSHER.COM

THE CRUSHER BUCKET FOR YOUR EXCAVATOR Jaw crusher for excavators. When installed on your excavator, it crushes any type of inert material. FOR EXCAVATORS, BACKHOES, LOADERS AND SKID STEERS

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t 4,5 ton

REDUCE >> REUSE >> RECYCLE

CONCRETE PLANT

Thomas Beton, Lürschau, Germany’s Ammann Elba CBS 120 SB concrete mixing plant

Concrete gains Demand for concrete plant remains strong, creating a wealth of commercial opportunities for leading manufacturers. Guy Woodford reports

ith careful planning, Thomas Beton's concrete plant, based in Lurshchau, Germany, was successfully modernised during ongoing operations. An Ammann Elba CBS 120 SB concrete mixing plant was connected to an on-site aggregate linear bin as the new heart of the plant. When the first 300m³ of concrete was mixed during the commissioning of the new plant, Rainer Brings, managing director of Thomas Beton, was impressed by the speed of the plant. With the acquisition, he can significantly increase his hourly output compared to that of the old one - up to 120m³/h is now possible. This increase in output was urgently needed as demand for fresh concrete had

increased significantly due to the need for large foundations for regional wind power plants and a nearby precast plant. The old plant had reached the limits of its capacity. Two challenges had to be mastered during this modernisation. On the one hand, the existing dosing construction had to be technically integrated into the new construction across the height difference of an escarpment. On the other hand, the plant had to continue production during the modification in order to be able to serve the current orders. After the stock had been checked, it was determined in detail which components could be replaced and which could continue to be used. “We now operate 12 Ammann Elba ready-mixed concrete plants of this type in our factories in northern Germany,” says Brings. “When planning the new plant

together with Ammann Elba, we were able to make perfect use of the flexibility of the assemblies.” The modernisation of the site during ongoing operations took only eight weeks. While the old mixing tower continued to do its job, the new ready-mixed concrete mixing plant CBS 120 SB with single-shaft mixer CEM 2660 S was connected to the existing aggregate linear bin as a belt conveyor plant. The complete locking and dosing technology of the on-site linear bin itself was renewed. A technical masterpiece was the threading of the new 35-metre-long weighing belt into the concrete linear bin. This challenge was successfully solved thanks to the many years of experience of the Ammann Elba dealer Proschwitz GmbH, Trittau, which was also responsible for the overall assembly. The discharge gates are actuated via

The installation of the Ammann Elba CBS 120 SB plant for Thomas Beton

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CONCRETE PLANT

compressed air by an integrated screw compressor. The weighed aggregates are finally conveyed directly into the pre-hopper of the mixing plant via a conveyor belt. A sand-moisture measuring device below the dosing gate continuously measures the material moisture. The cement is stored in six cement silos, each with a capacity of 100 tonnes. Highperformance cement screws EZL 80/100 are used for dosing in the generously dimensioned cement weigher. Brings says he is “completely satisfied” with the result and impressed with the uniformity, stability and high quality of the concrete produced by the Ammann plant. A dedusting filter and a mixer cleaning system are integrated into the CBS 120 SB, preventing contamination. The winter cladding LL 60, which encases the entire mixing plant, also protects against temperature fluctuations caused by the weather. “From planning to transport and installation, Ammann Elba demonstrated a high level of detailed work,” says Brings. “And since our team knows the Ammann Elba plants very well, we were also able to continue production seamlessly.” Sakthi Ramamoorthy, CEO of Lintec & Linnhoff Concrete, knows more than most about the concrete industry, having dedicated decades of his career to it. He says spotting the potential for high-quality manufacturing in Asia and harnessing the benefits of automation have helped establish the Eurotec concrete batching plant brand in the global market. Commenting in a company Q&A session on the most interesting change he’s observed in the industry over his time in the business, Ramamoorthy says: “When I joined the industry back in 1992, automation was just starting. Before that, all the modules had a lever attached to them, and only by moving the lever would you be able to dispense the concrete, but we have come a long way since then. Most plants now are completely

“The new plants are sleek, powerful, and eco-friendly” Sakthi Ramamoorthy, Lintec & Linnhoff Concrete CEO

automated and increasingly focused on more sustainable operations.” Ramamoorthy says that Lintec & Linnhoff Concrete recognised these trends early, enabling the company to create product lines that appeal to customers. He adds: “Also, our Lintec containerised designs have been a real advancement for the industry. Ever since the early designs, it’s been something popular with clients. The new plants are sleek, powerful, and eco-friendly.” Responding to a question about the success of the Eurotec brand and its future development, Ramamoorthy says: “The cost of importing plants to Asia from Europe has always been high. There was a gap in the market for high-quality plants that could be sourced at economical prices. That’s when we launched the Eurotec brand to fill that gap. Keeping the European design, we manufactured the plants in Asia and achieved high-level cost efficiencies without compromising quality. We launched Eurotec in 2003 and have sold over 400 plants across

Lintec & Linnhoff Concrete’s containerised plant designs have been a real advancement for the industry, says company CEO Sakthi Ramamoorthy

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Southeast Asia, South Asia, the Middle East and Africa. “I believe we’ll see some interesting innovations in the sector over the next five years. Large concrete batching plants will only be seen on megaprojects, requiring high-level concrete production at the job site. For other applications, we’ll see plants become increasingly mobile and shift to fully electric-powered. This will help the industry boost its sustainability and efficiency. We’re excited to share further details on these trends with our customers in future.” An ELKOMIX-60 PL precast concrete batching plant and an ELKON ERCYL-10 concrete-recycling plant are providing vital support to a leading Croatian building materials company. The plants are being put to work on ready-mixed, precast and semi-dry concrete production in Drjne, in Croatia’s Koprivnica region. The customer has more than 1,700 employees and is renowned for its quality cement, concrete, aggregates, and bricks. The ELKOMIX-60 PL plant has an ELKON 1500/1000 1 planetary mixer equipped with a moisture probe to precisely control water content. The set-up also includes 6x20m³ aggregate storage bins made from galvanised steel which are partially buried underground so that aggregate loading can be done without ramps. AB

FUTURE-PROOFING CONSTRUCTION & QUARRYING EQUIPMENT SUSTAINABILITY Sustainability is a huge topic across the construction and quarrying industry – not just in terms of what can be achieved tomorrow via carbon-free hydrogen fuel cells and hydrogen internal combustion engines of machine fleets, but today, through the use of smart technology to make jobsites more efficient and sustainable by getting work done right first time, every time World Highways and Aggregates Business spoke with a trio of experts from leading construction and quarrying equipment and linked technology sector manufacturers to hear their takes on helping to address customers’ current and future sustainability needs.

JEREMY HARSIN

HENRIK AMANN

Jeremy is responsible for segment strategy development & execution, digital connectivity leadership for construction, global OEM collaborations, and planning for the future. He describes himself as: “A dedicated off-highway professional who has been at Cummins 14 years, holding various positions in the Off-Highway business." His Cummins career path started in new product service engineering for Tier4 Interim followed by leading the customer care function for Tier4 Final.

Henrik is based at Eskilstuna in Sweden. He describes his role as: “Driving Volvo CE’s powertrain development regarding transmission, axles and electromobility.” In the last 25 years he has held different positions with the Volvo CE Technology and research and development departments. Previously he worked with a deeper focus on engines as the group’s director for Engines & Auxiliaries.

DIETMAR GRIMM Dietmar is responsible for driving Trimble’s approach to strategic management and Key One Trimble initiatives. Dietmar says that this role “includes commercialising sustainability and carbon through the efficiency and productivity gains delivered by Trimble products across natural resources, construction, transportation and logistics, and related sectors.” Prior to Trimble, Dietmar worked at The Nature Conservancy organisation, responsible for creating distinct, country-specific conservation strategies and regional systems change approaches around the world.

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SUSTAINABILITY

solutions. “There are going to be different customers and applications where different things make sense, so we need to make sure we have that portfolio available at the right time and help customers along their [sustainability] journey. Some of our customers are in the slice of the market where they are ready for something new today; others are thinking through what they need to do and are looking for a thought partner.”

SCAN TO WATCH THE ROUND TABLE DISCUSSION

eremy Harsin, Cummins global construction market director; Henrik Amann, Volvo Construction Equipment (Volvo CE) head of driveline and electromobility; and Dietmar Grimm, Trimble vice president of corporate strategy and sustainability solutions, agreed with Round table chair Nadira Tudor’s outlining of the classic definition of sustainability as ‘fulfilling the needs of current generations without compromising the needs of future generations’. They also endorsed the need for collaboration between global construction and quarrying original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) to give customers the best chance to fulfil their long-term sustainability goals. “It’s about how you get there. You have to somehow protect that future but also account for current needs. There’s a [financial] cost to be green and technology limitations that exist today. That has to be balanced as we think things through,” said Harsin, adding: “There are things we can do today from a practical perspective that are pretty easy. A lot of equipment is in the field for 10, 20, maybe 30 years, and the machines that have been released in the last few years are a lot more efficient and more environmentally friendly. There are other things like HVO (hydrotreated vegetable oil) and other alternative fuels that are coming around that are drop-ins and could be done easily today where they’re available. “There are definitely some scalability challenges. One of the things I’ve been pushing for a while is idle [machine] management. There’s a lot of untapped potential there. We did a random test on a wheeled loader that we fitted with a makeshift stop-start system. Just through its normal day-today operation, we found it was running idle 30-45% of the time. If you work out the wasted fuel and unnecessary emissions, they [its owner] could have gained 15-20% fuel economy by turning the engine off.” Harsin said that from a Cummins perspective, the US off-highway machine engine giant’s role is converting energy into power and having a portfolio of

Sustainability approach Speaking about Volvo Construction Equipment’s approach to sustainability, Amann said: “Our overall purpose is ‘Building the world we want to live in’ – which I think is a great purpose. I think it makes people go to work not only for their salary.” Grimm added: “Sustainability is indistinct from Trimble as a company. For us, we want to drive productivity and efficiency gains that we want to see in society. As a technology company, we have the opportunity to focus on what Jeremy and Henrik were talking about, like driving productivity and efficiency today and finding innovations to do that even more in the future. “If you look at how society has evolved in the last few hundred years, it has been through technological innovation. We are just past eight billion people on our planet, and technology has really driven that. What we want to help drive through productivity and efficiency gains is better business and improved profitability that drives a strong economy that helps provide the resources for a successful society with high well-being, improved wealth, health and education. That ties into how we can use those resources efficiently to ensure better biodiversity and improved ecosystems.” Asked how Volvo CE can play an even more active role in industry sustainability, Amann replied: “We have tried to do our best in this area for many, many years. We have had environmental protection as a core value for 50 years. We have signed up for the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) and see the value of having a good [environmental] plan for the future.” Addressing much in resources Cummins is putting into its sustainability initiatives, Harsin said: “I don’t have a dollar amount, but my generic answer would be a lot. We continue to invest more and more in advanced diesel solutions. We expect there will be more legislative hurdles to overcome in the next five to eight years, depending on which market you’re talking about. There has been quite a lot of media coverage of our fuel-agnostic

OUR OVERALL PURPOSE IS ‘BUILDING THE WORLD WE WANT TO LIVE IN'

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SUSTAINABILITY

IT IS ABOUT TRUST AND WORKING TOGETHER WITH CUSTOMERS AND PARTNERS strategy as we move towards being greener in an affordable way. One of the big challenges is scalability and how you find scale on some components when the market is only ready to adopt in niches. We think fuel-agnostic [off-highway engines] is a really good bridge product and maybe even a long-term one.” Harsin said Cummins had invested a lot of money in recent years in acquisitions of companies offering different technologies. “We acquired a battery company, and a year or two later, we acquired a company specialising in electric drivelines. After that, we invested in a hydrogen technology company to get hydrogen fuel cells and hydrogen electrolysers, Most recently, we entered a joint venture with NPROXX, which makes hydrogen storage tanks. We’re making investments to cater for what we think is going to be the long-term future for our industries. The good thing is that most of these solutions are complimentary so that you can share components.” Highlighting Trimble’s sustainability-based resource allocation, Grimm said: “if you look at how we were founded, sustainability has always been at our core. Our technologies have always been driving productivity and efficiency gains. What’s interesting is that in our sectors, people have often said that they had not recognised that as ‘sustainability’. They see it, say, as just wanting a way to reduce fuel use rather than being what it is, which is a core part of sustainability. As such, much of our investment in improving sustainability is linked to reinforcing our continued product portfolio.” Grimm said Trimble’s Connect and Scale approach ties in with Harsin’s comments on there not being one solution or specific idea to improve sustainability and that everyone needed to be “all in” on this. He continued: “I think market forces will drive this, and so we want to make sure everyone is thinking about how to drive carbon emissions down. Through our Connect and Scale approach, we are trying to connect the entire construction industry to drive the productivity and efficiency gains from an individual work site to how the whole industry works together.

“Construction [sustainability] overall starts with design. You work with architects to make sure you’re designing things with lower embodied carbon and lower long-term operational carbon. The second piece is having site management optimised, so you’re reducing the amount of emissions from the site and the amount of site rework and waste. Lastly, you need construction fleet operators to push machine manufacturers to ensure we’re making machines that reduce embodied and operational carbon. Fleet operators can also manage their assets longer term by scheduling maintenance and repairs and thinking about replacement rates. The longer you manage an asset, the lower long-term carbon emissions you have.” Grimm said Trimble had been working with construction companies, including Ecovie in Italy, that has been using a Wirtgen cold recycling system to reuse asphalt in road reconstruction works. He also cited how Cummins and other leading global off-highway engine makers had done a great long-term job of increasing power production with lower fuel use, thus boosting sustainability. “We do that, too, with our technology. It’s in our DNA. What we need to do is to work better collaboratively to drive sustainability as a whole industry.” Industry-wide solutions Asked whether OEMs were actually working together to find construction and quarrying industry-wide sustainabilityenhancing solutions, Grimm replied: “I think we are. I’ve met with several of Jeremy’s and Henrik’s colleagues at meetings of industry associations, and we’ve all found that the sectors we work in all want to talk about sustainability and work together more to understand the solutions, including helping to drive [governmental and industry] policies that can deliver a more sustainable future. I think we have to get much better as an industry in measuring our carbon emissions and sharing that information. Once you can measure something, you can manage and start to reduce it.”

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SUSTAINABILITY

On the same topic, Amann said: “It is about trust and working together with customers and partners to develop things together. Customers are eager to get new types of equipment that support their targets of being CO2 emissions-free. As well as committing to the SBTi targets, Volvo CE also aims to have 35% of its equipment range electric-powered by 2030. We have a huge commitment to sustainability.” Commenting on the growth in battery-electric-powered construction and quarrying equipment available to customers globally, Harsin said: “Everybody believes battery-electric equipment will find its place. Where the line gets drawn on any given type of equipment is probably the biggest debate point. You need to think about how much energy you need onboard to get the job done. It’s very different to what we’ve talked about in the past when it comes to how you power a product. For us, in some markets, we’re talking about natural gas and different alternative fuels. But from an off-highway perspective, the talk is diesel, diesel-battery-electric, and hydrogen, either in a combustion engine or fuel cell form. Many OEMs offer hybrid installations, and we participate in that as a components supplier.” Grimm added: “What we are seeing is customers not wanting to put all their eggs in one basket. Equipment powering choice can be site specific. Certain locations work well for battery-electric-powered equipment as the power grid supply is nearby. Other places are more remote, so require different power options. You need a kind of ‘pointy pencil’ analysis: within the lifespan of these kinds of projects, we need to make a selection of equipment incorporating different powertrain options.” “It also depends on where in the world you are,” said Amann. “Different countries offer different opportunities when it comes to powering your equipment. It also depends on the type of equipment you’re running. An excavator may be able to be connected to the electric power grid, but that doesn’t suit your articulated haulers that are travelling over longer distances. It also depends on which segment you are working in, such as quarries or road construction.” Harsin said it was important for construction and quarrying industry customers to think “thoughtfully” and “carefully” about

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powertrain choices for their equipment. “Diesel has been a really convenient power source for a long time. It has kind of spoiled us when you think how complicated some of the other power sources are. You spec an engine based on your peak power demand, and it is easy with the fuel onboard to do a day or a couple of days' job. When you look at some of the alternative power technologies, you need to be a lot more thoughtful about what you actually need to do the job. There are a lot of trade-offs that come with that, such as cost, operation, serviceability and environment. “From an OEM’s perspective, a lot of the conversations we have with customers are like, “Okay, you have an excavator, wheeled loader or another piece of equipment, and it’s so big, and you ask, ‘How much run time do they need?' the first answer, generically, is ‘a full shift’. Then you must consider whether a full shift is eight, ten, or only four hours. From a battery-electric perspective, there will need to be much more power onboard if you want the equipment to work a longer shift. That will also impact cost and charge time. From a hydrogen power perspective, it comes down to how much you can pack onboard that piece of equipment, and the packaging would be more challenging than it is for diesel-powered equipment.” Long-term answers Asked about the timescale for the widespread introduction of alternative power solutions for construction and quarrying customers, Harsin said: “I think there are what I call site-centric applications today where you have a [industrial] population that’s lived there its whole life and is big enough to drive some financial sense to introduce charging infrastructure locally. They will be early and faster adopters. Others working in a more nomadic way are going to lag behind that. From our side, I think a lot of the solutions are going to come in the hydrogen space as we tend to work with larger equipment, where the power demands are higher. In many places, hydrogen fuel cell and combustion engine power will be the long-term answer.”

IF YOU PUT THE RIGHT DATA IN PEOPLE’S HANDS, THEY WILL DO A GREAT JOB OPTIMISING IT

SUSTAINABILITY

“Like Volvo CE, Trimble has signed up to the Science Based Targets initiative, and thousands of other companies worldwide have done the same,” said Grimm. “Our economy overall is now tied into incentives for reducing carbon emissions. Cummins, Volvo CE and Trimble are all technology innovators. I’m an economist by training, and back in the day, economics was labelled the ‘dismal science’ as people thought we’d run out of resources. But technology innovation and the green revolution are proving the likes of Thomas Malthus [English economist - 1766-1834] wrong. We’re just at the beginning of this in terms of quantifying and supplying data to people, connecting the digital and physical worlds. If you put the right data in people’s hands, they will do a great job optimising it. We have a bright future ahead of us, and we all hope to scale up what we do faster.” Harsin said greater data availability will bring to light many things that construction and quarrying customers were not thinking about before, thus boosting their sustainability. “It will help focus customers on how and when they might bring older equipment up to newer spec, and, as I said earlier, with their idle machine management. Part of the challenge we have had is, how do you convince people of the value of that? In a lot of cases, it’s seen as just another thing to have to deal with. “If you look at what we’ve [Cummins] done over the course of the last three to four emissions changes, you’re talking 5-8% fuel economy benefits in one, another 5% in the next, 3% in the one after, with more coming down the line. If all of a sudden, I’ve also then got a fleet report for all my equipment, and it shows its vintage and how much fuel I burn, it is probably a short trip from there to see how I can monetise the value of upgrades.” “You can save a lot of fuel by educating drivers to drive their machines in an efficient way,” said Amann. “We have also started with select customers producing machines using fossilfree steel, which is coming from the other way in protecting the environment.”

EVERYBODY BELIEVES BATTERY-ELECTRIC EQUIPMENT WILL FIND ITS PLACE standpoint, there’s a tremendous opportunity. We did

Autonomous equipment operation In responding to a question about how autonomous equipment operation can benefit the construction and quarrying industry, Amann said: “I don’t think all machines are suited to it. Finding drivers can be tricky in some markets, and different types of automation can support their work. We have solutions like Dig Assist [for excavators - powered by the in-cab Volvo Co-Pilot tablet], Terrain Memory [a feature of the intelligent Volvo drivetrain that identifies and remembers slippery road segments to ensure optimised articulated hauler traction control and off-road mobility], and Cruise Control [also for ADTs]. There are also opportunities we are looking into around 5G connectivity. You can have a driver sitting hundreds of miles away driving a machine in a challenging place, like a mine or a forest.” From a Trimble perspective, Grimm added: “There are two aspects of automation-linked sustainability that we believe are very important. One is safety. In the long-term future, as we start to see some equipment that is operatorless, you will end up not having a cab. A lot of injuries onsite are from getting in and out of machines. As you remove the need to do this, you’ll have fewer injuries. Then, from a carbon reduction

a study over the past year whilst trying to prove how productivity and efficiency gains drive sustainability of three compactors: one with an experienced operator; one with an inexperienced operator; and one with no operator that was auto steering – driving itself. We found a 15-30% efficiency improvement over those operators, which also equates to a 15-30% reduction in carbon emissions. This was largely because when you use auto steering, you can reduce [compaction] overlap.” Grimm said that Trimble is seeing in the US and other parts of the world construction and quarrying customers having to get “smarter” on understanding their carbon footprint and how to reduce it. “Whomever they’re building for is starting to demand it, like a federal agency or another client who wants to see a report on their carbon emissions and how they intend to reduce it compared to other contractors. Work that used to be quantified and won on price has a carbon emissions equation going into a competitive bid. As we start to quantify carbon emissions through carbon counting, I think a big trend that is going to be seen in this industry is going to be around carbon insets and offsets. How do you work around a building or piece of infrastructure, from its design to long-term operation? “We will see more and more companies joining the Science Based Targets initiative, and more and more federal agencies in different countries requiring us and our customers to be thinking more about our carbon net zero feature.” Commenting on green [renewable energy-based] hydrogen power as part of the off-highway equipment carbon emissions reduction mix, Harsin said: “It is something we are investing in and believe it will have a critical role to play in the future of the medium- and heavy-duty equipment market that we serve. My earlier references to our acquisitions in this area put us in a good position.” “The problem for our industry has been how to store electricity near the work site. There are opportunities around that with hydrogen fuel cell electricity generation to run construction equipment. Green hydrogen can also allow us to produce more fossil-free steel,” said Amann, adding: “It’s been really nice to sit here today with Cummins and Trimble and discuss our common view on making a better world to live in. We have an opportunity to do something good for future generations.”

www.AggBusiness.com

GET SET FOR CONEXPO-CON/ AGG 2023!

Welcome to the Aggregates Business magazine preview of the CONEXPO-CON/AGG 2023 exhibition. Over the next 8 pages, we will highlight all the key product launches and North American debuts during what promises to be an action-packed, must-attend event

CUMMINS SHOWCASING FUEL-AGNOSTIC PLATFORM Cummins is highlighting its new fuel-agnostic 15-litre engine platform with hydrogen, biogas and advanced diesel engines. It offers OEMs the opportunity to accelerate the decarbonisation of heavy-duty, off-highway applications. This new platform, designed for the next level of emissions, has a signiﬁcant increase in power density with a more compact installation envelope, enabling OEMs to increase machine capability and productivity with no impact on running costs. The fuel-agnostic architecture of the 15-litre next-generation

engine utilises a common base engine with cylinder heads and fuel systems speciﬁcally tailored for hydrogen, natural gas, diesel and biofuels, including HVO (hydrotreated vegetable oil). The 15-litre hydrogen engine will be available with ratings from 400 to 530hp and a peak torque of 2600Nm. For applications powered by renewable biogas, this engine will offer ratings from 400 to 510hp with a peak torque of 2500Nm available. The advanced diesel-version features will offer a broad power range of 450 to 650hp, with an impressive 3200Nm peak torque. Cummins www.cummins.com

MATEC INDUSTRIES S.p.A. Via Aurelia Ovest 383, 54100 Massa (MS), Italy WhatsApp: +39 335 5687581 Phone: +39 0585 8365 Email: matec@matecindustries.com

www.matecindustries.com

Introducing our Twin Frecciarossa - Stand C22929 CONEXPO CON/AGG is North America’s largest construction fair and the premier event connecting professionals from all major construction industries. Held every three years, CONEXPO CON/AGG takes the construction industry to a higher level, helping professionals elevate their expertise in the industry by experimenting with the latest equipment and products through demonstrations and training. Matec has decided to strengthen its presence in the American market, where it has been present since 2012 with a sales office and a warehouse in North Carolina. We look forward to seeing you on Stand C22929, where, following the bauma exhibition, we are presenting our latest technological innovation in the filtration segment, the Twin Frecciarossa, a 2-in-1 filter press that allows you to achieve unprecedented performance with the reliability and guarantee of a product created to reduce maintenance and downtime.

SEE US AT STAND C22929

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CONEXPO-CON/AGG SHOW PREVIEW

FPT Industrial showcases its full range of construction www.fptindustrial.com equipment engines at CONEXPO 2023 FPT Industrial S.p.A. Via Puglia 15 - 10156 Torino Italy press@fptindustrial.com

FPT Industrial is a brand of Iveco Group (IVG: MI) dedicated to the design, production and sale of powertrains and solutions for on- and off-road vehicles, as well as marine and power generation applications. Over 8,000 people across eleven production sites and eleven R&D centres work for FPT Industrial worldwide. A dedicated ePowertrain division is accelerating the path towards net zero-emissions mobility with electric drivelines, battery packs and battery management systems. For more information, visit www.fptindustrial.com

FPT Industrial is exhibiting its full range of Tier 4 Final and Stage V solutions for construction and industrial applications at CONEXPO 2023. Ranging from 2.8 to 16-litres, FPT engines guarantee high levels of performance along with flexibility, reliability and maximised uptime. For compact and medium applications, the F28 is a modular, highly compact engine that offers the performance of a 3.4-litre engine in a 2-litre package. The F28 has a multifuel design that shares common base components for the diesel, natural gas and hybrid versions. At CONEXPO, FPT also introduces the PowerPack version of the F28, completing its portfolio of pre-assembled, ready-to-use solutions. All FPT Industrial engines feature innovative and patented ATS technologies, delivering best-inclass efficiency and minimising downtime. The aftertreatment systems dedicated to North American Tier 4 Final standards are a non-DPF technology (the patented HI-eSCR system), while for global and cross-regional applications the integrated HI-eSCR2 system complies with the more stringent EU Stage V regulations and is dual-certified for Tier 4 Final.

SBM NOW & TOMORROW SBM Mineral Processing will showcase its JAWMAX 400 jaw crusher when the innovative Austrian crushing and screening plant maker makes its fourth appearance at the exhibition. The JAWMAX 400 on show features one of the most advanced diesel-electric drive concepts on the market. A combination of fuel-efficient onboard diesel and performancetuned generator powers the plant’s materials processing. SBM’s mobile plant range comprises 12 track-mounted JAWMAX jaw crushers and REMAX impact crushers, capable of 250 – 800tph production. The plant range shares the same innovative drive concept, with fewer hydraulics ensuring less risk of failure, lower maintenance and parts inventory costs, and thus higher availability, says SBM. Overall savings from running the plants can, says the OEM, be 40% to 75%. SBM will also update

showground attendees about the brand-new REMAX 600. Based on the SBM hybrid concept, the new 600tph impact crusher will soon pave the way for "autonomous crushing", says the manufacturer. Extensive sensor technology, including cameras, records and evaluates the feed material as well as intermediate and end products. In real-time, those values reach centralised digital labs at SBM, where they are further analysed. Necessary adjustments are then made on the ‘digital twin’ of the working machine and re-transmitted directly to the REMAX 600 in the field. The REMAX 600 – known as ‘Crusher 4.0 – developed together with the University of Leoben was presented at the recent bauma 2022 Munich exhibition. Largescale field tests are currently being carried out at selected partner sites. SBM www.sbm-mp.at

SEE US AT

F28 HYBRID

F28 POWERPACK

SOUTH HALL, 2ND FLOOR BOOTH: S-83941

N67 POWERPACK

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CONEXPO-CON/AGG SHOW PREVIEW

Rokbak Newhouse Industrial Estate Motherwell ML1 5RY info@rokbak.com

Rokbak.com SOLID AS A ROKBAK At Rokbak, there’s one thing we value more than anything else: Reliability. We’ve built our whole business on it. From brutal heat to biting cold, our articulated haulers are trusted to perform in the toughest conditions around the world. This reliability comes in two sizes: with payloads of 28 (RA30) and 38 (RA40) metric tonnes.

KEESTRACK R5E IMPACT CRUSHER DEBUTS IN AMERICAS Keestrack's new R5e impact crusher is making its Americas debut. The completely newly designed R5e is a fully electric plug-in. It also has a plug-out connection to power additional equipment. The impactor used in aggregates production, recycling, quarrying and mining can be powered via mains connection or any genset unit, in case there is no connection to the grid available. The R5e can process up to 400 tonnes of material per hour and is very mobile and transportable in one piece. The double-deck pre-screen (7'x3') is said to ensure perfect screening. The material can be stockpiled by side conveyors or via the crusher bypass. The impact crusher with an inlet opening of 31" x 41" (HxW) is driven by a 200kW electric motor and drives the rotor, with a width of 39" (1.000mm) and a diameter of 50", with an extremely high mass

moment of inertia, giving high productivity and stability. The two-deck precision screen, 15'7" x 5', can be placed in a closed circuit. The R5e has a drop-off engine/genset which can go either on the machine's chassis or the machine, connected with a power cable. Placed in a less dusty and vibrant environment, it functions as a backup when no connectivity to the grid is available. Connecting several machines to a single dropoff engine/genset results in huge savings, as there is only one engine/genset to run and maintain. Maintenance is also safer and easier when the engine is placed at ground level. The R5e uses, on average, 173kW when powered fully electric or around ten gal/hour (40l/h) when driven via the dropoff diesel engine/genset. keestrack www.keestrack.com

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As a member of the Volvo Group, exceptional quality is at the heart of everything we do. We make machines that will fuel your profits, year after year.

Rok’ up to CONEXPO For the first time ever at a North American tradeshow, Rokbak haulers will be on display at CONEXPO at booth F8926, together with Volvo Group. The Scottish articulated hauler manufacturer is displaying both models, the RA30 and RA40, providing attendees with the chance to get up close and personal with the earthmoving machines and demonstrate exactly how they can offer grounded ‘Rok-solid’ performance stateside. With sustainability in mind, the Rokbak event booth materials are all recycled or reusable. Two 40ft customised shipping containers, presented in the recognisable Rokbak livery, will be used for meeting rooms and product information displays. Product experts will be ready and waiting to discuss the technical capabilities and key aspects of the haulers. This will be the perfect opportunity to hear about Rokbak’s latest innovations, see current options for customisation and learn directly from live demonstrations to get the most from your machine. Rokbak is set to Rok’ Las Vegas to show exactly how the brand has become a major mover in both the US and global markets.

CONEXPO-CON/AGG SHOW PREVIEW

Simex Srl Via Newton, 31-33 - 40017 San Giovanni in Persiceto BO - Italy +39 051 6810609 simex@simex.it sales@simex.it

simex.it simex-na.com simex-buckets.com simex-drumcutters.com HYDRAULIC ATTACHMENTS FOR EARTHMOVING MACHINES Over 120 models to provide solutions to the most challenging application fields: road maintenance, utilities, trenching, construction and infrastructure, tunnelling, profiling works, demolition and recycling. Simex attachments are designed and engineered to be exceptionally durable and highperforming. Our product range includes: cold planers, screening buckets, wheel saws, drum cutters, crusher buckets, granulator buckets, asphalt floats & compactors - for excavators, loaders and skid steers.

Simex is the technological partner of choice for countless applications Since 1991, Simex has designed and manufactured hydraulic attachments for the earthmoving industry. With a range of 30 products and over 120 models providing solutions to the most challenging applications: road maintenance and underground utilities; construction and infrastructure; tunnelling and demolition; recycling and waste material recovery; and agriculture and forestry. With continuous investment and a global vision proudly rooted in its history, today the company’s production plant in Italy covers a total area of 54,000m², ensuring increased stock capacity and shorter delivery times. A large amount of space is dedicated to testing equipment so as to ensure the highest quality standards. A vast demo area allows the R&D office to develop new products, simulating the various fields of application. This is all complemented by a prompt customer and after-sales service and an extensive sales network covering over 80 countries, with a branch office in Russia and, from 2021, in the US.

INNOVATION THEME FOR METSO OUTOTEC Metso Outotec is showcasing its latest innovations, technologies and offering for the aggregates industry. Special previews include the new HPe range, the next generation of the popular Nordberg HP cone crusher, offering high performance and uptime more sustainably, and a sneak peek at the future vision for the iconic Lokotrack trackmounted crushers and screens. The latest version of the Lokotrack LT120 – one of the most efficient mobile jaw crushers in the market for demanding quarry and contract crushing applications – will also be displayed. The LT120 features the proven Nordberg C120 jaw crusher and is equipped for optimised performance and extended wear life. It includes the Planet Positive hybrid composite MX jaw dies, a rock breaker, rubber lining in the feeder, a belt cleaning set for the

long main conveyor, the latest intelligent crushing solution, and the new Metrics digital remote monitoring platform. Metso Outotec’s aftermarket solutions will be a key exhibition theme. The solutions help quarries and contractors reduce cost per tonne and decrease their energy consumption and carbon footprint. With the OEM quality parts and digitally powered services, Metso Outotec can optimise the performance and uptime of aggregates-producing equipment at every phase of the production lifecycle. Metso Outotec Metrics, enabling a wide range of services targeting improved performance, availability and equipment lifespan for different aggregates applications, will also be highlighted. Metso Qutotec www.mogroup.com

SEE US AT WEST HALL, W43273

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CONEXPO-CON/AGG SHOW PREVIEW

SBM Mineral Processing GmbH Oberweis 401 4664 Oberweis Austria Phone: +43 3612 2703 0 Email: office@sbm-mp.at

www.sbm-mp.at DECADES OF EXPERIENCE SBM has been building components and plants for rock processing for over 70 years. All our know-how is in our mobile solutions for aggregates and recycling.

MADE IN AUSTRIA

ROKBAK RA30 & RA40 SET TO IMPRESS Rokbak is bringing a pair of its haulers and a strong team to show exactly how the brand has become a major mover in both the US and global markets. The Scottish articulated hauler manufacturer is making its North American tradeshow debut with its RA30 and RA40 machines. “We cannot wait to give the RA30 and RA40 pride of place on our stand,” says Paul Douglas, managing director of Rokbak. “We’re looking forward to getting as many attendees interacting with what we’ve got lined up as possible, as well as introducing people to our knowledgeable team who are keen to show off our robust and hardworking haulers.” “Rokbak is seeing huge demand for its RA30 and RA40 articulated haulers in the US,” says Robert Franklin, Rokbak’s director of sales – Americas. “The US is leading articulated hauler

demand globally with huge infrastructure spend. There is a lot of construction activity at the moment around house and road building, so we are keen to meet with customers and potential customers at CONEXPO and discuss how the RA30 and RA40 can help with these projects.” Rokbak will be showcasing its haulers and aftermarket offer alongside fellow Volvo Group companies, Volvo Construction Equipment and Volvo Penta. With sustainability in mind, the Rokbak event booth materials are all recycled or reusable. Two 40ft customised shipping containers, adorned in the recognisable Rokbak aesthetic, will be used for meeting rooms and product information displays. Following the event, these will be shipped back to Motherwell for reuse at future events. Rokbak www.rokbak.com

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In plant design and equipment, we are guided by the highest quality standards. This starts with the components used and ends with a high-quality durable finish.

CLOSER TO THE CUSTOMER Customer service and support are very important to us – also in worldwide sales. We are expanding our global network and are looking for strong dealers for the Americas, South East Asia and the Oceanic markets.

Pioneers in hybrid crushing SBM Mobiles offer you the combination of the most advanced drive concept on the market, highest production performance and intelligent operator guidance. The range includes twelve trackmounted JAWMAX® jaw crushers and REMAX impact crushers between 49,000 and 353,000lbs operating weight (max. output: 250 - 800tph). Their diesel-electric drives enable cost savings of up to 75%, guarantee high availability and improve your environmental footprint. At the booth we will display the JAWMAX 400 jaw crusher.

Crusher 4.0 Come with us into the future and learn more about our brand new impact crusher REMAX 600! With its intelligent technology, it detects feed material and end product quality, compares the values online with thousands of reference data and automatically optimises its production settings. Best results from any material, most economical operation under all conditions – the “autonomous crusher” for even more productivity.

SEE US AT SILVER LOT S5600

CONEXPO-CON/AGG SHOW PREVIEW

Keestrack America 15066 US HWY 380 W Krum TX 76249 USA

info@keestrack.net www.keestrack.com Keestrack has a strong reputation for innovative and cost-effective track mobile crushing and screening equipment with a relentless search for the best performance at the lowest cost per produced ton. Keestrack introduced its hybrid and electric plug-in solutions in mobile processing technology in 2012. At CONEXPO Keestrack are presenting an overview of their extensive product range, introducing sustainable full electric plug-in equipment backed up by a drop-off engine/gen-set. Keestrack, with its Texas based US Headquarters, will be at Conexpo with their American, Canadian and Latin American dealers.

Performance in every detail The fully electric plug-in R5e impact crusher will be introduced to the American market. The impactor can be powered via mains connection for a zero carbon footprint, or via a gen-set unit, in the event of no available connection to the grid. The R5e has a drop-off engine/ gen-set which can be placed either on the chassis of the machine or besides the machine, connected with a power cable. Being placed in a less dusty and vibrant environment maintenance is safer and easier when the engine is situated at ground level. When connecting several machines to a single drop-off engine /gen-set, it results in huge savings as there is only one engine/gen-set to run and maintain. Also on show: the H4e cone crusher in closed circuit, the award winning R3 impactor, the heavy duty B7 jaw crusher, the most mature and productive scalper on the market, the K6 and the dust suppression cannon W7.

SEE US AT CENTRAL HALL, C-31386

R5e

CATERPILLAR PREPARES FOR ITS BIGGEST-EVER SHOW PRESENCE Caterpillar will have its largestever presence at the big offhighway equipment industry exhibition's 2023 staging. The US company will highlight its latest products, services and technologies on a 6,500m2 outdoor demonstration arena. The Operator Stadium in the Expo's Festival Lot will be central to the massive display. Visitors will find new and current models and batteryelectric machine prototypes. The extensive Cat equipment display in the Festival Lot includes more than 30 machines, including model unveilings and batteryelectric model prototypes with charging stations. Visitors will see two main equipment demonstrations each day; one focused on the latest Cat Technology and one that will spotlight the company's full equipment lineup. The new Cat 950 medium wheeled loader on display offers performance and simple-to-use technologies to boost operator efficiency, increase productivity, and extend service intervals. Visitors will be treated to a preview of the Next Generation Cat 926, 930 and 938 small wheeled loaders that feature new technologies, a reimagined operator environment and extended service intervals. Caterpillar Industrial Power Systems Division will exhibit

in booth S84329 in the South Hall a wide and rapidly growing portfolio of high-efficiency Cat industrial power solutions. The exhibit includes the unveiling of a new high-power internal combustion engine, as well as the leading-edge lithium-ion battery technologies under development. Engines on display, such as the C3.6 IPU, C7.1 and C9.3B, meet Stage V and Tier 4 Final emission standards and are compatible with biodiesel up to B20 and hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO) to EN15940. The new Cat Central app is the latest tool for access to genuine Cat parts and support. Another new servicerelated solution is the new Cat SIS2GO app which helps with maintaining, troubleshooting and repairing Cat equipment. Both apps are available on Windows, iOS and Android platforms. The Caterpillar Technology Hub in the Festival Lot will offer attendees the ability to experience a range of new and existing Cat technologies – VisionLink, Cat Command, VisionLink Productivity, Cat Detect, Cat Grade and Cat Payload. Caterpillar SMEs will be on hand to assist each customer in finding a scalable solution designed to fit the business's needs and budget. CAT www.cat.com

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CONEXPO-CON/AGG SHOW PREVIEW

MATEC HIGHLIGHTS WORLD’S BIGGEST FILTER PRESS Matec will have an impressive display showcasing its eyecatching ‘Twin Freccia Rossa’ – the world’s biggest filter press. A prototype of the striking machine was shown at bauma in Munich, Germany (24-30 October 2022). The first fullproduction, 50m-long, up to 380-plate and 600 t/h machine was subsequently snapped up by a Turkish iron ore mining customer. The Italian company says its innovative machine combines the efficiency of two machines into a single product with exceptional performance, offering faster sludge feeding and cake discharge time. The patented Twin Freccia Rossa is said to reduce customers’ operating costs and allows production to continue during maintenance times. Featuring a single conveyor belt, feeding point, silo decanter, supporting structure, homogeniser tank, high-pressure

10-16-21-30-bar technology, a protective shell for the oleodynamic unit and piston, and four-point cloth washing, the cutting-edge filter press can be equipped with 25mm to 50mm standard or membrane plates. “All our customers are asking us for two filter presses in one machine,” said Matec Industries CEO Matteo Goich during bauma 2022. “We started work on Twin Freccia Rossa around a year ago and the customer who will operate the first full-sized version of this new filter press already has one of our washing plants and six of our filter presses.” Matec plans to open a new office on the US West Coast by the end of 2023, enabling the company to strengthen longstanding dealer relationships and attract new dealers, widening its reach across the North American continent. Matec Industries www.matecindustries.com

Metso Outotec 2715 Pleasant Valley Road York PA 17402 USA Phone +1 (717) 843 8671

www.mogroup.com NORDBERG® HP CONES: EVOLUTION IN MOTION The most popular cone crusher in the world is undergoing an evolution. The new Nordberg® HPe range is even more efficient, built to meet the increasing performance needs of the aggregates and mining industries. This offers maximised performance and uptime whilst minimising environmental impact.

THE ICONIC LOKOTRACK® RANGE Lokotrack® track-mounted crushers and screens are famous for their outstanding performance and dependability. At CONEXPOCON/AGG, we are showcasing the newest version of the Lokotrack® LT120, one of the most efficient mobile jaw crushers in the market.

World-famous products, dependable solutions For every production challenge, there is a solution – when you have the right partner. Metso Outotec has been delivering solutions for demanding aggregate applications worldwide for over 150 years. You can count on our dependable products and industry experts to further enhance your operations. Our comprehensive portfolio covers crushers, screens, feeders, track-mounted and wheelmounted units, stationary plants and related digital solutions. Metso Outotec equipment and parts are built to last and are backed by reliable service and support, giving us the unique ability to elevate customers’ business to a whole new level. At CONEXPO-CONAGG 2023, visit the Metso Outotec booth to see a sneak peek at the future vision of the next generation of Lokotracks, which will continue to transform and revolutionise mobile crushing. Whether you run a large quarry or a construction contracting business, we take your business personally. Get in touch today and learn how to optimise your operation!

SEE US AT CENTRAL HALL, C32231

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CONEXPO-CON/AGG SHOW PREVIEW

Cummins Inc. 301 Jackson Street, Columbus IN 47201 USA

www.cummins.com

Cummins, a global power leader, is a corporation of complementary business segments that design, manufacture, distribute and service a broad portfolio of power solutions. The company’s products range from diesel, natural gas, hydrogen, electric and hybrid powertrains, and powertrain-related components including filtration, aftertreatment, turbochargers, fuel systems, controls systems, air handling systems, automated transmissions, electric power generation systems, batteries, electrified power systems, hydrogen generation and fuel cell products.

Cummins fuelagnostic engine platform capability comes to CONEXPO Cummins will showcase its new fuel-agnostic, 15litre engine platform with hydrogen, biogas and advanced diesel engine capabilities at CONEXPO, Stand S84615, south hall upper. This Cummins platform offers OEMs the opportunity to accelerate the decarbonisation of heavy-duty off-highway applications. The new range from Cummins has significantly increased power density than previous generations and a more compact installation envelope, enabling OEMs to increase machine capability and productivity with no impact on running cost. The 15litre hydrogen engine will be available with ratings from 400-to-530hp and a peak torque of 2600Nm. For applications powered by renewable biogas, this engine will offer ratings from 400-to-510hp with a peak torque of 2500Nm available. The advanced diesel version features a broad power range of 450-to-650hp, with an impressive 3200Nm peak torque.

SEE US AT SOUTH HALL UPPER STAND S84615

KOMATSU HIGHLIGHTS ELECTRIC OFFERING Komatsu is showcasing its latest electric equipment alongside brand-new and recently introduced machines. The Japanese quarrying and construction manufacturer will be in booth W42044 and its theme for the show will be 'Creating value together'. With the right products, latest technologies, actionable data and dealer support, Komatsu says it helps its customers create value to help achieve their visions for productivity, efficiency, sustainability and safety. A sampling of Komatsu machines that will be on show include: the PC210E (with Smart Construction Retrofit) electric excavator; PC900LC (with Smart Construction Retrofit) excavator; HB365LC-3 (with Smart Construction Retrofit) hybrid excavator; D71PXi-24 intelligent dozer; HD465-8 mechanical haul truck; PC230F-11 processor; PC360iLC-11 intelligent excavator; and the WA600-8 wheeled loader. To showcase tools that support operation optimisation, Komatsu will address a sustainability/electrification roadmap, technology implementation, and workforce

optimisation. Komatsu says it will demonstrate how its machines and solutions can help its customers: optimise fleet capabilities; extend the life/ improve the value of machines; operate with safety as a priority and reduce employee downtime; leverage the latest technology to improve efficiencies and productivity; conserve resources and reduce fuel consumption; upskill and retain employees and use them in the most productive ways through leveraging the right training and latest technologies. Komatsu will also showcase its smart quarry solutions that are designed to help customers understand, visualise and optimise their job sites. Job site studies provide customers with customised, detailed data that may help them meet or even exceed their production targets. Solutions such as Smart Quarry Site take it a step further with continual production monitoring aimed to help increase efficiency, improve production and maintain a high level of performance. Komatsu www.komatsu.com

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FOR A FULL LIST OF EVENTS VISIT WWW.AGGBUSINESS.COM/DIARY | EVENTS

2023 These dates were correct at the time of going to press, but please note that the COVID-19 pandemic means some events may be rescheduled with little advance notice

MARCH

JUNE

SEPTEMBER

10-12: B2W User Conference Las Vegas, NV Organisers: B2W Software Email: vgarofalo@b2wsoftware.com https://www.b2wsoftware.com/

06-08: APEX 2023 Maastricht MECC, The Netherlands Organiser: Industrial Promotions International Tel : +44 (0) 7821 655 244 Email: max.hollick@khl.com https://apexshow.com/

20-23: BICES 2023 Beijing, China Organiser: AEM Tel: +86 (10) 67870972 Email: bob.ban@e-bices.org http://www.e-bices.org/engdefault. aspx

13-15: Plantworx 2023 Peterborough, UK Organiser: CEA Tel: +44 (0) 208 253 4517 https://plantworx.co.uk

OCTOBER

MEET THE TEAM

04-06: SIM 2023 Bordeaux, France Organisers: Exosition SIM https://www.expositionsim.com/ en/index.htm

Aggregates Business travels the globe attending conferences, events and equipment shows, keeping you informed of the latest offerings. Come and join us for a chat at any of the events below.

14-18: CONEXPO-CON/AGG Las Vegas, NV Organiser: AEM Tel: +1 (800) 867 6060 https://www.conexpoconagg.com/

MAY 02-04: UK Construction Week London ExCeL, London Organiser: Media 10 Ltd Tel: +44 (0) 20 3225 5200 https://www.ukconstructionweek. com/

AUGUST 23-26: steinexpo 2023 Homberg/Nieder-Ofleiden, Germany Organiser: Geoplan GMBH Tel: +49 7229 606 30 Email: info@geoplangmbh.de https://www.steinexpo.eu/

MARCH 2023 14-18: CONEXPO-CON/ AGG

03-07: SaMoTer 2023 Verona, Italy Organiser: Veronafiere S.p.A. Tel: +39 045 8298561 Email: customercare@samoter.com www.samoter.it/en

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ABP UNIVERSAL ASPHALT-MIXING PLANT

WHAT YOU GET WITH A RETROFIT CAN AN OLD ASPHALT PLANT MEET NEW ENVIRONMENTAL STANDARDS? In a world where environmental standards are constantly changing, asphalt producers can survive – and even thrive – with the help of a plant retrofit. A retrofit upgrades an old plant, so it meets new environmental standards – at a fraction of the cost of a new purchase. All projects are managed by the Ammann Retrofit Centre, which relies on proven processes and experienced technicians to troubleshoot any issues and ensure superior results. What can you get with a retrofit from Ammann • Increased RAP utilisation • An electrically heated bitumen tank system that is so cost effective it pays for itself in a few years

• Noise levels that are reduced up to 20 dB without an impact on daily production • An ability to use low-temperature mixes that reduce fuel usage and emissions

Contact us to arrange a free analysis to learn the best opportunities for cost-effective, environmental improvements at your plant.