PI MAKINA of Turkey has rolled out a new mobile concrete plant with a custom-designed compact chassis that offers the benefits of a fixed concrete batching plant but can easily be transported by two tow trucks.

Available in capacities of 100 cu m and 120 cu m per hour, the plant delivers superior performance and is easy to install and hence is in great demand in the international market, says a company spokesman.

“The plant eliminates capacity losses due to the fact that the main chassis and bunker are transported on the same axle,” he says.

The bunker reservoir has a capacity of 4 by 25 cu m and the plant has a conveyor feeding system for high performance.

The plant’s special chassis design, which facilitates transportation, and easy feeding system as a result of the decreased height, has helped it surpass market expectations.

“The plant’s new design decreases transportation costs by 50 per cent and decreases mounting time by half. The 100-cu-m fixed plant can be carried by two trucks (without the silos) while similar plants on the market are carried by four or five trucks,” says the spokesman.

With its two pieces of 100 tonnes of bolted silos, the plant can be carried in four open-top containers to facilitate easy transportation to countries overseas – one truck less than what’s required by competitors’ plant on the market, the spokesman claims.

Pi Makina’s concrete batching plants include anchorages (equipment to attach the units to the ground) that are supplied by the company free of charge. The hopper, for discharging the concrete from mixer to transmixer, is made of Hardox 400 steel to prevent abrasion because of high friction.

Each part of the plant is sandblasted before painting and coating.

The batching plants are entirely painted with Hempel epoxy paints, while there is a three-layer coating process before the painting.

“All plant produced by Pi Makina are assembled in its factory and its bands, gearboxes and engines are factory tested to ensure that customers don’t face any problems on site,” the spokesman says. Also, the automation system can be accessed by using remote control devices.

All the cement silo equipment, silo top filters, cement silo screws and other accessories are produced by WAM, an Italian specialist. The gearboxes from Bonfiglioli Brevini are also of Italian origin while the engines are from Gamak, a renowned Turkish manufacturer. The automation systems are from Japan’s Mitsubishi, while all electrical panels in the automation cabin including the cables are from Schneider of Germany.

The plant also has a sensitive and accurate weighing system to ensure high precision in the batching of concrete.

The mixing arms, wear plates and mixing pallets are made with 30-mm Ni-Hard castıngs, while the internal body of the mixer is made with 24-mm Ni-Hard castıngs.

Pi Makina concrete batching plants are distributed around the world, with their popularity growing rapidly in the Middle East where it has carried out special projects in Saudi Arabia and Iraq last year.