Gulf Construction Online - Batching success

The Big 5 Preview

Steelfields ... to promote concrete batching plant and concrete mixers.

Batching success

01 October 2010

CONCRETE batching plant manufacturer Steelfields is looking to further boost its presence in the region, where it is planning to establish a new service centre based in the UAE.

The company, which has appointed dealers in Libya, Iraq, Oman and Kuwait, last year established a local representative office in Riyadh to enable local sales support for Saudi Arabia.

“Our agreement also covers fabrication of some of the larger batching plant components to UK/ISO design standards,” says Prentis Polhill, sales director for the UK-based company.

In a bid to create greater awareness of its capabilities, Steelfields will be at The Big 5 2010. At the show, the company aims to repeat the success it achieved following its participation at a previous Big 5 event, when it secured an exclusive marketing agreement with specialist design engineering company Infraserv OHG. This involved offering a realistic and cost-effective alternative to conventional ice plant and/or a method of producing a lower temperature concrete when combined with existing ice systems.

Steelfields has been regularly attending The Big 5 show for many years and participated in the inaugural PMV section held at the Airport Expo Centre for the first time in 2007. The following year, Steelfields took part as a major industry exhibitor at The Big 5/PMV show at the relocated pavilion adjacent to the main Big 5 event.

Although still promoting an extensive range of concrete batching plant and concrete mixers with a full static display and a digital slide show, Steelfields also took a working model of the Air-Blast container plus aggregate bin section to demonstrate the concept of chilled-air injection at the PMV.

Steelfields’ range of concrete plant now includes the containerised Major 2000, modular Major 3000, the mobile Major 60, semi-mobile SM 60, together with larger Major 90 and ‘custom-built’ specials. In addition, it offers an extensive range of concrete mixers, control systems, ‘wet’ concrete processing systems and the ‘Air-Blast’ system for temperature-controlled concrete in high ambient conditions.

Steelfields’ range of concrete mixers includes ‘SF’ turbo pan mixers, ‘SFP’ counter-flow mixers, PMS single-shaft ribbon mixers and the PM twin-shaft paddle mixers as well as larger tilting/horizontal drum mixers. The entire range of mixers starts with pan capacities of 250 litres up to the largest 12 cu yard drum.

The company has recently expanded its product portfolio with new products such as the Eurostar planetary mixers (300 litres up to 3 cu m); Bibko concrete reclaim system (RWS and ComTec units); spare parts for Pemat mixers; polyurethane wear-resistant products (sheet and moulded items); and ExSep water clarification systems.

Steelfields has successfully completed projects which entailed the supply of two SM 60 concrete plants for Premco Readymix (Abu Dhabi); and two Major 2000S concrete plants for the London 2012 Olympic Games.

Steelfields recently secured two orders for its successful SM 60 range of semi-mobile/compact plant. Both plants were sold to the Saudi Binladin Group in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The plants were dispatched from the factory in the UK and were assembled by local staff under close supervision from a factory technician.

“Each plant is fitted with a six-compartment aggregate storage bin, radial feed conveyor, ground loading hopper and a 3-cu-m high-speed ‘turbo’ pan mixer with two truckmixer loading points. A total of 1,600 tonnes of cement storage is available for both the plants. The silos were supplied and fabricated by the company’s Saudi partner utilising UK-sourced components for dust control and aeration,” says Polhill.

Both plants and silos comply with all relevant UK and European legislation, including the provision of guarding, safety interlock systems and correct access provisions to meet statutory regulations, he adds.

Steelfields manufactures a wide range of products, including concrete batching and mixing plant (mobile and conventional designs); cement/powder storage silos (mobile, horizontal and vertical designs); concrete mixers (pan, twin-shaft paddle, single-shaft paddle, drum and planetary type); automatic batch control systems plus moisture probes; wet concrete reclaim systems; silt-water processing systems; aggregate cooling systems; hot water systems; and water chillers.

With a turnover of $7 million for 2008/2009, Steelfields operates from its purpose-built factory on a 2.6-hectare site in southeast England, with strong exports to the Middle East since the early 1970s. Today, its concrete plants are used by many of the leading readymix producers in Lebanon, Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman, Saudi Arabia and the UAE.

Steelfields Limited was established as a family company in 1956 and has grown to become the UK’s leading manufacturer and exporter of concrete batching plant with over 1,800 successful installations operating in more than 55 countries.