Any customer who is looking to buy an asphalt batch mixing plants will have many questions and queries related to the purchase. A customer always desires quality. They prefer machine for sale backed up by superior service. Hence they will always have many questions in their mind before they make up their decision of the purchase. The following blog highlights important questions related to the same.
1. How are you looking to position your batch solutions as per the newer market demand scenario?
The market scenario is rapidly changing. The customer is looking for long term solutions and not short term solutions. We can say that asphalt batch mix plants are now available in every nook and corner of Ahmedabad and Mehsana. There are many small manufacturers who have come up with this product. Getting ingeniously develop a product or having a tie-up with foreign manufacturer matters only when you are able to meet the customers requirements. Not only the price has to be competitive but also the product has to be strong and durable. Even if you are alone on your own but you understand the customer and his needs well you are successful – Atlas has done exactly the same. We have worked closely with customers understanding their requirements, understood the different materials and environmental conditions. This has enabled us to design and alter our product in such a way that it is most suited for harsh Indian conditions. Having said that we don’t want to compromise on the quality and accuracy factor.
2. Why do we go with Atlas?
Any customer who is looking for a long term product with a partner who can provide long term support then Atlas is the answer. In the long run only those with quality will cross the finish line. A simple example to this is that our product is 15-30% higher priced than other manufacturers and still is it selling like hot cake. There are some manufacturers who have JV with some foreign partner but still, their product has not able to click with the customer. The reason is that they don’t have a tendency to deliver their promise. Today’s buyer is very smart. We cannot take the customer for a ride with sweet words. Ultimately the machine performing at the site making non-stop quality hot mix asphalt will put a smile on customers’ faces.
Atlas offers a wide range of asphalt mixing plants. Our smallest capacity starts with as low as 60 tph and the biggest that we offer is 260 tph. We can categorize different types as below:
EM series: 60-80 tph and 80-100 tph
ABP series: 120 tph, 160 tph, 200 tph and 260 tph
MABP series: 80 tph, 120 tph and 160 tph
EM series is the short form for EcoMix. It is a small and tiny asphalt plant for first-time contractors. The overall dimensions are smaller than the usual asphalt plant. The compact dimensions allow us to reduce the overall transportation costs. It is best suited for small to medium-sized jobs. It is also ideal for Asian and African countries where low-cost machines are preferred. However, having said that the machine does not compromise on accuracy or ruggedness factor. The equipment is designed to perform for years.
ABP is our standard version and available from 120 tph up to 260 tph. The plant is a heavy structure. It is suited for almost all conditions. Tried and tested design comes with modular structures for fast assembling. If the requirement is for a static plant for a long term job or high volumes of hot mix asphalt production then this is the answer.
MABP stands for mobile asphalt batch mix plant. Atlas has recently developed mobile asphalt mixing plant in the capacities 80 tph, 120 tph and 160 tph. It is a simple, rugged, and fully mobile plant. Best for conditions that require frequent site shifting. It offers same trust and accuracy that a stationary plant offers with the added advantage of mobility.
3. What are the recent adaptation or improvements in Atlas batch mix plants to deliver the rated output /hr. and use of RAP etc?
We have made many small improvements from the old designs that we used to manufacture. It is basically to adapt to higher aggregate moisture content. These changes/adaptions will also allow making the machine perform better than our previous design. It also allows us to make maintenance less, easy, and fast. Some of the changes allow regulating/lowering fuel emission.
Some of them are:
• Bag filters come with 3 rotors on the top for efficient cleaning.
• Mixing unit comes with planetary gearboxes on each shaft which is better for torque absorption.
• The quality of materials used for the making of liners, arms, and tips of mixing unit is best and will last longer.
• Atlas plants are famous for delivering to the rated output and not deliver 80-90% of its capacity on paper.
• Thermic oil heaters we use are with three pass system and designed by a specialized manufacturer only for Atlas. They give maximum heat transfer efficiency with the use of minimum fuel.
• We have in the past supplied plant burners that work on PNG gas both for drying drums as well as the thermic heater. This is something that is of true value to the customer.
• To date we have successfully supplied 10 asphalt batch mix plants with RAP system. We have a design that can add up to 30% RAP material. we have been one of the front runners in providing solutions to customers as far as the addition of reclaimed asphalt is concerned.
4. What are the advantages of critical components like drying drum and control panel in Atlas asphalt batching plant for sale?
Any Atlas asphalt batching plant for sale is manufactured and delivered out of precision. We have made sure that we make the critical components like a drying drum and control panel with care. These components play an important role in the success of this product. Some of the advantages are as below:
• The drying drum burners that we provide are manufactured with extreme care and it gives maximum possible fuel efficiency. We have happy customers who have saved 0.5 to 9 liter of diesel per tons compared to another brand.
• All our control panels of asphalt batch mix plant come with inbuilt SCADA. This helps us in remote troubleshooting by just sitting at our factory. Most of the small problems are solved within minutes which usually requires a technician to visit the site. This little feature is costly but is of immense value to the customer. When the customer knows that there is no extra cost for SCADA in an Atlas asphalt batch plant he knows that this is a big value addition. For us, SCADA is not an option item is it a must-have for our asphalt batch mix plants.
These are the small things that make a great product. These are the small thing that matter in the long run. Basically, when a customer joins hands with us he will get all our experience that we have gathered over more than three and a half decades.
5. Do you have plants with higher output with simple hardware and software for ease of operation? What advantage does Atlas have?
Our aim is to develop product that are high on efficiency and low complicated. If we make complicated designs and it does the same job that a simple design can do then we are fooling a customer. The simpler the machine the better it is to maintain itself. Even our higher capacity plants of 200 and 260 tph are designed on the same principle. The software is also easy to use and maintenance is easy. We want customers to handle most of the maintenance part by themselves as we are not interested to sell a lot of spare parts.
6. How are your plants positioned in compactness, ease of transportation and maneuverability?
The stationary version of the asphalt batch plant comes with all modular structures. It is a simple design where each unit can be picked up and placed in a truck on containers before moving to another site. The all the structures come with skid plates so that installation time is less.
Mobile asphalt plant by Atlas
To ease transportation and lessen the installation time we have also introduced mobile asphalt batch mix plant for our customers. One of the key feature is that this is a real mobile plant that can be installed and made to run in less than a few days. We require only 1 hydra crane for the installation of the machine. All the units are fully mobile. It is possible to attach each chassis to the kingpin of a trailer and made to run. It is the best machine for customers who want to shift sites frequently. The best part of this machine is that the hot bins and mixing unit are also of adequate capacity as per the capacity of the machine. This ensures that production is not compromised. There is also adequate space for maintenance. We can say that we have a very strong product as far as mobility is concerned.
7. What precautions you take to ensure that the asphalt mixing plant supplied is of best quality?
The first and foremost precaution that is take is to carefully choose our vendors. Out of the products offered by them we choose only the best available product. For example, a vendor may offer us 2 variations of a single product. One better but expensive and other of lesser price but less expensive. We always make sure that we go with the one which is better even though it may be expensive. The reason is that it helps us to produce quality machines. We have stringent control over all the materials that is incoming and we don’t use spurious or old materials. Cost reduction is not an option at the production stage. Even the paint that we use is of high quality. We treat all the components of Atlas asphalt mixing plants with sandblasting before they leave the factory. This ensures that each and every component will go years with good paint on it.
8. What are the requisite support services being rendered by your firm for minimum downtime and higher productivity, in conjunction with availability of a full range of components?
When we sell equipment we also educate the customer. We always tell the customer that we are beside them but they are the ones who need to take responsibility for their machine. The customer has to be aware of and full control of all the activities happening at the site.
We as a manufacturer make sure that the product leaves our factory after proper testing and after going through proper quality checks. But this is a machine and anything can go wrong. We always make sure to rectify the same and make sure that the machine is handed to the customer in the best possible manner. Another thing that we take care of is to use quality and best available brought out items. A properly engineered product with the best make of brought out items (gear, motors, electronic components, sensors, etc.) will ensure 50% of the plant’s success. The rest 50% is on how the customer makes use of the machine.
Minimize downtime of your construction equipment
Regarding downtime we always prefer that the customer has good control and report of the site. A responsible operator is key to a low maintenance machine. We can say this because we always produce a quality product. It can give superb results if maintained and used properly. As I have mentioned before the plant is with SCADA. It enables us to have control over the control panel screen of the plant for quick troubleshooting and minimum downtime. Since we have one of the biggest manufacturing units in India we have all the components ready with us for dispatch in usually 1-3 business days. We are continuously expanding and coming up with a bigger space to serve customers in a better manner. This is a clear indication of how well we are accepted and loved by customers.
