Schwing Stetter offers batching plants from capacities of 18-240 cu.m. per hour and so we have solutions for all kinds of requirements from those of tier 3 contractors to that required by mega-projects. Its batching plants also come in various configurations including mobile (plants mounted on trailers for extreme mobility), foundationless plants for projects that require large concrete productions but without laying extensive foundations, vertical plants (the whole unit is in one integrated structure wherever space is an issue), and large structures wherever gigantic volumes of concrete are necessary.

The company has launched a 69 cu m/hour plant with a twin shaft mixer. The main advantages of this product are the reliability of in-house Stetter mixer design that produces large volumes of concrete and the fact that the plant is of a foundationless design.

Growth potential
According to VG Sakthikumar, Chief Operating Officer at Schwing Stetter India, “Cement consumption for RMC in India is little over 7 per cent at present while in developed countries it is around 70 per cent. This industry is also witnessing 25 per cent growth per annum. This coupled with the pre-cast industry in India which is also at a nascent stage ensures a bright future for this industry”.
The main factors that are driving this growth are the infrastructure, residential and various industrial projects in the country. All these projects are world-class in terms of quality and so promoters and contractors require concrete of a very high-quality and so they prefer batch-mixed to site-mixed concrete.

Popular Choice
Batching plants of all types are becoming popular. The type selected depends on the requirement of the individual contractor/project requirement. Generally in major cities, foundationless plants of about 60 cu/m concrete production capacity per hour are popular while in tier II & III cities plants till 30 cu m are popular. As far as large projects are concerned, plants with 200 cu-m/hr concrete production and above are becoming common.

Advantages
The main advantages of using batching plants include:
• High quality and uniform strength concrete output
• Saving in labour cost
• Vast reductions in wastage and can avoid material pilferage
• Huge increase in concrete production.

Challenges
The increasing popularity of batching plants has created a set of challenges for the industry, mainly the shortage of skilled and trained operators and land availability. Another challenge is customising and adapting the plants to suit Indian climate and concrete conditions for which Schwing Stetter is focusing on regular innovation and actively communicating with customers to ensure that they get the most out of their plant.