V. Senthilkumar Managing Director, Propel Industries Limited. In an interview with B2B Purchase.

What are the products and technologies you are planning to display at Excon? 

Propel will display more than 20 equipment at EXCON 2022. We are planning to showcase our recent innovations and IoT-based solutions. Our upgrades and new launches are based on extensive market research on evolving customer needs and ways to reduce operating costs. Some of the equipment we will display at EXCON includes Dual Powered Tracks, Integrated Washing System, Track Mounted Scalper (PS 1550), Track Mounted Endurer (QM 250S), Batching Plant, and Motorised Pulley.

What are the key features of your products and solutions that make them smarter and greener? 

We constantly strive to incorporate the latest technology to make our equipment smarter and greener. Our dual-powered tracks run on both electric power and diesel. When compared to hydraulic mobile units, diesel consumption is reduced by 20 to 40 percent. This also avoids heavy maintenance associated with hydraulic units. Our washing systems, like EcoWash, use less water. We have PLC-based control systems, metal detectors, feed level sensors, and other smart technology that helps customers reduce their operating costs and increase productivity.

Please share what makes you the most preferred in the C & S business. 

PROPEL’s R & D and service are the bedrock of our success. The sharp focus on providing customers with the quickest return on investment (ROI) is what has propelled us to become the fastest growing Crushing and Screening Equipment Manufacturer in India in a very short period of time. Increasing production, optimising the operating costs, reducing maintenance costs— our R & D team is constantly striving to improve all these parameters. These are the factors that have endeared us to our customers.

Tell us about the most recent technologies and solutions you’ve implemented.How is your organisation responding to the changing client requirements? 

We have adopted the latest technologies like IoT and big data in our equipment. Our IoT architecture is driven by three goals: reducing process goals: reducing process variability, increasing productivity, and improving plant uptime. We use a data-driven proactive method to help analyse the condition of our plant and predict problems before they occur. This helps us prevent sudden outages, engine trips, etc., and reduce maintenance costs and downtime. Continuous monitoring of machines helps us analyse their performance, usage patterns and detect diagnostic alerts and warnings. We give MIS reports to customers which pinpoint areas where productivity improvements are possible. The data collected also helps our R & D team decide parameters when we upgrade our machines for better performance. We do periodic surveys to gauge evolving customer needs, upgrade existing equipment, and also launch new equipment—we are always one step ahead in our efforts to serve customers better. We have taken note of recent trends and launched higher capacity equipment. Nowadays, customers prefer 250–300 tph plants as they provide quicker ROIs. We keep track of changing customer needs and are always one step ahead in adapting and innovating to meet customer demands. 

What are your projections for the demand for crushing and screening equipment in India? 

The outlook is extremely promising for the crushing and screening equipment industry in India. The Indian government’s emphasis on infrastructure as the main driver of the economy and the goal of making India a 5 trillion-dollar economy by 2025 augur well for the future of the entire CE industry. We expect a steady rise in demand and an increase in sales of larger equipment and mobile plants. With rising fuel costs, demand for dual powered equipment (electric/diesel) will increase. They offer customers greater flexibility and lower operating costs. Track equipment will also be favoured as it is easy to move, set up and run. Customers will prefer sustainable products that help conserve water and reduce pollution as their environmental concerns grow.