Construction Mirror Article detail

India’s concrete equipment market is projected to cross $ 1,300 million by 2024, exhibiting a CAGR of 13% on account of anticipated growth in construction industry, increasing foreign investments, and rising number of smart city projects in the country. 

On the basis of value, the batching plant segment is the largest segment in India’s concrete equipment market. The growth of the segment is led by growing customer preference for high capacity and technologically advanced batching plant. Moreover, factors such as increasing number of construction projects, shorter completion time, and demand for customized solutions by end-users are further fuelling growth of this segment. Government initiatives tow

ards infrastructure development are further boosting the demand for concrete equipment in India. Some of the construction projects in the country include Smart City Mission, AMRUT, the Atal Mission for Rejuvenation of Urban Transformation, Metro Rail in urban areas, Bharatmala, and Sagarmala, among others. In addition, the government is also supporting India’s concrete equipment market by liberalizing taxation policies for the construction industry such as GST and custom duty. In 2018, the government of India reduced the GST on concrete equipment from 28% to 18%, which will help the concrete equipment manufacturers to reduce the overall cost of equipment and other operational losses.

The global Concrete Batching Plant Market is estimated to reach $3.2 billion by 2030 with an annual growth rate of 8%.

Concrete Batching Plant Market Overview: Concrete batching plant also known as concrete plant combines different ingredients to prepare concrete. The ingredients include sand, cement, rock particles, silica fumes, and water. The batching process increases the quality of concrete by removal of unwanted materials in concrete mixture. The process of concrete batching plant includes combining of concrete and other ingredients to achieve uniformity of concrete. This is process includes three methods such as random volumetric batching, volume batching, and weight batching. Concrete batching plant comprises elements such as pan concrete mixer, cement batchers, conveyors, radial stackers, bins, heaters, chillers, cement silos, batch plant control, and dust collectors. Concrete batching plant mixes the concrete in proper ratio as compared to the on-site concrete mixing plant. The mixture of chemical admixtures and hydration increases workability, durability and strength of concrete. In growing economies such as India, China, and Brazil, continuous development of the construction sector offers lucrative growth opportunities for the concrete batching plant market. However, concrete batching plant is not affordable for small or midsize projects, as it needs large investment and set up for its installation. This factor hinders the growth of the global market for small sized construction projects. New innovations such as advanced computerized systems like automatic weighing system, chillers, conveyors, and heaters are expected to fuel the demand for the concrete batching plant market during the forecast period The global concrete batching plant market is segmented on the basis of product, end-user industry, and region. On the basis of type, the market is classified into stationary concrete batching plant and mobile concrete batching plant. Based on end-user industry, it is categorized into residential constructions and nonresidential constructions. Region wise, it is analyzed across North America, Asia-Pacific, Europe, and LAMEA. The concrete batching plant market is expected to grow significantly over the coming years as more businesses look towards this efficient and economical solution for their concrete needs. This growth can be attributed to increasing government investments in infrastructure projects around the world, rise in demand for ready-mix concrete, and technological advancements in the industry. Governments across the world are investing heavily in infrastructure projects such as road construction, bridge and dam building which require a large quantity of concrete. This has driven the Concrete Batching Plant market forward as more companies look to acquire these efficient solutions for their needs. In addition, technological advancements have also improved the efficiency of Concrete Batching Plants. Companies can now produce larger volumes of high quality concrete using less energy input than before. Automation is being used increasingly to reduce labor costs and increase productivity while maintaining quality standards. All these factors have contributed towards making Concrete Batching Plants a viable choice for businesses looking to cut costs without compromising on quality. As Concrete Batching Plants become more popular, the Concrete Batching Plant Market is expected to surge in growth. This will create numerous opportunities for businesses to benefit from these efficient and cost effective solutions. With increasing government investments and technological advancements continuing to take place, this market is likely to experience strong growth over the coming years.

Concrete Batching Plant Market:Region-wise Outlook

Asia Pacific is anticipated to lead the global market for concrete batching plants over the projected period, followed by Europe, North America, and other regions, according to the market’s regional segmentation. The need for concrete batching plants is anticipated to increase soon as a result of the growing infrastructure investments in developing nations like China and India. Another factor driving the demand for infrastructure development and, in turn, the expansion of the Asia Pacific concrete batching plant market is the extremely rapid population increase in China and India. Every year the construction process keeps on modifying itself to meet the expectations of the customers. Everyone wants the project to be completed before the time. Preparing ready mix concrete on the construction site is a time-consuming process. You can eliminate your construction cost by using a concrete batching plant for your project. Each load of concrete is produced on-site. The production and delivery are done in minutes when we use a concrete batching plant. Adjust your concrete production as per the requirements and get the most out of it.

There are several benefits that the concrete batching plant has to offer to construction workers:

• The compact structure in the tailor hanging unit focused on the process of concrete production.

• The concrete batching plant occupies a small space, and the transfer movement is beneficial.

• Concrete batching plants can be controlled manually and automatically. The operation is straightforward and easy.

• The manual machine interface is easy to understand and has reliable work execution.

• The industrial computer framework can be controlled manually and automatically. As a result, Operation is straightforward and easy.

• Due to several advantages of concrete batching plants, it is widely used in building construction services.

Significance of Concrete Batching Plant

The significance of a concrete batching plant cannot be undermined. The capacity of the plant is measured in cum per hour. The capacity depends on several factors:

• Charging

• Mixing

• Discharge Time of each mixture

The main purpose of using a concrete batching plant is to produce homogenous and uniform concrete. The plant must produce concrete consistently in batches one after the other in the same proportions. The most important function performed by this plant is that it coats the aggregates with cement. Some aggregates need consistent mixing with cement, and water in those case additives may be added. Sometimes there is a need to mix admixtures and fibers as per the job. The mixture should be as per the set recipe and is easy to produce, transport, and place. The material is set and hardened to produce a durable concrete structure. If you want to build strong buildings, you can hire the best building construction services in your area. Places where Concrete Batching Plant is used There are several places where the concrete batching plant is used in construction Projects:

• The horizontal Concrete Mixing Plants are used in small and medium-sized cities

• The mobile concrete plants are suitable for small projects with inconvenient transport and narrow roads

The vertical concrete mixing plants are used in large industries and material supply bases. Categories of Concrete Batching PlantsThe journey of concrete is quite fascinating. Before concrete, mud was the commonly used construction material. With the advent of cement, construction experts were able to create a construction material that was strong, workable, cost-effective and reliable. The mixture of aggregates, cement and water was just superb. For many years, construction workers kept preparing the concrete on the site manually. But, when the demand for concrete for the big construction projects arose, the construction industry in Lilongwe developed concrete mixtures that were able to mix concrete on the site quickly. However, the limitations of on-site mixing resulted in the rise of automated batch mixing. And with time, the concrete mixing technology became so sophisticated that it took the form of the concrete batching plants. Both the on-site and batching plant mixing are still used today, catering to the needs of the specific types of construction projects. Now the question is which one is better ready-mix concrete or sitemix concrete?

Here is the comparison of the ready-mix concrete with the site-mix concrete:

Accuracy and Quality

The accuracy and quality of the ready mix concrete are unmatched. Batching plants prepare the concrete as per the exact requirements. The automated systems are used to mix the ingredients of the mixture. You can set the ratio of the cement to sand to aggregate to water, and the batching plant picks the exact amount of each ingredient and mixes it in the controlled environment. Batching plants can do that accurately for each batch of the concrete. That level of accuracy in measuring the ingredients in large quantities is not possible with manual mixing. Also, doing so consistently requires massive efforts and supervision.

Speed and Quantity

The speed of preparation of concrete at batching plants is one factor where on-site mixing cannot compete. Batching plants can mix concrete in large quantities. A single batch can produce a large amount of concrete. To produce the same amount of concrete manually, it takes a lot of time. Thus, for large projects where there is a need to mix the concrete fast in large quantities, ready-mix concrete beats the site-mix concrete and working with building construction services in Malawi is the best bet. However, if you need concrete in small quantities, site-mix concrete is a good option.

Storage

On-site mixing of concrete requires material to deliver to the site and storage of the material at the site. Storing tonnes of the cement on the site requires a storage house and the supervision of the storage house to ensure safety. You need to invest in the resources to store and safeguard concrete at the site. On the other hand, ready mix concrete comes prepared at the site in-readyto-use state. You just have to use the concrete. There are no storage requirements. There are no threats of vandalism.

Less wastage

If you are mixing the concrete at the site, it is hard to avoid wastage. A significant amount of raw material is lost over the period during the storage and preparation of the concrete on the site. And not just that, due to the ignorance of the staff at the site, sometimes cement bags are left unsecured at the site. That results in wastage of cement in case it rains or water used for curing seeps into the bags. With ready mix concrete, there is no fear of on-site wastage. You can avoid unnecessary wastages by choosing ready-mix concrete.

Transportation

Ready-mix concrete needs to be delivered on the site in transit mixtures. If the batching plant is far away from the site, the transportation cost of the concrete to the site increases significantly as retardants need to be added to the concrete to prevent the setting of the concrete, and also, the fuel cost adds to the final price of the concrete. With on-site mixing, there is no need to transport the concrete, but you have to transport the raw material, and also there is a need for storage. Hence, overhead costs of on-site mixing often equate to the extra cost of the transportation of ready mix concrete in the construction industry in the long run.

Differences Between Ready-Mix and Site-Mixed Concrete Both concrete types are viable in construction projects, but one may have significant advantages over the other depending on project needs.

The following table describes some advantages and disadvantages of each type of concrete:

Ready-Mix Concrete

• Delivered ready to use and less timeconsuming.

• Does not require equipment at the construction site.

• Can be delivered to multiple sites within a project.

• High-rise structures

• Does not require additional storage space for raw materials • Material waste at the site is minimal

• Consistent quality, thanks to an automated and controlled environment. • Skilled labor is required only to pour and compact the concrete.

• Concrete can be calculated as a single item.

• Requires a suitable access for the concrete mixer truck.

• Large amounts of concrete can be delivered.

• If the batching plant is located very far from the construction site, the concrete will require retardants and other admixtures to prevent setting. Transportation costs will increase, there may be quality concerns.

Site-Mixed Concrete

• Slower process due to multiple steps, formulas and the setting time.

• Requires a weight batch mixer to make concrete on-site.

• Must be mixed at the exact point of use, to avoid contamination 

• Low-rise structures

• Requires a controlled storage space, to manage and protect materials like cement and aggregates

• There is some material loss during storage and mixing

• Continuous supervision is for consistency among batches. Setting time may vary due to inconsistency

• Requires more man-hours to prepare concrete at the project site.

• Materials must be estimated individually, and their purchase must be planned separately

• Requires space for material storage and batch mixers

• Mixing large amounts of concrete on-site is difficult

• Requires the transportation of all materials and mixing equipment to the construction site.

So this is the basic comparison of the readymix concrete with site-mix concrete. Ready-mix concrete tends to be better for many projects, in spite of its higher cost. Ready-mix concrete offers a higher quality, and variation between batches is minimal when concrete is prepared in a plant environment. Another key factor is the project’s location: transportation requirements partially determine which type of concrete is more suitable for a project. Ready-mix concrete is normally recommended for large projects that require a high volume. On the other hand, site mixing is a better option for small projects and renovations, where the concrete volume is smaller. There is no doubt ready-mix concrete is a better option than site-mix concrete in many aspects. However, it is best to evaluate both the options before making the final decision.