Puzzolana Group: Increasing Operational Efficiencies
What will Puzzolana display at bauma Conexpo India 2023?
The focus at bauma this year will be on M-sand, aggregates, railway ballasts for freight corridor projects and high-speed trains, and also on developing the Northeast markets. We will display our plants with recently introduced automation and SCADA-based systems, which will economize cost of operation and also monitor the plants’ productivity. We will also showcase our strong presence in the markets of North India and the Northeast regions.
At Puzzolana, we are gearing up for 100% in-house availability of castings (foundries), Machining, Fabrication, and Assembly (except for readymade brought outs like bearings, motors etc). We are also expanding our stock points and service centers across India through our own and dealer network.
As a company we are also responsible for reducing pollution and following sustainable practices. We are ensuring dust encapsulation to prevent pollution through dust and create a more eco-friendly environment. Most of our machines are operated with grid power but at remote sites (where there is no power availability) we use diesel generators. We are therefore encouraging our suppliers to provide alternative power sources. Plus, our plants and machineries do not produce any wastage.
What improvisations is Puzzolana making in its machines to enhance their performance while keeping operational costs low for customers?
We are making many improvisations in our machines to improve their operating hours, increase their life, and reduce maintenance. To cater to the increasing demand for crushed aggregates, we are developing bigger sized, more productive crushers, and bigger screens and feeders. These machines will be more efficient, will need less manpower, and their overall cost/ton of production will come down.
To meet the increasing demand for bigger secondary crushers of +400 tph, we have added a new cone crusher. To improve the life of wear parts (especially when they are exposed to abrasive ores like quartzite) we have studied the wear and tear pattern and profile of Jaw Plates and Cone Liners of the plants, and have accordingly developed specific designs to suit the applications.
What consultancy and value-added services are you offering your customers?
Puzzolana’s aim is to become a ‘Solution Partner’ by helping customers with value-added services so that they can focus on their construction business with a cap on their crushing cost. Our aftersales services include:
Pre-Order Support: We study the site condition and recommend a layout for storing the best, the most maintenance-friendly, and the most frequently required spare parts. By testing the ore samples, we can arrive at the wear life of the parts and accordingly recommend the minimum steel casting specifications. This helps the customer to arrive at a cost/ton of production.
Parts Contract: Based on the above, we can commit to, or limit the cost/ton of spares’ consumption; anything above this will be put on the account of Puzzolana. We also make a commitment on our plants’ availability and for training customers’ operations team for optimum utilization of the plants.
Maintenance Contract: We ensure that parts are available at customers project site. We offer supervisory services for maintenance of plant, change of parts, etc so that our plants have maximum uptime and perform as per their rated capacity We also train customers’ operators on troubleshooting.
Operation & Maintenance Contract: Under this, we ensure availability of all spare parts, periodic maintenance of our plants, labour availability, and operation of plant by our in-house team or by the sub-contractor team. We also ensure that the required quantity and size of aggregates are available for use.
Our service teams are located at almost all the crushing zones, besides Puzzolana’s regional offices, and at our associates’ locations. We have enhanced the capacity of our foundries for the wear parts, have increased the manufacturing of spare parts, and also their stock points.
Puzzolana has developed Training Programs for all its customers operators and technicians so that they can operate our machines smoothly. We train the technical personnel in the operation and maintenance of our plants and recommend them for certification by the Infrastructure Equipment Skill Council, which opens up employment opportunities for them.
How can the Government lend support to India’s Construction Equipment Industry?
The government is focusing a lot on infrastructure developments like high-speed railway projects, freight corridors, and super expressways. At the same time, it should encourage investments in housing and in BOT projects, and also attract more international funding. Providing subsidies (for example in power consumption) will encourage construction equipment manufacturers to grow their businesses.
NBM&CW JANUARY 2023
