Propel incorporates the best of technologies and its design is user-friendly.

Our newly designed gyratory cone crusher can deliver more than 600 tonne per hour.

- V Senthilkumar, Managing Director, Propel Industries

Set up in 2009 to cater to the crushing and screening industry, Propel in less than a decade has rapidly risen to become one of the industry leaders with over 1200 clients across India and abroad. Consistent innovation in design, stringent quality control and excellent proactive service are some of the factors contributed to its growth. V Senthilkumar, Managing Director, Propel Industries shares his views on the growth prospects of crushing and screening industry. Excerpts from the interview…

How do you assess the impact of the pandemic on the mining / quarrying sectors?

The Covid19 pandemic has changed the dynamics of the world. However I am optimistic and see a bright road ahead for the crushing sector, both in the domestic and international markets. The demand is steadily rising due to the construction and infrastructure development projects which have been lined up. The recent policies of the Indian government have also been structured in a way to benefit the sector.

Brief us on the measures taken to support your customers during this crisis?

At Propel Industries, our focus has always been to help customers achieve better returns through quality and quantity output while reducing cost over wear and tear. This focus has now been sharpened more. We are doing everything possible to help our customers wade through these tough times.

How is digitization shaping up mobile plants and screens?

Propel Industries unveiled the world's first mobile screen of 4-deck, which is 100% electrically driven, while in working mode. It produces a better footprint in terms of emissions. Automation like single-point operations and innovative technology has made mobile screens as the first choice of customers for aggregates operations.

We have incorporated automation to measure wear of our machines so that maintenance can be planned before downtime. Feed input can also be measured and it helps maintain the desired productivity levels. Automation can also help the customers find out the reason for tripping.

What are the major challenges the industry is facing?

Firstly, certain factors must be kept in mind while designing a crushing and screening plant. The installation must meet the production requirements. The plant erection process must happen at a reasonable price despite the ever-increasing expenditure of equipment, energy and construction labour. The plant must operate at a competitive cost while also adhering to the environmental regulations.Process design, equipment selection and layout are the three main steps in designing a good crushing plant. Production requirements, capital and operational expenditure, safety and environment, project location, maintenance requirements and climatic conditions are other conditions which must be taken into account. These are the challenges that we face but we have acquired the professional acumen to overcome it and emerge successful. 

What are the latest unique features from your stable you are excited about? 

We are proud to share that Propel Industries has designed and developed a Gyratory cone crusher which can deliver more than 600 tonne per hour. The AVGC 600 model offers higher reduction ratio and higher input material size ranging from 340 mm to 450 mm. Customers can benefit from optimal crushing by utilising its large and stable feed opening, steep cavity and wider range of effective strokes, along with automated setting change. The product has a reliable hydraulic power pack and IP55 electrical panel box, which can control and monitor equipment performance using PLC solutions.

Propel's horizontal impact crusher (HSI) is the new version of the 'hammering rock' configuration. The material feed is crushed at a very high intensive impact produced by the rotations of the rotor and blow bar, attached to the rotor. The material hitting the impactor arm gets crushed further. Hydraulics-assisted impactor arm and grinding path adjustment reduces the time on setting the gap. Sideliners are made of Hardox400 steel and this provides the required wear life. It is provided with a jib crane for easy replacement of wear parts like the blow bar. Propel's HSI is suitable in processing soft and medium hard materials with its high reduction ratios. It has been designed to handle oversized rocks for higher capacity crushing, equipped with large feed opening and with heavy duty apron. 

What are the latest product solutions launched?

We have recently launched a higher capacity washing system called Prowash 250, along with a dewatering screen DW 300. The equipment is unique, easy to manufacture and assemble; modular in construction, robust, silent, and ergonomically designed for better servicing.  The washing system takes less sand to fill up the truck as it avoids packing. It is suitable for areas with limited water resources. 

How does the scenario look like with regard to production of M-sand?

One can observe that there is a demand and supply circle here. The plant owners are producing good quality manufactured sand (M-sand) which is leading to higher demand and so happens the optimisation of plants in the aggregates business. The restrictions imposed on natural river sand are also making customers shift focus to M-sand. More than 50 per cent of the demand comes from the road construction sector, followed by core construction and real estate sectors. As the emphasis on creating sustainable projects rise, the demand for quality M-sand meeting specific requirements is also set to rise. M-sand is produced with the desired particle shape, gradation and silt content with the absence of deleterious materials, by crushing and washing. The most important point to note here is that the usage of cement in projects will be reduced by at least 5-6 per cent. Producers are promising consistent supply of M-sand to job sites as per the specifications and plant manufacturers are bringing in advancements into their sand producing equipment and promoting the same.

Why should a customer opt for your solutions?

Propel Industries maintains high quality of machines and we vouch for easy maintenance. The design is user-friendly and we have incorporated the best of technologies. The nationwide presence of the company's sales and service network and round-the-clock customer support help us not only to support our customers super effectively but also bond with them better. We are able to provide cost-effective spare parts because we make every part indigenously. We are the first Indian company in this segment to get a CE (Conformitè Europëenne) certification. We are the fastest growing Indian company in this industry and we have a host of solutions for the crushing market.

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