UK-based Steelfields, a regular participant at The Big 5, will be promoting its extensive range of concrete batching plant, concrete mixers, automatic batch control systems, aggregate cooling systems together with 'wet' concrete recycling systems at this year’s show.

“Steelfields will be offering a new low-cost foundation system for our Major 2000 plant range and introducing our 'half-wet' batching system to the GCC region, offering high output capacity from 'smaller' mixers whilst reducing power demand and increasing mixer wear life,” says Prentis Polhill, the sales director for the concrete batching plant and accessories specialist.
Steelfields says it has enjoyed a good response from visitors at previous shows and its participation has often resulted in important leads.
“Steelfields has been a regular attendant at The Big 5 for many past years and decided to attend the inaugural PMV section held at the Airport Expo Centre for the first time in 2007,” says Polhill, adding that the following year Steelfields was again a major industry exhibitor at the revised PMV show at the relocated pavilion adjacent to the main Big 5 event.
He continues: “Although still promoting an extensive range of concrete batching plant and concrete mixers with a full static display and a digital slide show, Steelfields also took a working model of the Air-Blast container plus aggregate bin section to demonstrate the concept of chilled-air injection.
“Following its successful launch at the PMV show the previous year, Steelfields has secured an exclusive marketing agreement with specialist design engineering company Infraserv OHG to offer a realistic, cost-effective alternative to conventional ice plant and/or a method of producing a lower temperature concrete when combined with existing ice systems.
“The complete air-blast system is delivered to site in two ISO shipping containers, housing the Air-Blast unit and water chiller. A range of nozzles is available for coarse stone and sand storage compartments.”
Elaborating on Air-Blast, Polhill says the system offers commercial concrete producers the following advantages over ice plant:
• Higher readymix quality because of lower concrete temperatures even when operating in high ambient temperatures;
• Temperature-controlled concrete without affecting the water/cement ratio;
• Less equipment mounted within a containerised design;
• Quick and easy installation – does not require additional ice storage, transfer screws, steel structures or ice scales;
• Less maintenance and reduced service costs; and
• Lower purchase cost.
“Initial enquiries have been to match plant production capacities in excess of 110 cu m per hour. Additional designs are available to suit larger concrete production of 200 cu m per hour,” he says.
Five days at the show was followed by a regular follow-up trip throughout the Gulf, proving Steelfields’ continued commitment to the region ever since installing the first Major 60 export plant series in Saudi Arabia, way back in the 1970s, Polhill adds.

Global profile
Steelfields was established as a family company in 1956 and has grown to become the UK’s leading manufacturer and exporter of concrete batching plant with more than 1,800 successful installations operating in more than 55 countries.
The company’s plant has proven popular with many leading readymix producers, with previous units sold to the Cemex Group, Lafarge UK, Anglo American Group, Hanson (part of the Heidelberg Cement Group) as well as a host of independent commercial concrete producers in Europe, the Middle East, China, Hong Kong and South-East Asia.
Steelfields operates from its purpose-built 65,000 sq ft factory on a 2.6-hectare site in southeast England, with strong exports to the Middle East since the early 1970s. Today, Steelfields plants are used by leading readymix producers in Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Saudi Arabia and the UAE.
The range of concrete plant now includes the containerised Major 2000, modular Major 3000, the mobile Major 60, semi-mobile SM 60 together with larger Major 90 and ‘custom-built’ specials. In addition, Steelfields offers an extensive range of concrete mixers, control systems, wet concrete processing systems and the Air-Blast system for temperature-controlled concrete in high ambient conditions.
Steelfields’ range of concrete mixers includes SF turbo pan mixers, ‘SFP’ counter-flow mixers, ‘PMS’ single-shaft ribbon mixers and the ‘PM’ twin-shaft paddle mixers as well as larger tilting/horizontal drum mixers. The entire range of mixers starts with pan capacities of 250 litres up to the largest 12 cu yd drum.