UK-based manufacturer of concrete batching and mixing plant Steelfields is cashing in on the construction boom in Qatar, having secured a number of prestigious contracts as the country gears up to meet the increasing demand for building materials.

Steelfields has already supplied plant to leading readymix producers in Qatar with 10 units having been successfully commissioned to date – one of which has already produced over 1 million cu m of concrete.
“Of particular interest has been our smaller plant such as the Major 2000, which can be supplied in a containerised version with full Lloyds ISO approval. The unit is simply transported to site, where the container unfolds to become the principal structure forming the batching plant,” says a spokesperson for the company.
“The container framework becomes the basic foundation structure, the side panels are cleverly hinged and open upwards to form part the aggregate storage bins. Inside the container is the weigh hopper that sits neatly within the framework under the aggregate bins. Additional space inside the container holds other plant equipment including conveyors and ladders. Mixers can be loaded into separate containers, if needed, while the whole plant is easily and cheaply transported and relocated whenever required,” he adds.
The Major 2000 is one of a new series of modular plants manufactured by Steelfields to meet the need for lower cost units while still offering high output and flexible combinations to match individual requirements. It is available with an extensive range of options and can be supplied for wet, dry, half-wet, combination or slurry batching.
A Major 2000 plant was used in the construction of the new Salwa International Highway project, where a 12 m ISO container formed the 160-tonne, four-compartment aggregate storage bin, with the mixer and feed conveyor part of the second. The plant was equipped with a twin-shaft paddle mixer, water weigh hopper, PC-based batch control system, aggregate feed conveyor, ground-receiving hopper and cement storage silos and was designed to produce 120 cu m per hour of high-quality compacted concrete. The cement storage silos, radial conveyor and ground-loading hopper were produced locally and the plant was commissioned in conjunction with Steelfields’ Middle East agent. Local fabrication, under licence, of some of the larger plant components such as aggregate storage bins and support towers as well as the supply of a range of cement and micro-silica storage silos and pneumatic handling systems has reduced shipping costs and improved delivery times, the spokesman points out.
Another high-quality plant built on a modular concept and using interchangeable component with the Major 2000 is the Major 3000. The aggregate storage is in overhead compartments with material feed via belt conveyor. The Major 3000 is suitable for wet, half-wet, dry or combination batching. High-specification versions of both the Major 2000 and 3000 plant can be fitted with twin cement weigh hoppers. The latest Major 3000 can be supplied complete with dual truck-mixer loading points, twin aggregates weigh hoppers, twin cement weigh hoppers, twin water weigh hoppers operating with clean or reclaimed water.
Two important aspects that specifiers of the building industry in Qatar look for are high accuracy mix and water reclamation. Regulations governing mix accuracy are much stricter here than in the UK since they stipulate that all materials have to be weighed to within plus one per cent. So Steelfields’ plant incorporates high-accuracy load cells in all the weigh operations as well as moisture meters and computerised control, all essential for a plant to maintain the right degree of accuracy and still be capable of producing up to 120 cu m of concrete per hour from a 3 cu m pan mixer.
The company has just announced the launch of its new generation of reclamation plant with alternative silt water processing systems to suit individual requirements. The reclaimers are available with washout capacities of 10, 20 or 30 cu m per hour, an optional pump washout station and multi truck washout bay. The units can be fitted with screen for separating fine and coarse aggregates.
Steelfields, which has more than 1,800 concrete batching plants operating in more than 50 countries worldwide, has recently marked its golden jubilee in the industry. The company has extensive experience in the Middle East supplying plants to major producers in Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, UAE, Iran, Iraq and Sudan and its success in the region is based on its commitment and local knowledge.
Established in 1956 as a family company, Steelfields has grown to become one of the UK’s most well-renowned manufacturers, suppliers and exporters of concrete batching and mixing plants for high-quality wet, half wet, dry mixes, slurry batch and mortar, concrete mixers, automatic batch control systems, concrete reclaimers and silt-water processing systems.
Steelfields will be participating at the forthcoming Bauma 2007 (Hall A5 stand 411/3) in Munich, Germany, which will held in April.