Retrofit Transforms Non-Ammann Plant from Idle to Productive
Charoen Subanan Co. Ltd. valued its Ammann JustBlack 120 Asphalt-Mixing Plant since acquiring it in 2015.
The Chachoengsao, Thailand-based asphalt producer appreciated the plant’s high production and the ease and efficiency of the Ammann as1 Control System.
Yet in 2020, when it was time to acquire a new plant, J. Charoen Subanan went a different direction.
“A supply contract mandated the use of another manufacturer,” said Woraphong Poolpealsuvana; Territory Manager of Ammann in Thailand. “We were disappointed that the company didn’t purchase an Ammann plant, but we understood. They were obligated by the supply contract and had no choice.”
Problems quickly arose with the new plant. It lacked productivity and had issues with weight accuracies. In some cases, hot-mix discharge readings were off 10% from the actual weights.
So poor was the performance that J. Charoen Subanan shut down the plant when the job was done. The plant sat idle while the company relied exclusively on the 8-year-old Ammann JustBlack 120 Plant it had been using for other projects.
Then came the recent announcement that the Thailand Department of Highways (DOH) would allow up 60% recycled asphalt (RAP) on new and existing highways.
This led Mr. Warot Kaittakon of J. Charoen Subanan to consider how he could coax some value out of the plant that was inactive due to its quality issues.
“When he learned that the DOH would implement the 60% RAP policy, he approached us about retrofitting an Ammann RAH60 dryer and as1 Control System on the non-Ammann plant,” said Woraphong.
Ammann was able to complete a comprehensive retrofit that included the as1 – yet still utilise some of the idle plant’s core components.
“It was more cost-effective than purchasing a new plant,” Woraphong said. “It also allowed the customer to put a plant back to work.”
The retrofit included:
- The as1 Control System, Ammann’s proprietary software system that improves quality while reducing material usage and fuel consumption
- A two-bin RAH cold feeder
- An RAH collection belt
- An RAH elevator
- An RAH60 dryer drum
- An RAH tower, with level silo and weight scale
“We can retrofit plants built by other manufacturers,” Songwit Simawan; Plant Service Engineer of Ammann in Thailand explained. “We take on many retrofits for plants built both by Ammann and our competitors.”
The retrofit was tested immediately, with the RAH60 producing 100 tons without hot recycling, and then 300 tons with recycling. “The performance was exceptional,” Simawan said.
The switch to the as1 is helping smooth operations and avoid the problems the competitor’s plant encountered before the retrofit.
“According to the operator, the as1 Control System is the best innovation for asphalt plants in Thailand,” Simawan said. “It is very easy to monitor, operate and control. Also, the accuracy is exceptional. The as1 system gives the operators the confidence to run the plant safely and efficiently”. Additionally, this customer utilizes the Ammann as1 PIP online plant information point to see the actual plant status, enhancing their monitoring capabilities.
Charoen Subanan didn’t limit the retrofit to the competitor’s plant. It also upgraded the Ammann 120 Just Black Plant with an RAC30 to improve its recycling capabilities.
“Now, J. Charoen Subanan has two plants that are highly productive and capable recyclers,” Simawan said.