Customer case

Intermix manufactures the world's first Hardox concrete mixer

2018-05-04

The new lightweight concrete mixer truck made of 3mm Hardox® steel plate offers significant cost savings for its users.

Intermix, one of Europe's leading manufacturers of concrete mixers, values the innovation, flexibility and quality of its mixers. As early as the beginning of 2012, the German company introduced a light concrete mixer truck with 3mm Hardox steel plates to make its concrete mixing drum and inner spiral blades. The new mixer has accounted for 60% of the company's sales.

Challenge

For concrete mixers, the smallest empty weight is critical to the business. Weight reduction increases payload and reduces costs such as fuel, tires, fees and taxes. In some countries, weight reduction helps companies comply with regulations regarding air weight and total weight.

 

Intermix wants to optimize the payload of its vehicles because 2.4 tons of concrete per cubic meter is a bit heavier. The German road regulations allow a maximum total weight of 32 tons, while the four-bridge concrete mixers have an average empty weight of about 14 tons.

Solution

Hardox components have been in the dump truck sector for some time, but there have been no attempts to use light concrete mixers. Intermix worked with SSAB to explore how to apply a thinner Hardox wear plate. On January 16, 2012, the company was authorized by Hardox in My BodyTM.

“We are proud to be the first manufacturer of Hardox in My Body concrete mixers on the world market,” said Harald Schmidt, Sales Director of Intermix. “Given the huge interest we see in Germany and other countries, we expect it to sell well in most European markets in the near future.”

“The lightweight version reduces the structural weight by up to 18% compared to the 4.5 mm standard steel we used before,” continues Schmidt. “The most important thing is that Hardox is so wear-resistant, even if the thickness of the steel is reduced, the service life of the concrete mixer remains the same.”

This new lightweight Intermix concrete mixer exemplifies this feature. Due to the excellent properties of Hardox steel in terms of hardness, toughness, strength and wear resistance and crack resistance, the use of thinner steel plates can reduce the empty weight while maintaining the same service life.

Customer benefits

• Save up to 18%
• Reduce usage and operating costs
• Durability
• High payload