Gethi Engineering Supplies Asia’s First Hardox Cement Mixers in Singapore and Beyond

Kuala Lumpur-based Gethi Engineering is a leading concrete mixer drum producer in the Asia Pacific region. For the last few years it has been working with reputed Swedish steel manufacturer SSAB to incorporate their high quality, tough Hardox steel into drum design. The result is a Hardox mixer drum that’s lighter by as much as 40% and lasts a lot longer, with less maintenance than existing designs.

Concrete suppliers in Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong and Australia have already successfully incorporated these mixer drums into their existing concrete truck fleets. Singapore’s Island Concrete recently replaced ten of its concrete mixer drums with lighter Hardox drums with great success.

Gethi Engineering hopes to bring more of these innovative mixer drums into Asia Pacific and beyond.

About the Hardox Mixer

Hardox steel is not new. It has been around since 1974, and has proven itself to be both hard and tough. It is over twice as hard as high tensile steel and three times stronger than the steel in regular mixer drums. The Hardox drums can therefore be thinner than usual without compromising on quality.

The Gethi Hardox mixer uses this high-strength steel not only in the body of the drum but also in the mixer blades and the steel plate connecting the mixer drum gearbox with the drum.

There are other innovations or quality fittings in the Hardox mixer than contribute to its overall success as well. This includes the ZF Planetary gearbox, a cutting edge piece of machinery to drive the drum. A Rexroth variable pump further helps to reduce fuel consumption in the hydraulics of the mixer. A hydraulic oil cooler with Thermoswitch helps to precisely control working temperature.

Other features include a ball joint control lever or push-pull cables, a hopper that is easy to load, solid steel trunnion rollers, and a lower weight operating drum without water.

Modern Requirements from Concrete Mixers

The world of concrete handling is fraught with modern demands and requirements that manufacturers are constantly striving and innovating to meet. Cement mixers today are not just transporters. They mix the concrete en-route to the site to save time.

This collaboration between Gethi Engineering and SSAB will help to lighten the load that mixer trucks have to carry. This will help concrete suppliers stay within the permissible gross vehicle weight more easily.

The high strength steel will help to extend the life of mixer drums in the harshest conditions. It will in turn improve performance and provide plenty of bottomline benefits for concrete suppliers.

For every millimeter a drum saves in thickness, the weight goes down by about 500 kgs. Thinner and stronger steel saves fuel, an advantage that the cement industry is beginning to appreciate by bringing in high strength steel. Gethi’s Hardox mixers are designed for 8, 9, 10 and 11 cubic meters of concrete.

The high wear-resistance of the Hardox concrete mixer makes it more sustainable than existing drums, a consideration that drives vision at both SSAB and Gethi Engineering.