TBA 4000 supplies asphalt for Moscow.

Since the Russian Federation was established in 1990, the number of motor vehicles on the roads has been rising steadily. And in the capital city of Moscow, this increase has led to daily holdups. The response in the 1990s was to build more and wider urban motorways, but now the amount of available land has been all but exhausted, and the city has turned to investing in expanding its public transportation system, dismantling traffic lights and improving transport connections.

The construction of new roads is still on the agenda, especially for relieving the situation on the 109km-long MKAD Outer Ring Road. A budget of RUB 4.4 trillion (EUR 91.15 billion) is available for expanding the roadway infrastructure up to 2020. The following facts and figures illustrate how crucial these investments are for the economy and the public sector: apart from heavy traffic volumes, wet, cold winters and road salt have such a devastating effect on the asphalt pavement that the 4-5cm-thick surface courses have to be renewed every two to three years – or even every year on roads frequented by tourists. On account of the heavy traffic, only individual sections of road are usually resurfaced and the work is done at night.

Encouraged by this promising market situation, Moscow-based contractor Zentrodostroy decided to invest in a transportable asphalt mixing plant from BENNINGHOVEN. “With the TBA 4000, we are looking to arm ourselves to meet current challenges and prepare for the future at the same time,” explains Nikolai Konstantinovich, mixing plant director at Zentrodostroy. “We have long-term plans for our BENNINGHOVEN plant. One important argument in favour of the investment was the option of retrofitting modules at any time to keep pace with the state of the art,” says Konstantinovich, describing the advantages of the TBA line’s modular design.

Specifically, Zentrodostroy already has its eye on BENNINGHOVEN’s multivariable feed technology. The RAP cold feed system achieves RAP material rates of up to 40%, making asphalt production more cost-efficient and sustainable. “In Russia, there has been a strong focus on white mineral in the past, but attitudes in the industry are changing,” says Konstantinovich.

The reasons are obvious: instead of disposing of old asphalt, the BENNINGHOVEN RAP feed system turns it into a valuable raw material: first, the milled material entirely eliminates the cost of new white mineral, and second, less bitumen is required to process it into new mix in the TBA 4000.

"I like my new workplace very much! Because it’s so advanced, I feel safe and my superior is very happy with the asphalt formulas I’ve been mixing. We can also use the plant to produce special mixes, such as Superpave, which is in very high demand here. The best aspect is the fact that even special products like Superpave are simple to mix with the BENNINGHOVEN control system. And the visual overviews play a key role, giving you the sense of reassurance that comes with always having everything under control."

"The team from WIRTGEN INTERNATIONAL did a great job and we were surprised at how well we were able to help them with the assembly. The plug & work principle makes handling so easy; it all went very fast. You basically plug it in and you’re all set. It was impressive to see how such huge components can simply be plugged together. Now we won’t have to worry at all if we ever need to relocate the plant."

"It’s a very important aspect. If requirements change, we can adapt our TBA 4000 to meet them at any time. Be it recycling, mixed material storage silos or feeding additives, there’s an interface for each additional technical component. And one thing is for sure: recycling is becoming a major topic in Moscow, which is why we’re already planning to upgrade to a multivariable feed system."

"Exactly. It works perfectly. We have a reliable partner in the WIRTGEN GROUP. They do their utmost to help us out. And that goes for the servicing, too. Although the BENNINGHOVEN lubrication schedule plays a role here, too, helping me keep track of all maintenance requirements."

It used to be such a nightmare, but not any more! There are large service panels that are wonderfully accessible, and everything inside is perfectly illuminated by modern lighting equipment. The preinstalled electrical and compressed air connections for our tools are also very practical, because now we don’t have to run up any cords or cables. And anywhere I have to go on the plant, it’s safe. That shows that the team from BENNINGHOVEN knows how we work out there. Our managing director can also rest assured that the plant is being well-maintained. That’s important to all of us because we want to use our TBA 4000 for a long time to come, and make sure it keeps pace with the state-of-the-art at all times.

BENNINGHOVEN asphalt mixing plants feature a uniform safety system for service and maintenance situations: the intelligent and exclusively mechanical key transfer system.
When servicing is required, the operator can use a key to either release an element in the control cabinet of a plant component, or a guard locking device on one of the maintenance doors – but never both at the same time. Users can hence feel safe in the knowledge that only they can put a component they are currently working on back into operation.

The system behind the colour-coded lubrication points greatly simplifies maintenance. The plant operator knows right away when scheduled lubrication is required just by looking at the respective components. This simple and intuitive system effectively ensures that operators adhere to all lubrication schedules.
Consistent colour-coding, identical on all plant components: red stands for daily, yellow for weekly and blue for monthly.

Very good accessibility to all areas thanks to large walkways and work platforms as well as generously dimensioned service openings – over a metre high and half a metre wide – which guarantee ergonomic access to all relevant plant components.
As a result, any servicing or maintenance work that needs to be done on the plant is as ergonomic as possible. What’s more, service and assembly aids, such as defined attachment points for electrical and compressed air tools, facilitate the work.