Zoomlion is one of the largest concrete boom pump manufacturers in the world and also the manufacturer of the longest boom in the world, with a vertical reach of 101 m. So at Universal, we can offer the complete range of concrete boom pumps, says Rajesh Kawoor, Vice-president (Concrete Business), Universal Construction Machinery & Equipment. Excerpts of the interview.

What is the requirement for higher output boom pumps?
As the requirement of boom pumps are increasing, all the OEMs are focussing more on offering the latest technology, to make the machine more user-friendly, needing minimum maintenance, and with the lowest operation costs, because that gives them an edge over competition. Considering the fact that many projects coming up have huge quantities of concrete to be pumped and most of these projects are time- bound, the demand for higher output concrete pumps will be quite good. The most important factor for concrete boom pumps is the reliability and most OEMs are giving special focus on making concrete pumps more reliable than the earlier versions.

To what extent do concepts such as low lifecycle costs, faster ROIs, and lowest cost per cubic metre impact OEMs?
The Universal Zoomlion concrete pumps have been developed after a thorough market study of factors like low lifecycle costs, faster ROI, and the lowest cost per cubic metre of the available equipment in the market. The final product from the company?s stable is the most economical in terms of the above.

What is the most preferred range in boom pumps here?
Zoomlion is one of the largest concrete boom pump manufacturers in the world and also the manufacturer of the longest boom in the world, with a vertical reach of 101 m, so we offer the complete range of concrete boom pumps. However, considering the Indian market requirement, the most common range required is 36-43 m vertical reach and we offer this range from the existing design of Zoomlion.

Our boom pumps are equipped with the latest controller, which is one of the unique features of Zoomlion concrete boom pumps. The concrete boom pump offered is with the world?s most popular S-valve technology. The hydraulic accumulator is a standard fitment and the changeover from low pressure to high pressure and vice versa is automatic depending on the load conditions.

What is the scenario in India with regard to specialists in concrete pumping?
In the developed countries, concrete pumping is done majorly by rental professionals who are experts in concrete pumping and are involved in providing concrete pumping services, whereas in India, the situation is different. In India, the concrete pumping is mostly done by the contractors and less by concrete pumping specialist rental companies. We offer concrete pumping services though our associate tie-ups with rental companies.

Could you suggest some tips to avoid choking of concrete pumps?
There are various aspects to be checked during and before pumping which can avoid choking in concrete pumps. The most important aspect is the proper concrete mix design. The proper concrete mix design for pumpable concrete will avoid choking problems. Also, the pipeline should not have any leakages in the joints. The leakages will reduce the slurry content from the flowing concrete in the pipeline and choking will occur. The minimum fines required for pumpable concrete should be available in the concrete to avoid choking.

What machine-control technologies are used in your range of pumps?
In the Universal Zoomlion concrete pumps, we have adopted the latest electronic control technology, which monitors and controls the operational parameters with maximum accuracy; this technology is exclusive to Universal Zoomlion concrete pumps.

                                                                                   

OEM	Model	Max. theoretical output	Horizontal reach	Vertical reach	Slewing range
Zoomlion -Universal	37X-4Z	120 cum/hr.	33 m	37 m	365?
Zoomlion - Universal	43X-5RZ	120 cum/hr.	39 m	43 m	365?