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Applying IoT technology to Increase the Flexibility of Self-Loading Mixers

Self loading concrete mixers play an important role in modern industrial production, especially in the fields of concrete production and building construction, where their high efficiency and degree of automation significantly increase production efficiency. However, as market demands become increasingly diverse and the complexity of production tasks increases, what can be done to improve the production flexibility of self-loading mixers?

In the future, self-loading concrete mixers will undergo a profound transformation driven by Internet of Things (IoT) technology. These “small mobile mixing plants”, which once relied on drivers’ experience and manual management, are now being endowed with a powerful “intelligent brain”, changing the traditional mode of operation and showing unprecedented potential in terms of construction flexibility, efficiency improvement and refined management.

How to Achieve Technology Breakthrough with IoT – 3 Keys​

So how does an IoT system coordinate with a self-loading system to increase the flexibility of self-loading concrete mixers?

1. Multi-source sensing: 50+ sensors

Deploying 5G intelligent sensors such as temperature, humidity, pressure, vibration, etc. in the key parts of the mixing machine, robot arm, weighing module, real-time collection of 50+ parameters such as gravel moisture content, aggregate gradation, mixing current, etc., covering the three dimensions of material characteristics, equipment status, and environmental conditions.

2. High-speed transmission: 5G network

Adopting 5G industrial network, the sensor data is uploaded to the cloud platform with millisecond delay, supporting 10+ devices to communicate concurrently, which completely solves the problem of unstable signal of traditional Wi-Fi network in the complex construction site environment.

3. AI-enabled: digital twin technology

Train the proportioning optimisation model through AI algorithms, combining historical working condition data (such as strength and slump loss curves of different grades of concrete) and environmental parameters (such as temperature and humidity) to dynamically generate the optimal production plan.

Current Challenges for Self-Loading Concrete Mixers

Despite the integration of loading, mixing, transporting and unloading, self-loading mixers still face challenges in terms of flexible scheduling and maximising performance:

Difficulty in controlling equipment status:

Key information such as equipment location, operating status (mixing, transporting, standby, maintenance), remaining material quantity, fuel quantity, etc. rely on manual reporting by drivers, which is time-inefficient and prone to errors.

Difficult to optimise scheduling based on experience:

It is difficult for the scheduler to grasp the global equipment distribution and task progress in real time, and the assignment of tasks is mainly based on experience, which easily leads to idle or congested equipment, and makes it impossible to make dynamic and optimal adjustments according to the changes in site demand (e.g., temporary addition of orders, or the progress of a certain site exceeding or lagging behind).

High cost of failure response lag:

sudden equipment failures are often found and handled only after causing downtime, which takes a long time to repair and seriously affects the project schedule and increases additional costs.

Difficult to improve due to lack of performance analysis:

Lack of accurate records and analysis of actual equipment working time, fuel consumption, output, idle rate and other data, making it difficult to assess the real efficiency and find optimisation points.

Providing Solutions by IoT technology Application

By integrating sensors, GPS, wireless communication modules and cloud platforms into the concrete mixer, IoT technology builds a complete closed-loop system of “sensing-transmission-analysis-decision-making”, which accurately hits the above challenges:

Real-time visualisation of the whole process:

  • Precise positioning and status monitoring: GPS tracks the equipment location in real time, and sensors continuously collect core data such as mixing drum status, engine operating parameters, hydraulic system status, fuel quantity, water level in water tank, and so on.
  • Cloud Cockpit: All data are transmitted to the cloud management platform in real time through wireless network, and the manager can view the real-time location, detailed operation status, task execution progress, remaining material/oil quantity and other key information of all equipments through PC or mobile phone APP, so that the distribution of the construction sites and the status of the equipments can be seen at a glance.

Intelligent scheduling and dynamic optimisation of resources:

  • Data-driven decision-making: The dispatching system carries out intelligent matching and task allocation based on real-time equipment location, status, remaining workload, nearby material sources, as well as the latest demand priority and concrete demand type of each site.
  • Dynamic Response and Flexible Supply: When the progress of a site accelerates and more concrete is needed, or another site temporarily changes its plan, the system can quickly re-plan the optimal routes and task assignments, and the instructions can be sent to the driver’s terminal in real time. This minimises idling and waiting time and improves the overall utilisation of the mixer fleet by 15-30%.

Predictive maintenance to guarantee continuous operation:

  • Health condition monitoring and early warning: The IoT system continuously analyses data from key components such as the engine, hydraulic system, transmission system, etc. to establish an operational baseline. Once abnormal vibration, excessive temperature, abnormal pressure and other signs of deviation from the healthy state are detected, the system immediately triggers an early warning, indicating the possible parts and causes of failure.
  • Planned Maintenance Reminder: Based on the actual running hours, work intensity and other data, the system automatically generates a precise maintenance plan (e.g., oil, filter element, hydraulic fluid change). Preventing problems before they occur reduces unexpected downtime by 40-60%.

Efficiency analysis to drive continuous improvement:

  • Big Data Accumulation and Analysis: The platform automatically records and stores detailed work logs for each piece of equipment: effective working time, idling time, mileage, fuel consumption, actual concrete production, and time consumed in each process.
  • Multi-dimensional KPI reports: Automatically generate key performance reports such as equipment utilisation rate, single truck/overall productivity, average fuel consumption, cost analysis, etc. Help managers accurately identify efficiency bottlenecks, optimise fleet size and configuration, verify the effectiveness of energy-saving measures, and provide solid data support for management decisions.

Benefits of Applying IOT Technology in Self Loading Mixer

The deep integration of IoT technology in self-loading concrete mixers can bring immediate operational benefits and increase competitiveness for customers:

Reduce Downtime Cost

When faced with unexpected orders, urgent insertions or temporary changes to site plans, you no longer need to spend time on the phone or on-site co-ordination. The IoT system can complete a global resource inventory, match the optimal equipment and issue task orders within minutes, giving your fleet the ability to respond in minutes.

Reduce Equipment Idle Costs

Say goodbye to the predicament of “either idle and wasteful or too busy” equipment. The IoT platform is based on real-time, accurate global data (equipment location, status, task progress, site requirements), allowing you to dynamically and finely deploy equipment inputs according to actual demand fluctuations. Whether it’s multi-tasking interspersed with a single piece of equipment or collaborative work across the entire fleet, resource utilisation can be maximised. This effectively reduces equipment idle rate and unnecessary fuel consumption.

Save Manpower Expenses

Managers no longer need to travel frequently to various decentralised sites. Through the intuitive cloud-based platform or mobile phone APP, they can remotely monitor the real-time location, operation status, material balance, and task execution of all equipment at anytime and anywhere. At the same time, operators can receive clear instructions and view key information about the equipment at any time, which reduces communication errors and improves operational efficiency. This saves you a lot of management time and labour costs.

Avoid Remote Site Delays

Even in remote mountainous areas, poor signals or sites with harsh environments, equipment can quickly receive remote technical support through the IoT system in the event of a minor malfunction or operational query. Experts can remotely view the data, diagnose the problem, and guide the on-site operator to carry out preliminary treatment or precisely arrange maintenance resources. That is, it guarantees the continuous construction of key project nodes, avoids costly delay claims, and enhances the reliability and credibility of your project delivery.

Future Evolution: from “Intelligence” to “Autonomy”

With the integration of AI macromodels, digital twins and other technologies, the flexibility of concrete mixer will move towards the stage of “autonomous evolution”:

Upgrade of Autonomous Decision-Making Ability

Based on the federated learning algorithm, multiple equipment can share working condition data to achieve “group intelligence”. For example, intelligent mixing equipments in a certain region can jointly optimise the proportioning model and automatically adjust the production strategy according to the regional material characteristics, further improving the proportioning accuracy and efficiency.

Automation Extension

In the future, the mixing equipment will work with unmanned trucks, automatic loading robots and other equipment to achieve unmanned operation of the whole process from raw materials to concrete delivery.

IoT technology is reshaping the value of self-loading concrete mixers with unprecedented depth. It is not only a tool to improve the efficiency of a single machine, but also a core infrastructure to build a flexible, efficient and resilient concrete supply chain. In the future, an IoT-enabled smart mixer means stronger resource deployment, lower operating costs and more reliable project delivery. Aimix is continuing to follow the industry’s footsteps, focusing on product research and upgrades. Follow us and we will continue to share with you the latest trends in the industry.

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