An asphalt plant supplied by Ammann is now playing an important role in the UAE’s road construction sector
The plant is producing material for major new road projects in the UAE.
“We need to produce quality asphalt, and high volumes of it,” said Adnan Elmasri, operations manager for Top Link Contracting & General Transportation, based in Dubai. Top Link, a major contractor in Abu Dhabi and Dubai, is providing mix for a new highway that will help to reduce the current traffic congestion issues occurring at peak periods on Ras Al Khaimah Road, one of the major thoroughfares. The new road connection will provide a bypass around Ras Al Khaimah and will also connect to the roads heading to the south of the UAE.
Top Link opted to acquire an Ammann ABA 260 UniBatch Asphalt Mixing Plant to meet its production requirements, as the firm knew this unit would meet its need in terms of output volumes and quantities.
The ABA UniBatch plants have proven successful since they were introduced by Ammann, due to the reliable performance. These plants are known for a low initial investment cost and their ability to be easily customised to match customer’s needs.
The new project is for the construction of a 40km highway stretch that is being designed with three lanes in either direction. Construction of the highway section commenced in 2016 and the route is due for completion towards the end of 2018. For this project, the ABA UniBatch is being used to produce more than 400,000tonnes of asphalt mix. Productivity is essential on a large-scale construction project such as this. “The plant can produce 260tonnes/hour,” Elmasri said. “The mix is a good quality and a good quantity.” The plant has also proven to be reliable, another important factor for a highway construction job where timely material deliveries are critical for project delivery.
Another feature of the plant that the contractor, Top Link, has also found useful is the proprietary Ammann as1 Control System. “The system is flexible and simple to use,” Elmasri said. “Everyone can use it. After a little time, it makes everyone look like a genius.”
With this plant having proven itself, Elmasri said Top Link plans to buy more Ammann asphalt mixing plants in the future. The company also recently took delivery on an Ammann EmulTEK plant, which is capable of producing high volumes of bitumen emulsion.
