TBA 3000 – Retrofit increases flexibility

Based in Weilmünster in Hesse’s Taunus region, Hermann Schäfer GmbH & Co. KG is a pioneer when it comes to sustainability. Formed in 1911, this road construction company has included recycled asphalt as part of its asphalt production for many years now. The company also uses several emission-free and autonomous photovoltaic systems to heat its bitumen tanks.

To increase flexibility in asphalt production in the future with its existing Benninghoven asphalt mixing plant TBA 3000, Schäfer recently invested in a Retrofit project. Thanks to the extension of the cold feed unit for virgin mineral, manufacturing multiple asphalt recipes in quick succession is now considerably easier. This saves time and improves efficiency.

Retrofit implements two additional cold feed hoppers

Hermann Schäfer GmbH & Co. KG recently commissioned a Retrofit project from Benninghoven. Effective immediately, two additional cold feed hoppers, which accept the minerals used in the asphalt, now extend the flexibility of the company’s TBA 3000. “This lets our asphalt mixing plant handle a wide variety of recipes over a short space of time,” says the experienced mixing supervisor Dietmar Leinhardt. “In the past, we were faced with the job of running the hopper with mineral grain ≤32 mm empty of an evening, so as to stay flexible the following morning.”

While a total of six cold feed hoppers would have been enough – one additional hopper instead of two – “we ultimately decided on seven overall, to ensure we never run into a bottleneck here.”

The Retrofit project was planned and implemented by the experts at the Benninghoven Technical Office. “Our work together ran like clockwork from the outset. From on-site consultation work to implementation and commissioning, the Benninghoven team really did a great job,” Leinhardt reports, approvingly. The challenging mechanical and electrical integration with the overall plant was also completed to the full satisfaction of Hermann Schäfer GmbH & Co. KG.

A long-established partnership with Benninghoven

“When you work together for as long as we have, that really establishes a basis of trust,” says Falco Schäfer, CEO of Hermann Schäfer GmbH & Co. KG. “Our partnership with Benninghoven has been a success factor for our business for decades.” The partnership was started by his grandfather and former company CEO, Hermann Schäfer.

As a company, Schäfer has long been involved with asphalt recycling: “For many years, we’ve looked to keep our business practices as sustainable and eco-friendly as possible,” Schäfer comments. The Benninghoven asphalt mixing plant lies at the heart of this resource-friendly strategy: “Our TBA 3000 lets us manufacture asphalt with up to 40 % recycled material. And we make the most of this opportunity.” This is all made possible by the cold recycling multi-variable feed system from Benninghoven, which uses gentle, batched feeding to supply the mixer with reclaimed asphalt. This avoids hydraulic shocks, and therefore wear on the mixer and the plant itself.

Photovoltaic system also helps to protect the environment

Hermann Schäfer GmbH & Co. KG has also taken a number of other steps to fulfil its strategy of keeping its business “green”. One especially environmentally friendly and sustainable step was to install several rooftop photovoltaic systems to power the production of bituminous mixtures with the TBA 3000. These systems supply solar power and reduce the company’s long-term carbon footprint.

Schäfer uses all of the free power they produce to supply its asphalt mixing plant with renewable energy. As a result, bitumen tank heating is largely autonomous.