Concrete pump truck manufacturer KCP pumps up with Strenx® to shed weight

“One of the first requirements for the road vehicles we produce is that they should be lightweight,” says Kim Nam Jin, laboratory director at KCP. “Our trucks are used to transport concrete and are designed to evenly distribute the load. So, the structural technology here is tricky, with severe space limitations.”

For KCP, Strenx^® performance steel was the perfect choice of material to lightweight their trucks while extending the reach of the booms. They were able to redesign a boom that was 61 meters (200 ft.) long to measure 71 meters (233 ft.), and in the process shed roughly 650 kg (1,433 lbs.) off the truck’s weight. Strenx^® 1100 E is a high-quality material that is also used in some of the largest and most advanced mobile cranes in the world.  

“Because our concrete pump trucks that use Strenx^® are 5-10% lighter compared with competitor products, our customers can increase their vehicle fuel efficiency,” says Kim Won Sik, vice president of KCP. “On top of this, customers today also appreciate the positive environmental benefits of lighter trucks.” 

Another benefit of the boom pump’s weight reduction is easier transport of wear parts to a job site – which translates into less downtime on the job.
And in the workshop, the biggest advantage when welding steel plate with a high tensile strength is that there is minimal heat straining and bending after welding.

KCP is planning to develop its presence on the European market. The company’s recent membership in the My Inner Strenx^® brand program marks an important step towards achieving this goal.

Kim Won Sik says, “My Inner Strenx^® certification gives us an opportunity to progress to a level that wasn’t possible before. This logo on our vehicles makes a strong brand statement that can help us gain the trust of our customers – which I think is the greatest value of all.”