Astec digital offering takes center stage at ConExpo

By |  March 27, 2023
Eric Baker, vice president and general manager of Astec Digital, addressed members of the trade press during a ConExpo-Con/Agg press conference. Photo: P&Q Staff

Eric Baker, vice president and general manager of Astec Digital, addressed members of the trade press during a ConExpo-Con/Agg press conference. Photo: P&Q Staff

Among the product introductions Astec Industries made earlier this month at ConExpo-Con/Agg was Astec Digital, a technology solution developed for what the company describes as “rock to road operations.” Eric Baker, vice president and general manager of Astec Digital, visited with P&Q editor-in-chief Kevin Yanik at ConExpo-Con/Agg to discuss the new offering and how aggregate producers can take their next steps with the technology that’s available today.

Yanik: What’s your background?

Baker: I’ve been with Astec for 19 years, primarily on the mobile roadbuilding side and with new product development. Of course, I’ve always been around all of [our] equipment with customers. I’ve been in quarries and asphalt plants and on the road. I have a computer engineering degree and that background. I’ve always been really involved in the telematics side and with remote diagnostics fleet management on our roadbuilding equipment while getting to know the other pieces of it, as well.

Yanik: We see more technology being incorporated into crushing and screening plants these days so users can make informed decisions about their equipment. When it comes to technology for Astec crushing and screening plants, what does that solution look like?

Baker: We’re really trying to provide visibility of that whole ‘rock to road’ value stream, creating an ecosystem where we can connect all equipment – especially our own, but even other makes and models – into a platform where [users] can leverage data to run their businesses more efficiently, more safely, more sustainably and, ultimately, make more money. That’s the essence of it all –  building a network to connect all of this.

Yanik: What exactly is Astec bringing forward here at ConExpo-Con/Agg?

Baker: Astec Digital is the launch. You see manufacturers coming at this from all different angles – telematics over here, cloud control over there. The whole premise for us is to have a business unit focused on this, build it out through our whole product portfolio, create a strategy and vision and then execute on it, rather than have a more disjointed method.

There’s a lot of technology in Astec plant controls with the acquisition of Minds [Automation Group], and there are things that can be leveraged into the crushing and screening world. Yes, the componentry is different, but the principles are the same.

Astec Industries showcased its latest equipment and technology in Central Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center during ConExpo-Con/Agg 2023. Photo: P&Q Staff

Astec Industries showcased its latest equipment and technology in Central Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center during ConExpo-Con/Agg 2023. Photo: P&Q Staff

Yanik: What kind of interest are you seeing at ConExpo-Con/Agg in Astec Digital?

Baker: Rather than have a location within the booth for Astec Digital, Astec Digital is everywhere. It has become the DNA of our equipment offering and, really, it’s everywhere in the booth. My team is getting pulled in all sorts of different directions to talk about it.

With the iron, it changes. There’s new developments and innovation. But the real innovation and growth in new technology is more in this space. So, how do I leverage it? How do I make it work for me rather than be in data overload?

Yanik: We still hear about data overload quite a bit with equipment and technology. That said, is the market ready for a new solution like this? Can the market effectively leverage it?

Baker: We need to provide actionable intelligence. You don’t need to know in real-time what the pressure is on a motor. You need to know when it’s overpressured and if it is going to fail. If we can provide data analytics and then turn that into something you need to be aware of – rather than provide a data stream that they (customers) then have to analyze and understand – then they’ll be for the better.

Yanik: Is the goal to standardize Astec Digital on every piece of equipment as the company comes out with new things?

Baker: As much as possible. There’s different applications and machine forms, but having a more standard offering is easier for our dealers to utilize so they can take care of customers. It’s also easier for our customers so they can take care of themselves, too.

Yanik: In some ways, does the dealer benefit from Astec Digital more so than the customer?

Baker: A lot of this avoids the need for service and makes us more proactive. But it also enables us to be much more efficient, allowing the dealer to take care of the customer and get them back and running. The dealers are a key part of it. Also, [Astec Digital] allows us to be a better partner to our dealers and set them up for success.

Yanik: What’s the hardest part of getting somebody that’s not fully ‘there yet’ with this sort of technology to transition into the new operating world? If not one thing, what are those things?

Baker: You get some of the privacy [or] security concerns like: ‘What are you doing with my data?’ But that’s less and less today. I think customers see the value now. There’s a level of trust that’s being built.


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