Ready-mix Branch

We are excited to announce that our CSSA Ready-mixed Concrete Work Group (RMC-WG) and CSSA Ready-mixed Concrete Committee (RMC Committee) have been successfully established and is now working at making a positive impact on the RMC sector of our industry.

The RMC-WG is the wider body within the CSSA which any member in RMC or related industry can join. These individuals steers the working of the RMC arm of the CSSA. They meet four times a year or as often as required. Representatives from the following companies joined the first RMC-WG meetings:

Rockblend Readymix, Stallion Readymix Concrete, Quantum Readymix Concrete, Contest Concrete Technology Services, Edge Readymix, Metier Mixed Concrete, Ciolli Readymix, Scribante Concrete, OMV, PPC Ready-mix, Chryso, PPC Readymix Concrete, WG Wearne Ready Mix.

RMC COMMITTEE

The RMC Committee consists out of chosen individuals to execute the mandate of the RMC-WG and meet on a regular basis. We thank these individuals for their contributions in time and input to make a difference in the Ready-mixed Concrete Industry.

They consist of the following individuals:

Billy Boshoff (Chair/Facilitator), University of Pretoria/CSSA Director
Mark Hovy, Concrete Testing Services/CSSA Director
Natasja Pols, CSSA Executive Officer
Nico Pienaar, RMC Consultant
Ryno Brits, Rockblend Readymix
Marco Cirigliano Stallion, Readymix Concrete
Tina Coetzee, Rockblend Readymix
Matthew Kilmister, Quantum Readymix Concrete
Donovan Leach, Contest Concrete Technology Services
Andrew Solomon, Edge Readymix
Martinus Stroebel, Metier Mixed Concrete
Glen Telmage, Metier Mixed Concrete
Werner Wolff, Metier Mixed Concrete

MEMBERSHIP BENEFITS

The RMC-WG is accessible to all businesses in this and related sectors of the cement & concrete industry, regardless of size. Some of the benefits that will be enjoyed by individuals and companies who join the Read-mix Branch will be:

- Member details will be shared on the Online Directory;

- Logos of companies that join as company members will be added to the CSSA’s website with a link to their own websites;

- Accredited plants will be listed on the Society’s website

- Discounted attendance at seminars & conferences will be in place; and

- Over time, there may be recognition awards for categories such as best plant, best manager, best team, cleanest trucks, environmental practices, and safest operations.

Join the Concrete Society of Southern Africa to reap the benefits of the changes that this committee is working towards.

READY-MIX BRANCH

1ST RMC MEETING OUTCOME

The first RMC-WG meeting proposed the following issues that the RMC Committee should address and come forth with solutions. A survey was done and they ranked the issues in order of importance with a score out of 10 for importance:

Technical Knowledge Dissemination (10.0)
Quality of Ready-mixed Concrete Specifications (9.2)
State, Knowledge and Abilities of Internal/External Laboratories (8.3)
Assistance with Dispute Resolutions (8.3)
Certification of Ready-Mixed Concrete Plants (7.5)
Rewarding of Excellence (5.0)

PRELIMINARY SOLUTIONS

Proposed preliminary solutions for the first two issues have been discussed at a recent RMC-Committee meeting as follows:

Making available standardised pamphlets and posters to use at the workplace and on site.
Training of RMC Company representatives through the CSSA’s CONCRETEClass – Back to Basics, online webinars & seminars or a tailormade series that can be presented online or in person.
Training of Resident- and Consulting Engineers responsible for site inspections and concrete specifications through CPD accredited webinars & seminars.
Working with tertiary education institutions to teach/expose students to practical problems and train lecturers where experience/knowledge is possibly lacking.
Doing a proper study on current specifications used in the industry.
Recommending a universal “model” specification that can be adopted by the industry as a guide to specify ready-mixed concrete.
Training consultants on the practicalities of different RMC specifications.

Reasons for using Ready-mixed Concrete

There are many varieties of concrete available for usage in construction projects, each with their own benefits and specific purposes. Ready-mixed concrete is one such material, and it is incredibly popular around the world. Here, we are going to investigate the benefits of using ready-mixed concrete in your construction project and why it could be the best choice for you.
The two major types of concrete are ready-mixed and site-mixed. Site-mixed concrete is prepared at the job site, while ready-mixed concrete is prepared in a facility and transported to the job site via a concrete truck with a rear-mounted agitator. While both have their own inherent benefits, ready-mixed concrete is almost always the better choice.

REDUCED CONSTRUCTION TIME AND COST

Ready-mixed concrete is custom made to match the client’s requirements, and it is mixed at a plant before being delivered to the client, rather than being mixed on site. This means that there’s no waiting around for the concrete to be mixed. Because the concrete is made to the client’s requirements, only precise measurements are used, which means there is little wastage of materials, which in turn means less money is spent on the concrete.

IT SAVES TIME

One of the best reasons to use ready-mixed concrete over its site-mixed counterpart has to do with the time involved. When you want to complete a project quickly, site-mixed concrete can slow you down since it has multiple steps and formulas to follow – not to mention the setting time. Ready-mixed concrete is ready to use as soon as it’s delivered, so you can avoid those extra steps and simply start pouring.

IT DOESN'T REQUIRE A TON OF EQUIPMENT

Another limitation associated with site-mixed concrete is the amount of equipment and materials you will need to keep on-site. Not only will you need to ensure that you have everything needed to mix the concrete – the rock, aggregate, and cement – but you’ll also need a weigh batch mixer on site to make the concrete. This is not the case with ready-mixed concrete; the only thing you need to have on-site is clear access to the pour site for the truck.

ECO-FRIENDLINESS

The ingredients of concrete – water, aggregate and cement – are readily available and sourcing them has a lesser impact on the environment than when other building materials are used. Any leftover materials from the creation of the concrete can either be reused or recycled.

LOWER MAINTENANCE COSTS

The resilience, strength and durability of concrete means that buildings constructed from it will remain in good condition for years on end. There may be some minor cosmetic maintenance required, but overall, concrete will maintain its condition for much longer than other materials, reducing the required expense for maintenance.

GREATER QUALITY

Using traditional concrete, the quality of the mix cannot be fully guaranteed, something which can serve to be very contentious amongst construction companies. Using poor quality concrete can put the structural integrity of any building or application at risk, which can result in extremely serious consequences. With ready-mixed concrete, the consistency and quality is guaranteed, meaning sturdier, longer lasting structures.

VERSATILITY

As mentioned above, ready-mixed concrete is mixed to the exact specifications of the end user and is a solution that suits a huge range of applications, i.e., from the bottom of a pond to the foundations of a multi-storey building.

IT COSTS LESS WHEN LABOUR IS FACTORED IN

While it’s true that ready-mixed concrete may cost a little more upfront, you end up saving money when it comes to the labour element. With ready-mix, you only need skilled professionals to pour and finish the concrete. On the other hand, site-mixed concrete requires far more man-hours because it must be measured, mixed, and tested before it can be poured, and because of the limited batch sizes, those man-hours can add up quickly.

IT'S SAFER

Bagged cement is notorious for releasing tiny particles of cement dust into the air. Without the correct PPE always worn, this dust can irritate both the lungs and skin. By using ready-mixed concrete, you won’t have to worry about this aspect of health and safety; one that’s difficult to monitor. Instead, you’ll have concrete delivered in bulk, wet and ready to be used.

THERE’S LESS WASTE

Finally, in today’s eco-conscious world, trying to mix only the concrete you need to avoid waste is important. Ready-mixed concrete minimizes on-site wastage, whereas some loss is expected for site-mixed concrete. Even when every batch is perfectly measured and mixed, there will be some loss during the mixing process, and loss is also likely to occur during material storage. In the case of human error, entire batches can be lost. Ready-mix virtually eliminates those issues.
If you are trying to decide whether to use ready-mixed or site-mixed concrete for your next project, the benefits of ready-mix are apparent. It saves labour, reduces waste, and costs less when the labour is factored in. Furthermore, you’ll need less equipment on the job site, and you’ll be able to finish your projects much more quickly.