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1he hlsLory of concreLe daLes back Lo Lhe 8oman Llmes, buL lL was noL unLll Lhe 1930s LhaL concreLe was
supplled ready mlxed ln Lhe uk. 1he consLlLuenL maLerlals come from Lhe earLh ln bulk, so concreLe ls mosL
economlcally produced by handllng Lhe maLerlals ln bulk and mlxlng Lhem ln bulk. lL was Lhe advanLage of
scale and efflclency of mechanlcal mlxlng, plus lmproved conLrol resulLlng from welghlng Lhe lngredlenLs,
LhaL opened Lhe way for supply of concreLe ready mlxed.

8eady mlxed concreLe was paLenLed ln Cermany ln 1903, buL Lhe means of LransporLlng lL had noL
developed sufflclenLly well Lo enable Lhe concepL Lo be explolLed. 1here were slgnlflcanL developmenLs ln
Lhe uSA ln Lhe flrsL quarLer of Lhe 20
Lh
cenLury, Lhe flrsL dellvery of ready mlxed concreLe was made ln
8alLlmore ln 1931, and Lhe LranslL-mlxer was born ln 1926.

ln Lhe uk lL was noL unLll 1930 LhaL a uane k.C AmmenLorp, who had been lnvolved ln sLarLlng ready mlxed
concreLe ln Copenhagen, lmmlgraLed Lo Lngland, and ln 1931 erecLed a planL aL 8edfonL, wesL of London,
near whaL was evenLually Lhe slLe of PeaLhrow AlrporL. Pe suffered from plannlng delays, even ln Lhose
days! 1he company, 8eady Mlxed ConcreLe LLd. CperaLed Lhe planL houslng a 2 cu Ld cenLral mlxer,
supplylng slx 13/4 cu yd capaclLy aglLaLors, wlLh an ouLpuL of 40 cu yd/h. AggregaLes were conLalned ln a
four- comparLmenL bln of abouL 100 cu yd capaclLy. 1he cemenL was man-handled ln bags.

AL abouL Lhe same Llme, Lhe 8rlLlsh SLeel lllng Company became lnLeresLed ln LranslL-mlxers and lmporLed
Lwo from Lhe uSA. 1hese had a mlxlng capaclLy of abouL 3 cu yd and were fllled (wlLh dlfflculLy!) Lhrough a
small hole ln Lhe back.

1he nexL company Lo sLarL was Lhe SclenLlflc ConLrolled ConcreLe Co LLd of SLalnes, ln 1934. 1hey used
!aeger Lruckmlxers, produced under llcence by 8ansome & 8apler LLd. lL appears LhaL Lhe flrm operaLed for
only a shorL Llme, some of Lhelr equlpmenL was Laken over by 1ruck Mlxer ConcreLe (SouLhampLon) LLd and
used ln Lhe WlnchesLer 8ypass. nexL came !aeger SysLem ConcreLe LLd, Clasgow, whlch much laLer was
Laken over by 1llconLLd. ln 1936 Lhe Lxpress Supply ConcreLe LLd was founded as a subsldlary of 8alfour
8eaLLy LLd. lL had Lwo planLs, Lhe flrsL aL addlngLon and Lhe second aL AlperLon, wlLh a LoLal of 30 !aeger
Lruckmlxers. AL Lhese planLs Lhe cemenL was dellvered ln meLal 3 -Lon capaclLy bulk conLalners, whlch were
llfLed off Lhe dellvery lorrles and empLled lnLo blns by openlng a gaLe aL Lhe boLLom of Lhe conLalner. A
pump was Lhen used Lo elevaLe Lhe cemenL from Lhe ground blns Lo Lhe blns over Lhe cemenL welghlng
floor, a slmllar sysLem ls used for handllng large plasLlc bags of bulk cemenL ln some locaLlons Loday. AL Lhe
ouLbreak of World War ll ln 1939, Lhere were only slx flrms produclng ready-mlxed concreLe ln Lngland and
ScoLland, one supplylng concreLe ln aglLaLors from a cenLral mlxer and Lhe oLhers uslng Lhe LruckmasLer
sysLem.

1he handllng of maLerlals ln bulk has domlnaLed Lhe deslgn of ready-mlxed concreLe planLs from Lhe sLarL.
1hey were allgned lnlLlally Lo quarry pracLlce, uslng drag=llne excavaLors for aggregaLe and buckeL
elevaLors Lo cemenL. Long, hlgh conveyors were used Lo elevaLe Lhe aggregaLe Lo a helghL LhaL allowed
Lhem Lo be sLored above Lhe welgh-scales and Lo be gravlLy-fed as requlred, from sLorage bln Lo
welgh=hopper, from Lhe welgh-hopper Lo mlxer and from mlxer Lo dellvery vehlcle. 1hese Lower planLs
HISTORY OF READY-MIXED CONCRETE

age 3 of 4

came lnLo vogue ln Lhe laLe 1930s and afLer World War ll. Some of Lhem saw warLlme servlce on alrfleld
consLrucLlon and oLher pro[ecLs requlrlng large volumes of concreLe. 1all planLs were more accepLable ln
quarrles and gravel plLs buL, wlLh Lhe requlremenL Lo provlde planLs nearer Lhe markeLs for concreLe, planL
deslgners had Lo provlde unlLs LhaL were more envlronmenLally accepLable.

1he developmenL of chevron conveyor belLs meanL LhaL sLeeper angles could be used ln elevaLlng Lhe
aggregaLes, Lhus requlrlng less space. SeparaLlng Lhe sLorage and welghlng of aggregaLes from Lhe sLorage
and welghlng of Lhe cemenL meanL LhaL Lhe helghL of planLs could be conslderably reduced. 1he spllL-level
planLs lnLroduced ln Lhe laLe 1960s are sLlll popular Loday and now domlnaLe Lhe lndusLry, buL Lhe
demands of plannlng auLhorlLles for lower-proflle planLs have led Lo Lhe producLlon of some even more
compacL planLs. WlLh compacLness, planL LransporLablllLy became vlable, and now some ready-mlxed
concreLe producers provlde planLs on ma[or consLrucLlon pro[ecLs

8eady-mlxed concreLe ls a servlce as well as a producL, and dellvery Lechnlques have developed along wlLh
Lhe producLlon slde. ln Lhe 1930s conlcal aglLaLors and !aeger Lruckmlxers dld yeoman servlce, alLhough
Lhey were suscepLlble Lo Lhe rear door openlng ln LranslL, resulLlng ln premaLure dlscharge. 1helr use
conLlnued lnLo Lhe early 1930s, and as laLe as 1938 a slLe foreman ln CenLral ScoLland rang up Lhe shlpplng
offlce Lo ask for a !aeger of concreLe! 1he lndusLry has generally encouraged Lhe collecLlon of concreLe
from lLs cenLral mlxer planLs. normal haulage lorrles were frequenL callers ln Lhe early days, Lhen came
Llppers. Some companles operaLed LeleholsL Llppers for a whlle, buL lL was Lhe roLaLlng drum mlxer whlch
prevalled and developed lnLo Lhe modern Lruckmlxer whlch has really made Lhe supply of ready-mlxed
concreLe commerclally vlable.

1he currenL shape of Lhe Lruckmlxer drum, relylng on reverslble acLlon for loadlng and mlxlng Lhen conLra-
roLaLlng for dlscharglng developed lnLo Lhe laLe 1930s, so LhaL by Lhe 1980s Lhe mosL common slze, based
on a Lhree-axle chassls, mlxes and LransporL slx cublc meLres of concreLe. Larger unlLs (carrylng nearly 9 m!)
and smaller ones (down Lo 2.3m!) are ln use, buL Lhe lndusLry has accepLed Lhe 6 m! Lruckmlxer as Lhe
baslc fleeL unlL.

1he ready-mlxed concreLe lndusLry has Lended Lo ouLpace Lhe consLrucLlon lndusLry ln lLs wllllngness Lo
lnnovaLe. noL all new ldeas survlved commerclal pressures, malnly because purchasers were noL always
wllllng Lo pay a premlum for an lmprovemenL ln quallLy or servlce. WeL hopper were supplled Lo slLe lnLo
whlch Lhe Lruckmlxer could qulckly dlscharge Lhe concreLe, allowlng conLracLor Lo collecL and place Lhe
concreLe aL hls own pace, SlLe conveyors were Lrled, and Lhere are a few Lruckmlxers operaLlng wlLh
conveyors mounLed on Lhem. 1he early verslons were heavy, resulLlng ln a conslderable reducLlon ln Lhe
volume of concerL LhaL could be carrled ln Lhe drum, uevelopmenLs uslng alumlnlum Lo llghLen Lhe
conveyor have revlved Lhelr popularlLy.

1here are even Lruck mlxers wlLh concreLe pumps mounLed on Lhe chassls, buL alLhough such lnnovaLlon ls
appreclaLed abroad, lL has noL galned favour ln Lhe uk. 1he ready-mlxed concreLe lndusLry enLered Lhe
concreLe pumplng buslness wlLh enLhuslasm buL lack of response from cusLomers meanL LhaL Lhe pumps
were evenLually sold off Lo a few concreLe pumplng speclallsL. ln 8rlLaln, Lhe percenLage of ready-mlxed
concreLe LhaL ls pumped ls markedly lower Lhan Lhe resL of Lurope.

CemenL welghlng recorders were ln vogue ln Lhe laLe 1960s, buL Lhe elecLro-mechanlcal gear dld noL sLand
up well Lo Lhe dusL-laden aLmosphere, and 20 years had Lo elapse before solld-sLaLe elecLronlcs arrlved Lo
allow Lhe manufacLurer of rellable processlng, baLchlng and recordlng equlpmenL aL economlc prlces. 1he
processlng sysLems have revolved from lever-arms, Lo servo-sysLems uslng compressed alr, hydraullcs and
HISTORY OF READY-MIXED CONCRETE

age 4 of 4

elecLronlcs, Lo compuLers and mlcro- processors, each sLep almed aL glvlng lmproved conLrol of Lhe whole
producLlon process.

1he accepLance and growLh of Lhe ready-mlxed concreLe lndusLry beLween Lhe 1930s and 1974 was qulLe
remarkable and 31 mllllon cublc meLers per year belng produced aL Lhe peak. 1he downLurn ln Lhe
consLrucLlon lndusLry was naLurally reflecLed ln Lhe concerL producLlon flgures, and a perlod of
raLlonallzaLlon and consolldaLlon followed.

1he shorL hlsLory of Lhe ready-mlxed lndusLry has been domlnaLed by Lhe need Lo produce and dellver a
hlgh-quallLy producL economlcally. 1he facL LhaL mosL ln!"#$% '()'*+$+ #" now supplled ready-mlxed ls a
measure of how successful Lhe lndusLry has bee, ln Lerms of quallLy, servlce and prlce Lo Lhe cusLomer.

1he cosL Lo Lhe lndusLry of provldlng ever-lncreaslng levels of quallLy assurance has been conslderable,
whlle Lhe complexlLy of mlxes belng speclfled has lncreased furLher Lhe cosL of quallLy conLrol. 1he facL LhaL
mosL ln-slLu concreLe ls now supplled ready-mlxed ls a measure of how successful Lhe lndusLry has been ln
Lerms of demand for quallLy servlce, and prlce.

,(%*'+- ./)%+0 1(* 2+/345#6 7()'*+$+











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