Top spot for Hanson Concrete in BRMCA Awards 2013
BRMCA Awards recognize ready-mix companies who provide a high-quality, efficient and professional service
THE British Ready-Mixed Concrete Association (BRMCA) Award for Excellence in Customer Service, which recognizes and celebrates ready-mixed concrete companies who provide a high-quality, efficient and professional service, was presented at this year’s Concrete Society Awards Dinner on Thursday 7 November 2013.
Hanson Concrete picked up the Gold medal for their exceptional delivery of a rail network project which involved limited night-time track access at multiple locations, while providing a high-performance fibre-reinforced concrete to an in-situ 32h tensile strength requirement in ambient air temperatures down to –5°C.
Working in partnership with Story Contracting, Hanson Concrete produced an innovative concrete mix design for the project, the use of which was an industry ‘first’ and represented a milestone in improved construction time. Additional health and safety benefits included reduced labour and manual handling and greatly reduced trip hazards, due to the absence of mesh.
Lafarge Tarmac’s project at Drax Power Station, near Selby, to convert the facility into a predominantly biomass-fuelled generator, was highly commended in the Awards. For this scheme, Lafarge Tarmac developed a concrete that could not only be sprayed on to an invert, but was also fluid enough to be pumped to the full 50m height of the generator dome and able to adhere to the dome wall. Though not an easy task, Lafarge Tarmac’s technical team first perfected a suitable mix in the laboratory before conducting trials on site.
CEMEX UK Materials’ project at Arla Foods, in Hatfield, was also highly commended because of the company’s high level of service in supplying concrete as and when required and with consistent workability for the placing and finishing of a large floor area. After completion of the project, CEMEX UK Materials were also praised by the contractor for their ‘spot on’ service.
Commenting on the awards, Dr Chris Clear, BRMCA’s technical director, said: ‘The top winner and commended entries demonstrate the range of applications and provide a showcase for the technical expertise of the members and their commitment to delivering solutions to meet client needs.’
