Concrete, mortar and screed: On-site mixing, delivery or drive-thru?
Traditionally, landscapers, builders, groundworkers and other contractors who need small to medium loads of concrete, mortar or screed on-site receive it in one of three ways:
They mix it themselves on site
They collect from the local ready-mix plant
It’s delivered to their site by volumetric trucks
All three methods have their advantages, but they also come with drawbacks. Here we highlight the challenges of each and introduce the advantages the innovative click and collect concrete, mortar and screed station, fibo Collect presents.
On-site mixing
Whilst mixing concrete, mortar or screed on-site can be cost-effective as you don’t need to pay for delivery or unused materials, there are a few challenges:
Equipment needed – On-site mixing requires a suitable mixer, relevant to the size of job and amount of material needed, not to mention the related cement, aggregate and sand etc. And if the mixer breaks that only adds to the challenge.
Labour – Skilled workers with knowledge of mixing the appropriate material quantities are needed and the mixing process is often labour-intensive and time-consuming, along with the related labour costs this brings.
Quality and accuracy – Achieving the right mix proportions due to the manual nature of the mixing process and maintaining consistent quality throughout the construction project can be challenging, especially when working with various suppliers and batches of material.
Messy – Every batch of concrete, mortar or screed will leave remnants in any mixer. Time and temperatures will dry these in the mixer and potentially contaminate different design mixes or even impede the production ability of the mixer.
The British weather – The UK weather can be unpredictable, with frequent rain and variations in temperature which can affect the quality and curing of onsite concrete mix.
Supply chain delays – Supply chain issues can delay construction projects, which can lead to increased costs and knock on effects of future jobs.
Ready-mix collection or delivery
Using ready-mix concrete, mortar or screed is a proven method used by many tradespeople due to its quality and reliability, however it does have its downfalls:
Waiting times – Whether you are collecting your ready-mix concrete, mortar or screed from your local plant or it’s being delivered on a volumetric truck, there will no doubt be time constraints. Whether that be waiting in a queue for your mix to be loaded up or waiting for your chosen delivery date and timeslot.
Minimum quantity restrictions – Typically, there is a minimum order requirement of at least 1m3 when sourcing concrete, mortar or screed which can result in wastage and then challenges disposing of this waste.
Environmental challenges – fuel consumption, whether that be collecting or taking delivery of your material and any wastage from unused material all impacts the environment.
Short-lasting – concrete, mortar and screed often has a limited time to use it (often within 120 minutes) so any delays can impact this.
Introducing click and collect concrete, mortar and screed
An innovative, new automated and self-service batching plant, fibo Collect has launched which takes the provision of concrete, mortar and screed to the next level:
It saves time – the automated mixing technology means that the mixing and pouring cycle takes typically under five minutes.
It’s flexible – you can order from as little as 0.25m3 or as much as you like – there is no minimum 1m3 order charge which means there is no wastage
There’s less mess – there’s no more setting up and cleaning mixes on-site and the pouring process is seamless so it doesn’t make a mess of your vehicle
It’s hassle-free – you simply turn up and park up when you need to, select your mix using the touchscreen terminal and the mix is then poured and dispensed from a conveyor belt onto the back of a truck, trailer or pick up or directly into a 0.25m3 tub in less than 5 minutes.
It’s eco-friendly – the solution is less wasteful than traditional methods and reduces the transport miles in concrete.
It’s long-lasting – you can choose from 1, 2 or 3 day mortar.
If you’d like a demo or to try out our new click and collect concrete, mortar and screed station, get in touch today!
