Pirates of the Construction

The job of an RMC producer is the MOST thankless in the world.

Imagine you must produce, transport, get approval, and then place your concrete - when the concrete is still fresh. Does it happen in any other industry in the world? That you are not allowed to repair or to rework on your product? With concrete, everything is online – and the setting time of concrete is continuously ticking, tightening its noose around you with every passing minute.

Add to it the traffic woes present in various cities and there is just no way to ascertain how long your TM will take to reach the construction site. And we are not even talking about the raw material inconsistencies. It is considered as a miracle if an RMC producer can complete a large pour without any rejections.

So, who is responsible for the concrete rejection? RMC producer?? Maybe you will say yes – but wait for a moment. The client is an integral part of the system as the RMC producer is. And every concrete rejection is not only a loss for the RMC but also a loss of our national resources. So, what can a client do about concrete rejection? Is it about accepting a substandard concrete? NO.

The first step is to have a conversation – with your RMC supplier. Not only about strength, pumpability, durability but also about eliminating concrete rejection. Can a conversation eliminate rejection? Yes – and you will see how.

Once you will begin the conversation with your RMC supplier, then the slump drop will become your joint responsibility. You both will find ways together to mitigate it – like controlled redosing of every TM once it reaches your site. No concrete will get rejected for slump drop ever again on your site!

Once the redosing procedure is set and implemented, why will anyone ever tinker with the water to cement ratio in a TM? Then you will never get reduced compressive strengths from the cubes cast on your site – as compared to the cubes cast in the batching plant. Another problem solved.

Who knows, your conversation with the RMC supplier may open the door to the unsurfaced issues at his plant level which you may help him to resolve.

Friends, our concrete rejections are the Pirates of our Construction industry which are robing money, time, and national resources from all of us. Let us defeat these Pirates by beginning a simple conversation with our RMC supplier.