One of Chris’ contracted new projects was to produce the concrete for the base of a large reinforcement wall designed to help prevent soil erosion in Saugatuck Harbor on Lake Michigan. The project required two barges working together with the first one holding his concrete truck plus sand and limestone and the second barge had cement in 2,000 pound bags, a water truck, large crane and miscellaneous equipment.
The project involved pouring two slabs 5 feet wide by 1 foot thick, one for the 12,000 foot south wall and one for the 1,500 foot north wall. The barges had to be moved after pouring between 20 to 30 feet of slab, depending how close they were to the wall. The mixer and truck chassis were chained to the deck so the only item that literally moved was the swivel of the mixer and chute.
Chris’ team was able to pour the south wall in 6 days and the north wall in only 5 days.
“Our best day was 102 yards in an eight-hour production run and the equipment kept up just fine.” Chris Kooyers stated. “Cemen Tech was there to support me with knowledge, back up and parts for this project. Their expertise helped us throughout the project from start to finish and I can clearly see why they are number one in the industry.”
The barrel mixer business was profitable but Mini Batch Concrete realized much of time their customers would either over-order or under-order for their projects. This was a problem for them as the concrete supplier and for their customers and a solution was needed to be more efficient on both sides. After researching options, Mini Batch Concrete bought a Cemen Tech MCD8-150 which gave them a better, more efficient way to produce high quality concrete.
The Cemen Tech MCD8-150 allowed Mini Batch Concrete to better serve their customers project needs while saving money and making their own operation more efficient and profitable. They were able to expand their customer base to high volume customers such as contractors who specifically requested the Cemen Tech mixer because of the high quality concrete they could now get.
“At one jobsite a contractor, who had been in business for ten years, told me it was the best concrete he had ever worked with,” Mark said. “We get other positive comments as well, for example – there are no clumps in the mix, it’s fresh and has great workability.”
Mini Batch Concrete continues to expand their business in retailing concrete, using Cemen Tech equipment and the motto, “Anywhere, Anytime.”
“Every aspect of our purchase, the on-site training in Edmonton and the continuing follow-up of our sales person has been superb,” Mark said. “We expect to order another Cemen Tech MCD soon.”
The Jurados are able to offer their cement customers an on-demand concrete solution with their industry leading mixer the Cemen Tech MCD10-150 and provide a full service for their concrete needs.
“We know our customers are increasingly having a difficult time acquiring concrete,” Franklin Jr. said. “Demand has increased four times over because of large projects and with the Cemen Tech MCD10-150 we can supply our customers with exactly what they need.” Based on early success they will need an additional Cemen Tech soon to meet customer project needs.
The Panama construction boom continues as many retirees from the U.S. and Europe are relocating to the area where they can live well on less money and the weather is inviting with the highlands that are cool, comfortable and beautiful beaches.
They discovered that bridges benefit by a topping of latex modified concrete during their first bridge job was in 1970. Which they realized is best accomplished with a volumetric mixer. So they added their first volumetric truck and completed their first bridge deck using it for their latex modified concrete in 1973.
Since that time they have added several Cemen Tech units to their operation. As well as a dozen plus employees who travel to different parts of the country providing latex modified concrete for numerous bridge decks. Their reputation for latex modified concrete has grown to the point where established contractors in the states of Tennessee and Kentucky specifically call them when they need bridge deck work performed.
There are many methods used for bridge decks, but according to Bob, latex is still the best way of placing the final layer on the bridge. Latex modified concrete has excellent bonding characteristics which is a huge advantage.
Bob says that latex concrete is a precise business and pin-point accuracy is required. Which is one of the reasons they use Cemen Tech units. “The machine is easy to operate and I love the way it handles and cranks out the concrete,” he said.
During their time in business, the Lails have seen many changes in the industry. The family business continues to expand as their grandsons Daniel and Alex Holland have joined the business as well.
