By Kris Moorman

CFA member, Custom Concrete, a family-owned and operated organization that is headquartered out of Indianapolis, strives to be the industry leader in providing concrete solutions. They specialize in residential, commercial, multi-family, and room-addition foundations. Due to the current industry demands, Custom Concrete had its busiest year in 2021 in over a decade. With scarce materials and high demand for ready-mix trucks, the company looked to volumetric technology for a solution.

Custom Concrete is not alone. Across the country, the number of residential, commercial, and industrial building projects continues to rise with no indication of a slowdown in sight. Many concrete contractors are looking to the latest smart volumetric technology to expand their current businesses for current and future needs. 

Supplying the Demand 

SiteSource, a subsidiary of Custom Concrete, became the solution to a growing issue. Jeff Davidson, operations manager at SiteSource, said, “We were having difficulties getting concrete when we needed it due to high demand, which made completing current jobs and planning for future work a challenge.” 

Adding volumetric mixers to the fleet has allowed Custom Concrete to get concrete anytime and increase overall productivity, therefore increasing their capacity to fulfill more projects. “Our volumetric mixers allow us to pour short loads – a four-yard stem wall or two-yard footing repair – and send the ready-mix trucks to other jobsites so we can maximize our fleet,” said Davidson. 

In searching for a volumetric solution, leaders at Custom Concrete selected the Cemen Tech C60 volumetric mixer equipped with ACCU-POUR™. “From the equipment, quality of technology, and customer support, Cemen Tech really stood out to us,” said Davidson. “After seeing all that’s offered with ACCU-POUR and the data it can provide us to make more accurate business decisions, we knew that it was going to be a perfect fit.”

Innovative Technology

A volumetric mixer measures, mixes, and dispenses a precise amount of concrete from one unit. Sand, stone, cement powder, water, and additives are each kept in their own bin to be mixed on-site and on-demand, eliminating the costs associated with hot loads or over-ordering. Waste is limited to a couple of shovels of concrete versus potentially yards of material, saving the operator and customer money by paying for only what is produced. 

“Volumetric technology allows contractors to produce their own concrete when, where, and how they need it,” said Mark Rinehart, vice president of sales and marketing at Cemen Tech Inc. “Being able to do concrete work themselves puts full control of a contractor’s project in their hands, which can improve productivity, efficiency, and costs.” 

When Custom Concrete made the decision to add volumetric mixers, they did extensive research to find the right solution. “We looked at a couple of different brands, and Cemen Tech offered a lot of benefits to our team. The two deciding factors were the equipment construction and the innovative technology solutions provided by Cemen Tech,” said Sam Gibson, business development manager for SiteSource. “We saw the benefit of ACCU-POUR and how it could be an asset to our business. The data would allow our team to make strong strategic decisions to propel us forward.”

SiteSource uses ACCU-POUR daily for all dispatching, billing, invoicing, and inventory tracking. “What we found was we really needed to boost our ready-mix allocations. The industry is overwhelmed, and construction is booming in central Indiana. Our team needed to find a way to fill the gaps, and Cemen Tech allowed us to do so,” Gibson said. 

Plan. Tap. Pour. 

Using ACCU-POUR, contracts can schedule jobs, assign projects, and send orders wirelessly to the operator’s tablet in the mixers. Orders are loaded in sequence and include directions for getting to the jobsite via the system’s GPS feature. Managers program the requested mix and quantity desired for each job, making it quick and easy for the operator to select the design for each job with a tap on the screen.

The system allows operators to enter notes for individual jobs, upload project photos, and share batch tickets with inspectors. Batch tickets can be provided electronically or in a physical document right on the jobsite.  

“With the technology that’s available on the volumetric mixer and the resources we have within our organization, our operators can grow by learning more about concrete and what it takes to get the job done,” Davidson said. 

Designing the Future Through Data 

From the office, management can track detailed information from the volumetric mixer in real-time. The mixer management system tracks the truck’s location, material usage, total yards poured, and completed jobs. Since all the information is stored using ACCU-POUR and mobile technology, all invoicing can be handled electronically. 

For longer-term planning, ACCU-POUR syncs data and historical details by job, customer, and date. This information is saved to the cloud, where management can access and review it at any time. Business owners can use this data to improve budgeting, ordering, cost inefficiencies, new opportunities for their business, and more. 

“Our experience with ACCU-POUR and Cemen Tech has been phenomenal. They have thoroughly explained the benefits, system operations, and data management provided by the volumetric mixers. We have confidence we will be able to mitigate the gap in the industry for Custom Concrete through this new technology,” said Gibson. 

Kris Moorman has worked in construction manufacturing for over five years. Her background in technology and sustainability, and the benefits that these both bring to the asphalt and construction industry, gives her insight into the ways firms can improve, diversify, and build their business. Moorman is the marketing manager for Cemen Tech, which manufactures volumetric concrete mixers.

Visit cementech.com