Category: Quality
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Let the Bakers Bake
Let the Bakers Bake October 8, 2012 When was the last time you bought a cake? How did you order it? Maybe you told the baker you wanted a chocolate layer cake with pink roses on it for a little girl. If you were getting fancy, maybe you ordered it with buttercream frosting. If you were…
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The 0.26 w/c Myth-Conception
In these days of an ever increasing demand for improvements in concrete performance, it is easy for specifiers to continually decrease the maximum allowable water/cement ratio for concrete they specify. After all, a lower water/cement ratio produces higher performance concrete, right? And everyone knows that it only takes a 0.26 water/cement ratio to fully hydrate cement, right?…
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The Quality Plan
(Readers note: While my topic today specifically references ready mix concrete quality control, it is also applicable to contractors and any other industry, so I hope you will read on.) Do you have a Quality Plan in place? You should. Of the 28 respondents to the 2010 NRMCA Quality Benchmark Survey published in the January…
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If I Ruled the Concrete Industry
If I Ruled the Concrete Industry July 2, 2012 Have you ever tried to change the way people do things, only to have someone ask you, “Who made you God?” Well, I just realized that, even though I am not God, I do control what goes into my blog. Therefore, the following is a list of things that I…
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Well-Graded Aggregates vs. Gap-Graded Aggregates
Well-Graded Aggregates vs. Gap-Graded Aggregates June 11, 2012 Over the past decade a major “discussion” has arisen over the desirability of the use of well-graded aggregates (WGA) vs. gap-graded aggregates (GGA) in concrete. The discussion has centered on two areas: 1) the technical benefits of WGA vs. GGA and 2) the use of specifications to…
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How Load Assurance Ensures Quality, No Matter Who’s Driving
In the fast-paced world of concrete delivery, maintaining product quality despite an ongoing staffing pinch has become a challenge for businesses of all sizes. Skilled truck drivers are the backbone of any concrete operation, but with the industry facing a persistent shortage of experienced personnel, ensuring consistent quality can be tricky. Or at least it…
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Benchmarking Concrete Production Accuracy
This month is a view into the state of plant automation control (also known as batch panel) consistency and accuracy for a sample of seven producers located in North America for the period of May 2024 through April 2025. The data shows a baseline analysis of batching accuracy of COMMANDbatch systems in use. The data is…
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COMMANDbatch Around the World: M&R Ready Mix, USA
Since 1967, M&R Redi Mix has offered high-quality concrete products to their customers in Pettisville, McClure, and Stony Ridge, Ohio. The Gerken Companies acquired M&R Redi Mix Trucking, Inc. in 2019, updating the name to M&R Ready Mix. Operating with four plants from Toledo all the way to the state line, M&R Ready Mix provides…
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How to Improve Aggregate Moisture Sensor Performance?
Accurate aggregate moisture measurement has been the bane of producers since batch plant automation was invented. Despite all the benefits derived from modern automation we know without careful observation by the plant operators and/or truck drivers, produced concrete may or may not meet the end user requirements on the first try. We are all too familiar with those consequences: lost time and material due to dry-up loads, rejected…
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How to Optimize Your Ready Mix Concrete Production Cycle
Measuring the batch cycle for consistent performance Plant throughput is a key factor for maximizing profitability. The ability to establish the production capacity of each plant then maintaining that capacity day after day is an absolute requirement to protect your bottom line and achieve on-time delivery goals. A reliable concrete supplier needs repeatable results within each stage of…