At the Temse site, C-concrete has its own concrete plant. This may seem like a purely practical choice, but in reality, this plant helps determine the quality, flexibility, and durability of every element that leaves the factory.
By working with its own mix designs and managing the entire production chain, C-concrete can respond very specifically to the technical requirements of each project as well as the climate ambitions of clients.
Why an in-house concrete plant?
Many precast manufacturers depend on external concrete suppliers. At C-concrete, things are different: at the Temse site, the concrete is produced in-house. This offers several advantages:
In-house aggregates and mix designs: tailor-made concrete
At the Temse site, C-concrete is responsible for the selection and purchasing of aggregates. The grading (particle size distribution), origin, and quality of these aggregates help determine the final properties of the concrete.
Based on this, custom mix designs are developed depending on the application:
- heavily loaded elements requiring high strength and durability;
- visual elements where appearance is key, requiring a specific color and texture profile.
- concrete with specific workability for complex formwork or dense reinforcement.
Because the complete mix design is managed in-house, C-concrete can work in a highly project-oriented manner. The mix for a parking tower is not the same as the one for a tunnel shaft or an architectural facade panel.
This freedom of composition ensures that the technical requirements of engineering firms and architects can be translated very accurately into the final concrete mix.
Colored concrete and aesthetic applications
An additional benefit of having an in-house concrete plant is the ability to produce colored concrete. Color pigments are carefully dosed into the mix design to achieve the desired color and colorfastness.
This is particularly interesting for, among others:
Because color, aggregates, and cement type are all managed in-house, C-concrete can seamlessly link aesthetic demands with technical and structural requirements.
More sustainable concrete with CEM III/A
In addition to quality and flexibility, the concrete plant also plays a key role in C-concrete’s climate ambitions. For projects with a strong focus on sustainability, C-concrete prefers to work with CEM III/A cement.
CEM III/A is a type of cement in which a large portion of the energy-intensive, traditional clinker is replaced by blast-furnace slag. Blast-furnace slag is a by-product of the steel industry. This has two major consequences:
- the embodied CO₂ emissions per cubic meter of concrete are significantly reduced;
- a by-product is given a high-value, new purpose.
Compared to traditional cement types, this can save more than 35 percent of CO₂ on the cement component of the concrete, depending on the mix design. This represents a direct gain for the climate impact of a project.
For projects such as the ‘Technische Cluster Noord’ in Antwerp, the concrete mix designs are also supported by life cycle assessments (LCAs). This ensures that the climate benefit is not only noticeable, but also objectively measurable and verifiable.
Technical performance, as well as CE, KOMO, and BENOR compliance, remain identical; only the ecological footprint is significantly reduced.
Circular construction in practice
Our commitment to sustainability goes beyond cement. We also close loops within our production process. Our washout process separates fresh concrete residues into a reusable sand-gravel mix and greywater, both of which we reuse in the concrete plant. In this way, we give raw materials a second life and minimize waste and water consumption.
Self-compacting concrete from our own plant
The concrete plant allows us to produce self-compacting concrete according to our own sustainable mix designs. Furthermore, self-compacting concrete offers crucial advantages during the production process and compared to standard concrete on site: it flows and compacts itself, eliminating the need for intensive vibration. This results in significant time savings, lower labor costs, and a perfect, high-quality finish without voids, even in complex formwork.
Quality control and traceability
Having an in-house concrete plant gives C-concrete maximum control over the organization and monitoring of production. This is reflected in, among other things:
- systematic checks on fresh and hardened concrete;
- monitoring compressive strength and other properties per mix design;
- recording of materials used, batch numbers, and deliveries.
This approach ensures a high level of traceability. If questions arise about an element in the future, it is possible to reconstruct precisely which mix design, materials, and production conditions were applied. For clients, engineering firms, and inspection bodies, this represents a significant advantage.
What does this mean for clients and designers?
The concrete plant in Temse is therefore more than just a production facility. It offers concrete advantages for clients and designers:
Concrete, thought out right from the source
C-concrete’s integrated approach makes it possible to build structures that are technically strong, aesthetically well-conceived, and climate-conscious all at the same time. The concrete plant in Temse is the beating heart of this production.
