Kick-start at the Ringön-plant

And so the production segment is in full motion! It is very interesting and valuable to see and learn about what goes on in our plants. During my first day at Ringön I met Anita who is the Operations Manager for western Sweden. I also met our logistics coordinator Arshia, our production coordinator Ali, and our complaints coordinator Christian who introduced me to our new business system CORE.

 

Ali took me on a tour of the plant, which is quite unique since many processes are automated and managed by machines. Among other things, I got to see how the delivery of ballast (gravel and sand) is received, how the concrete is mixed, and how the drivers wash the concrete trucks at the end of the day.

 

Blandare Thomas Concrete Group

Mixer: Water, ballast, cement and additives are pumped into this concrete mixer by machines. When the concrete has been mixed, it is transferred to the concrete trucks and delivered to different construction sites. 

 

Spolstation Thomas Concrete Group

Washing station: At the end of the day, the drivers flush the drum on the trucks so that the concrete does not solidify inside it. The water is then purified and recycled.

 

Vattenrening Thomas Concrete Group

Water purification and recycling: The concrete mixed water flows out into a large basin. When gravel and sand have sunk to ground, the water is pumped into a second basin. In the same way, the water is pumped out into a third and sometimes a fourth basin. The purified water is then used to mix new concrete, or to clean another drum. 

 

During my second day at Ringön I shadowed Niclas, Mattias and Alex in the lab. They test and monitor the quality of the concrete. I accompanied Mattias to a construction site to measure the consistency of the concrete from a number of deliveries. It was interesting to walk around the site and watch the construction workers do their thing. Mattias showed me how to perform a so-called slump test, which measures the consistency and workability of fresh concrete before it sets. I also got to perform two tests on my own!

 

Arbetsplats Thomas Concrete Group

Construction site: Concrete is pumped and filled into this section which will later become a roof / floor between two levels in an apartment complex.

 

Sättmått Thomas Concrete Group

Slump test: The slump of the concrete is measured by measuring the distance from the top of the slumped concrete to the level of the top of the cone. The measure indicates if the consistency and workability of the concrete aligns with the type of concrete the customer has ordered.

 

Niclas, Mattias and Alex were not only super helpful but also a really great team to hang out with! You can tell they have fun at work. 

 

Tomorrow I’m off to our plant in Mölndal!