Two new volumetric concrete mixers are starting to operate from CEMEX Altrincham concrete plant, headed up by lead driver, Ian Leadbetter, from Widnes.  CEMEX Valuemix was started just over a year ago with just one vehicle and was the ‘first’ of this type of service in the North West.

A volumetric mixer carries the individual materials in separate bins required to make concrete such as cement and sand, and mixes them at the customer’s site. CEMEX Valuemix was the first company in the North West to ensure that the mixer meets the legal requirements of large good vehicles as opposed to many Operators who classify their vehicles as ‘plants’, enabling them to sidestep vital safety and operating HGV regulations.

Ian is leading a Team of three local drivers – Mark Penny from Kearsley near Bolton, Craig Crier and Liam Field from Eccles. The four drivers will operate 3 vehicles providing local customers with quality assured concrete and mortars from as little as 0.5 cu metre, for a small path or paving up to 8 cubic metres for large building projects.

“Customers using Valuemix order and pay for exactly the amount of concrete they need and many ask for our “barrow and lay service”, in other words, a free helping hand to lay the concrete wherever the customer needs it”, Ian comments.

He continues: “The service is creating a lot of interest with loads being delivered as far afield as Northwich in Cheshire, Bolton in Lancashire and, of course, all of Greater Manchester.”

There is a growing trend in the market to supply materials from volumetric vehicles and currently nationwide, 10% or an estimated 2 million cubic metres of the readymixed concrete market is delivered annually by volumetric vehicles.