The construction industry was dramatically changed with the introduction of Ready-Mix Concrete (RMC). RMC is a specialized material in which cement, aggregates, water, and other ingredients are mixed in a batching plant in a central mixer or truck mixer before delivery to the job site in a ready-to-use nature. The procedure results in a precise mixture, maintaining a perfect ratio of ingredients and good quality of concrete. Special requirements can also be fulfilled by contacting the manufacturer. Using Ready-Mix Concrete in the construction industry has enabled ease of labor and the building of robust structures. Before Ready-Mix Concrete was a fundamental concept, site mixing was the only option for builders. It was laborious and prone to error, producing inconsistent mixture and inefficient workability. It was time-consuming and ineffective for large-scale construction work. Ready-Mix Concrete came into play to remove all the mentioned issues.

The international construction industry is highly dependent on the Ready-Mix Concrete product. Lately, its introduction in Bangladesh has revolutionized how builders work with concrete. However, the history of Ready-Mix Concrete is relatively new in the country. Rapid development in the housing sector and adaptation of mega projects have popularized the Ready-Mix Concrete industry even more.

What is Ready-Mix Concrete?

Ready-Mix Concrete is nothing but a premixed version of concrete. Instead of preparing the mixture on job sites, Ready-Mix Concrete is prepared in batching plants with accurate proportions. Different manufacturers might use distinct set recipes for their products. Hence, the concrete is manufactured in a plant away from the job site and transported within the requisite time via trucks mounted with transit mixers. So, Ready-Mix Concrete suppliers provide two primary services: 1) Processing materials to prepare concrete and 2) Transporting the concrete via trucks to the desired location within a short time.

Ready-Mix Concrete consists of cement, aggregates, water, and various admixtures. The aggregates contain sand and gravel or crushed stone. Admixtures can delay or accelerate the setting time of concrete. Some can enhance the strength of concrete as well. Ready-Mix Concrete is bought and sold by volume, expressed in cubic meters. It can be custom-made to suit different applications.

History of Ready-Mix Concrete

The history of Ready-Mix Concrete dates back more than a century ago. It was first introduced by architect Jurgen Heinrich Magens. He got his patent for RMC in Germany in 1903. But the product did not start with flying colors in its inception. It took another 20 years before manufacturers started supplying builders with Ready-Mix Concrete. However, the first concrete mixed off-site and delivered to a job site was done in Baltimore, USA, in 1913, just before World War I. The concept of transit mixers was also introduced in 1926 in the USA. Concrete was commonly mixed by hand. It introduced an extra workload for laborers and inconsistency in the mix. But in 1916, Stephan Stepanian of Columbus, Ohio, filed a patent for a truck mixer. However, it was rejected, and the transit mixer needed another decade before materializing. In the meantime, around 1923 – 1924, a supplier bought a concrete mixing plant for his use and recognized the possibility of supplying other contractors. As a result, by the end of 1925, 25 plants were producing Ready-Mix Concrete; by the end of 1929, there were over 100 concrete mixing plants throughout the USA. In the late 1920s, delivery trucks were fitted with a drum that agitated the concrete while on the move. It was a pivotal function as it prevented the aggregates from sediment. The first Ready-Mix Concrete operation was set up in the UK in 1930. By the end of 1960, a successful nationwide network of concrete manufacturing plants was established. After that, the Ready-Mix Concrete’s potential became well known globally. At that time, many countries were experiencing rapid urbanization. So, construction work was going at full pace in the world’s big cities. The Ready-Mix Concrete enabled the workers to use the product effectively and efficiently to build more and more projects.

Hence, the Ready-Mix concrete industry took off due to tremendous efforts within the US during post-World War I. The UK started its journey with Ready-Mix Concrete after the 1930s. Another important aspect of rapid development in this sector was mainly due to the modern design of truck mixers. The vehicles used for delivering low-slump wet mixed concrete were usually standard tippers. Some had specially built V-shaped bodies that enabled quicker unloading. However, tipping agitators were only installed for conveying higher-slump mixes. In order to mix the dry batch, non-tipping, horizontal-drum truck mixers were used. These trucks had a scroll of blades that rotated in a specific direction. For discharging the mixed concrete, the blades turned in the other direction. Good trucks with faster moving capabilities and proper mixing attributes were crucial to the success of Ready-Mix Concrete in the early days.

The Ready-Mix Concrete market amplified rapidly due to increased demand for commercial buildings such as offices, schools, colleges, hospitals, and shopping malls. However, developed infrastructure in countries like the USA or the UK is expected to restrict the usage of RMC and serve as a significant challenge over the upcoming years.

The Asia Pacific region is the dominant market and is projected to witness significant growth over the following years due to growing infrastructure development. Countries like India, Bangladesh, Singapore, China, and Thailand are adopting massive development projects, road construction, airports, and seaports. These factors are enabling the enormous growth of the Ready-Mix Concrete industry.

History of Ready-Mix Concrete in Bangladesh

The history of Ready-Mix Concrete in Bangladesh is relatively new. It was first introduced by Concord in 1993. Concord started the journey with one batching plant, three transit mixers, and one concrete pump. The industry saw the face of success a few years later in Dhaka and Chittagong in 1998.

Currently, there are 19 members of the Bangladesh Ready-Mix Concrete Association (BRMCA). The major Ready-Mix Concrete producers in the country are:

• Mir Ready-Mix Concrete.
• Concord Ready-Mix & Concrete Products Ltd.
• Advanced Development & Technology Ltd.
• ABC Ltd.
• Bashundhara Technology Ltd.
• GBB
• Abdul Monem Ltd.
• Navana RMC
• NDE Ready-Mix Concrete
• BDCL
• Bestec Ltd.
• Amin Mohammad Foundation

A technical study report was prepared on the market for bulk cement and its demand in 1996. The report concluded that the demand for Ready-Mix Concrete products is expected to rise in the upcoming decades. Bangladesh experienced rapid urbanization, especially in the late 2000s. Developer companies acquired numerous projects in big cities like Dhaka and Chittagong to transform the housing sector in Bangladesh. Furthermore, the government of Bangladesh signed multiple mega projects. All these factors contributed to the rise of the Ready-Mix Concrete industry.

Bangladesh will be one of the biggest consumers of cement in south-east Asia in the upcoming years. Ready-Mix Concrete is highly recommended for all major public construction work such as highways, flyovers, metro rail, bridges, etc. However, most of the casting work is still done by conventional manual concreting in Bangladesh. Especially small-scale projects have not adapted to the Ready-Mix Concrete environment.

Source: The Daily Star

Not all RMC businesses are performing well in Bangladesh. Many reasons are identified behind the setback. One of those is the cost of raw materials. Bangladesh needs to import the raw materials for preparing concrete. Raw materials sellers are continuously hiking the price and making it difficult for small-scale RMC businesses to make a profit. Small RMC plants depend on the sizable import-business group. Moreover, the crisis of quality raw materials and investments is becoming an issue for these businesses.

Transportation is one of the most significant challenges Ready-Mix Concrete manufacturers face in Bangladesh. The prepared concrete must be transported from the batching plant to the job site within a definite time. Otherwise, the concrete will lose its strength, and the quality will be degraded. As most of the construction work is happening in the capital city of Dhaka, transportation has become a significant challenge. Dhaka is already a very traffic-prone city with narrow roads and overpopulation problems. Hence, large mixer trucks cannot operate suitably in many locations. Furthermore, most batching plants are on the outskirts of Dhaka city. Consequently, it becomes difficult to transport the product in the inner city under the time limit. Hence, you should consider some things before choosing Ready-Mix Concrete in Bangladesh.

The Ready-Mix Concrete Market

Since the inception of Ready-Mix Concrete, it has become a global product. Concrete is the most consumed manmade substance in the world. Hence, the Ready-Mix Concrete market has expanded all over the world. The global Ready-Mix Concrete market size was estimated at $448.0 billion in 2020. It is expected to reach $704.2 billion by 2030, growing at a CAGR of 4.5% from 2021 to 2030. Ready-Mix Concrete is gaining more popularity than conventional site mixed concrete due to its ready-to-use nature, convenience, ease of use, and better quality.

Source: Grand View Research

During the Covid-19 pandemic, the Ready-Mix Concrete market hit a bump as construction work worldwide was halted due to safety reasons. However, the industry jumped back on track as the world recovered from the economic crisis and construction activities re-initiated. 

The market players in the industry are

• ACC Limited
• Barney & Dickenson Inc.
• CEMEX
• Heidelberg Cement AG
• Holcim Ltd. Vulcan Materials

Summary

Generally, using Ready-Mix Concrete is beneficial to consumers from all angles. It ensures better quality, workability, pace, durability, labor savings, etc. It eliminates material procurement requirements and the storage hassle of raw materials. Using Ready-Mix Concrete is considered an eco-friendly option because it reduces waste materials. Furthermore, the manual concrete preparation is labor-intensive and prone to human error, which results in unreliable mixtures. Hence, the Ready-Mix Concrete industry could grab contractors’ attention worldwide. Bangladesh is still using conventional concreting methods. The popularity of Ready-Mix Concrete has not reached a nationwide scale. However, the scenario is slowly changing, and more contractors rely on Ready-Mix Concrete products for building projects in Bangladesh.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

How many types of Ready-Mix Concrete are there?

Ans: There are three types of Ready-Mix Concrete depending on the mixing of various ingredients. These are 1) Transit Mixed Concrete 2) Shrink Mixed Concrete 3) Central Mixed Concrete.

Who first used concrete?

Ans: The Egyptians used concrete for the first time over 5000 years ago.

Why do contractors still follow traditional concreting in Bangladesh?

Ans: Many contractors do not know the benefits of Ready-Mix Concrete, or there is no local supplier.

Is using Ready-Mix Concrete cheaper than the traditional method?

Ans: It depends on the availability, materials, project size, and many other factors. But Ready-Mix Concrete is far superior to traditional concreting because of its convenience, durability, and ready-to-use nature.

How to find the best Ready-Mix Concrete supplier in Bangladesh?

Ans: The best way to find is to look online for reviews and consult with good contractors on the quality of the product.