HS large chamber system and CDS Envirocure system for OL-Trans – a Polish concrete blocks producer

Close to the Bay of Puck (Zatoka Pucka) situated in the western part of the Bay of Gdansk there is an area that is very rich in sand. There, at the city outskirts of Mrzezino, OL-Trans Hewelt Sp.z.o.o. has been domiciled for more than 30 years. Founded in 1990, the company has rapidly developed to a well-established construction company, providing earth works, road construction, demolition works and various transport and equipment services (sand and aggregate fractions). In addition, they have been developing a wide range of manufactured concrete products at OL-Trans in the years that followed.

The first block production started in the early 1980s. Starting from 2017, the original manufacturing plant was modernized step by step. The existing Masa plant was replaced by a new Masa system, two new mixers (Sicoma and Teka) were newly installed as well as the connections between the wet and dry side. The Hewelt owner family attached special importance to organization and new design of the curing chamber.

The modifications made range from the new finger car to the new rack system through to an optimized climate control for the stored products. With the German HS Anlagentechnik GmbH, they had an expert company at their side that has already numerous reference plants in Poland. Along with the British manufacturer, CDS, known in the industry for the development and production of curing systems, another partner was found rapidly. Marcin Nowakowski (Animic; sales agent for HS/CDS/Masa and others) arranged and supervised the order for the latest modernization.

Concrete products with high technical parameters

Rafał Hewelt, General Manager at OL-Trans, outlines: „Thanks to carefully selected and chosen raw materials and a strictly controlled production process, we are manufacturing concrete products with high technical parameters. The production boards for the paving stones made by the German supplier Assyx are durable, loadable and easy to clean.“ Apart from the reliable and experienced staff, OL-Trans is also equipped with outstanding technical production facilities:

In-house laboratory – a wide range of laboratory services and advice for the selection of suitable parameters of concrete mixtures.

Five concrete batching plants which are fitted with advanced technical equipment, computer-operated and manufacture concrete and concrete mortar of any class and of the highest quality, whose parameters are subject to constant laboratory testing.

Well equipped repair workshops for trucks and construction machines, where not only the own equippment is maintained operational, but also orders from customers can be taken.

Own certified extraction sites for aggregates;

Recycling of construction rubble.

„We are producing concrete paving stones in various shapes and standard thicknesses of 6, 7, 8 cm as well as special thicknesses of 10 and 14 cm, intended for heavy traffic,“ Rafał Hewelt continues. „Construction materials and decorative architectural elements provide the opportunity to enrich and beautify outdoor areas with harmonious and coordinated shapes. We supply, among other things, natural aggregates such as sands, gravel, chippings, crushed stone and mixtures for road stabilization. In addition, we offer professional advice, experience and proven quality regarding the production of ready-mixed concrete for construction in general, road and hydrotechnical construction.“

Thanks to the implemented, effective and improved own production control system, OL-Trans provides excellent conditions for the production of precast elements, ensuring their customers stable parameters.

They maintain a high quality, starting with the range and selection of raw materials, the development of the proper composition, the production on first-class equipment and the implementation of comprehensive control and diagnostic tests carried out on the basis of European and national standards right through to technological consultation and supervision on the construction site. Last but not least, the manufacturer has an own laboratory where tests are conducted on both fresh concrete and the finished products. As part of the conformity assessment regarding the requirements of individual standards and declared values, products are evaluated with appropriate frequency.

HS large chamber system and CDS Envirocure system

Richard Trappe, General Manager of HS Anlagentechnik, was full of praise: „We are very pleased to have been trusted with this contract by OL-Trans. Because in the Mrzezino factory, we talk of a chamber system with a capacity of nearly 5,000 boards, spreading over 13 bays, a depth of 19 stacks and 16 levels á 360 mm. It is designed for production boards of L x W 1,400 x 1,100 mm and for a loading capacity of 410 kg per level. In the meantime, more than 800 HS chamber system have been sold in all corners of the world over our 50 years of company history. Even difficult environmental condition such as high earthquake, snow and wind loads are no problem at all.“ Thanks to the straightforward collaboration, installation could be achieved quickly. The well-proven HS „Snap-in“ system should also be mentioned that comes with continuous pallet guidance as well as the „ZM310“ special galvanization that is much better than a conventional batch galvanizing, according to information given by the manufacturer.

Installation was then completed quite quckily due to the good preparation and the straightforward collaboration. A CDS Envirocure system was implemented that is conceived for larger automated or semi-automated production processes. This ensures that the products are taken to a controlled curing environment directly after production, until being ready for packing and shipment. The CDS Envirocure System allows for the supply in the areas of air circulation, air humidity control and temperature control. The conditioned air is uniformly distributed within the chamber. In this way, exactly controlled heated air is pre-mixed with the recirculation air from the chamber, before it flows into the curing chamber again. The construction of the channel system guarantees a consistent distribution of heated air in the entire system. The recirculation air is then extracted from the chamber and heated up to the reference value settings in an energy-efficient way.

The humidity control of the system includes the supply and distribution of humidity as well as moisture measurement. The humidity supply is carried out by means of a special humidity introduction: water is evaporated in order to generate a non-condensating atmosphere with high humidity in the mixing chamber, before entering the curing chamber. This system is only activated if the humidity is below the requested reference value. Moreover, the system uses an accurate temperature control circuit, ensuring the ideal curing conditions for the process. The overall control of the system is possible via an operator interface.

Lucas Dunne, General Manager of CDS located in the British Stoke-on-Trent expressed satisfaction: „CDS Curing has accomplished a large number of projects all over the world for a lot of customers. The CDS Envirocure system is again and again chosen because of its accurate control of curing parameters, its flexibility in ongoing operation, its non-condensing environment and its high efficiency.“

Owing to the system adaptation to the individual requirements at OL-Trans, the applied Envirocure system has proven to be a reliable and efficient solution for the curing of concrete products.

Concrete paving stones, curbstones and customized components

The Polish manufacturer primarily supplies customers in more distant and regional surroundings. The production range of the Mrzezino factory, operating with nearly 20 employees, includes diverse types of blocks in various color shades up to curbstones and customized components.

Besides the factory presented that is located at the headquarters in Mrzezino, OL-Trans operates overall five facilities for the production of ready-mixed concrete at its additional locations. With a total workforce of approx. 300 people working in the concrete plants and on the construction sites, the company moreover runs 20 truck-mounted concrete pumps operating on the job sites directly and transports with 60 trucks construction materials from the own production to the construction sites in the region. With the aid of this technical potential as well as competent, skilled staff, the company is in the position to fulfil the requirements in respect of service quality and timely execution.

While the new administration building of OL-Trans is nearly completed, the new building for the sales team is already shining in the sunshine. Unsurprisingly, it offers view stretching to the nearby Baltic Sea.