Intelligent systems made of concrete,
with modernized production technology

The company B+F Beton- und Fertigteilgesellschaft mbH Lauchhammer (BFL) belongs to the General Atomics Europe Group and as such is part of the network of General Atomics, active around the world. The company, founded in 1997 in the southern part of Brandenburg in Germany, has specialized in production and erection of precast reinforced-concrete elements for civil engineering – primarily in the areas of infrastructure (roads, rail transport, air, water/wastewater) and environmental protection.

Outstanding technical competence, high-quality products, enormous technical and scheduling flexi-bility, competitive prices and, not least, a highly committed professional staff of 85 contribute to the use of precast elements made by BFL in large-scale projects of industry and of the public sector BFL throughout Europe.

All services, from project planning to erection, are offered as complete solutions. Here, the first, important step is planning and technical processing. Checking structural design, keeping a close eye on precise execution planning, supervising and, where necessary, complementing and newly equipping production processes, are additional tasks. With consistent further development of working procedures – e.g., with an in-plant joinery shop where every one-off and customized production project can be produced in wooden forms developed especially for the particular purpose  – the company is well-prepared to face the demanding challenges of the market.

Managing Director Hermann Stenzhorn reports, not without pride: “Last year we made investments of approx. 5 million euros, and all of it entirely without subsidies. We manufacture without exception with our own workforce – currently, just short of 90 – in the Lauchhammer plant and operate in addition an office in Opole in southern Poland. This has, among other factors, helped us to obtain all permits for the PKP rail company. At least 20 % of the total turnover is generated outside Germany – including Norway, Iceland, Luxembourg, Austria, the Czech Republic, Poland and Switzerland.”

Precast elements for facility protection

Protection of structures for safety-relevant and endangered facilities is becoming increasingly important. The Juraschek BFL element system that protects facilities against unauthorized entry are designed for flexible use and have been successfully installed in many applications. This highly dynamic protection systems, which consists of high-quality precast reinforced-concrete elements, effectively supplements other external enclosure systems.

All drive-through protection and barrier systems consist of two type-elements (full element A + wall element B) that can be used in different combinations. Complete installation can take place within a very short time, without requiring complex foundation or anchorage on a compacted gravel/sand bed, or on an existing asphalt surface.

The additive BFL element system enables arrangement in linear order, in arches, in serpentine form as well as in staggered heights – and without conventional construction work. Installation without auxiliary equipment is possible, and temporary access ways can be created on short notice – all of which is possible without additional anchorages.

Application areas for the Juraschek BFL element system are nuclear power plants, storage sites, chemical
facilities, research facilities, public buildings (e.g., embassies and consulates), supply facilities, warehousing and defense facilities.

Modular units as prefabricated buildings

BFL has planned, developed and produced its prefabricated buildings on a sophisticated technical level for wide-ranging sectors, primarily for power, gas and water engineering, for measurement and control technology as well as for communications and traffic engineering. This sector, according to the manufacturer, contributes about 30 % of total turnover.

The practice-oriented structures that evolve from the requirements ensure efficient detail and overall concepts. The basic versions of the prefabricated buildings are already comprehensively fitted to the standard equipment in the plant.

Because the modular units are designed as self-supporting structures, transport to a new place of utilization is possible –subsequent sealing of the anchor points to ensure impermeability is provided.

Catch system and vehicle weighbridges

The company product line includes, in addition, catch basins for rail-bound and road vehicles as well as tank pits and drainage areas, all of which are exclusively made of high-quality reinforced concrete and leave the plant already coated and lined. Portable rail and truck vats can be combined and lined up in any desired number.

BFL vehicle weighbridges made of precast components ensure rapid installation, low construction cost and high economic efficiency – entirely independent of whether the weighbridges are needed for a limited period of time or for permanent use. They are resistant to frost and de-icing salt, extremely hard-wearing and virtually maintenance-free. All of the precast components are matched to the respective weighing technology. Typical areas of application are industrial plants, the farming industry, recycling companies, gravel and crushed rock plants as well as construction sites.

Rail and underground cable construction

BFL has developed a new rail-supporting slab. This practically indestructible slab is easy to install, has an unlimited service life and is extremely cost-efficient. 

All of these features are backed up by the permit granted by the German Federal Rail Authority – an ideal combination of rail and road transport and of storage areas.

One of BFL’s core competencies is intensive and comprehensive service for erectors and operators of communications networks. All products needed in the construction of surface-mounted transmission routes are part of the company’s product range – including manholes, junction boxes, media channels as well as radio-control and switchgear buildings.

Additional services and products

BFL, a specialized company certified by the German Resource Act (WHG), has the knowhow and the pre-requisites required for manufacturing precast com-ponents for many and various uses. These include drinking-water facilities and range from  sewage treatment systems with aggressive media and media aggressive to concrete. These plants include inlet and discharge structures – on request, complete with auxiliary equipment – as well as complete pumping stations with prefabricated buildings.

On an operating area of a total of 95,000 m², the Lauchhammer plant manufactures special angle brackets, precast foundations, scum boards, routing-switch heating stations, working pits, bridge girders, retaining walls and other special components. Individual and specific solutions call for close cooperation with customers and planners. The results are competitively implemented with high-quality precast reinforced-concrete elements.

Further services include delivery by track or rail free on site, including all required special permits. Erection at the place of performance with the company’s skilled personnel and heavy-duty road-bound crane and erection technology ensures that BFL remains on the customers’ side until completion.

All products are subjected to a range of quality controls that ensure delivery of the quality specified. The company’s own concrete testing laboratory simulates extreme situations. The tests ensure that all products obtain the required certificates.

Investment in a new Eirich mixing plant

B + F Beton- und Fertigteilgesellschaft mbH Lauchhammer in southern Brandenburg in Germany, with its workforce of just short of 90 employees, can look positively into the future. The recently completed modernization in the form of a new, cutting-edge Eirich concrete mixing plant offers the company many new opportunities and strengthens the Lauchhammer location.

“The highly motivated and creative team, which positively surprises me again and again, never ceases to amaze me. It has enabled us to invest in a new tower plant (IBN 2022),” explains Hermann Stenzhorn. Thanks at this point also go to the holding company: General Atomics Europe and its Managing Director Harald Robl. For B + F Beton- und Fertigteilgesellschaft mbH Lauchhammer and the General Atomics Europe Group, the investment in the new concrete mixing plant was one of the most important projects in 2022.”

Stefan Berberich, Team leader for Concrete at Eirich, confirms: “We – as an external supplier involved only in a fraction of the procedure and/or changes – can only emphasize this statement. The new opportunities for the company in Lauchhammer are wide-ranging: high-quality concretes, savings with binders, new types of concrete and/or products. The new mixing plant from Eirich is an asset for the company and its workforce, who can look confidently into the future.”

The new tower plant in detail

Eirich delivered, up to complete installation, the turn-key mixing and batching plant including plant control system, with plant visualization and formula management. The plant includes an inclined-standing intensive
mixer of type RV24 with agitator tool. The maximum batch size is 1.9 m³ of fresh concrete. It features reduction in the amount of binder required, between 5 and 10 %, depending on the formula.

The plant and the mixer are designed for preparing RC concrete, lightweight concrete, fiber concrete, colored concrete, SCC and UHPC. They enable consistencies ranging from no-slump to liquid concrete, without retooling. Light materials can be filled into and stored in the silo chamber. The plant can be operated with precision-controlled hot-water temperature for operation in winter.

A special addition to concrete can be batched to conform with the WHG products, i.e. for products in accordance with the German Water Resource Act, and recycled water can be used for different formulas and products. In the plant, moreover, recycled material is used, in accordance with the given products. Five cameras are built into the plant – one of which monitors the material mix. This affords the operator of the plant a direct view of the consistency.

The plant is add-on-capable for extending the silo capacity (2 binder silos), 2 x color dosing units and additional color dosing units.