Modernization of the industrial facility of A2C Préfa for more sustainability

A2C Préfa has decided to modernize its production plant for achieving its goals in terms of sustainability. In this regard, a lot of planning was put into waste recycling, a reduction in pollutant emissions, water treatment as well as into the further development and manufacture of innovative concrete products. A2C Préfa‘s main product is the BB floor slab, a combination of wood and precast concrete slab. The Progress Group was selected as partner for automation and digitalization for the modernization of the production of this product. Two reasons were decisive here: Progress supplies turnkey solutions for the entire circulation plant and agrees with the ambition to optimize the production process in terms of sustainability.

Sustainable action as a corporate principle

As market leader in the field of prefabrication of concrete construction systems in the Paris region, A2C Préfa is committed to sustainable development. The vision is to take a role as pioneer in all procedures – ranging from the extraction of the aggregates to the construction system. This contribution to a sustainable development within A2C Préfa is called ID Concrete – an approach that is built up and thus actively supported by all employees.

Automation for sustainability

Automation supports sustainable production processes. For manufacturing the BB floor slab made of wood and concrete, they opted for sustainable technology of the Progress Group, implementing machinery of several companies of the Group:

A Form Master shuttering and deshuttering robot, working automatically and exactly on the basis of the CAD data transmitted. This saves time, avoids errors and thus waste.

A Pluristar multifunctional machine for bending, cutting and welding of reinforcement steel, working from the coil directly. This machine provides for less cutting waste, better quality and less physical labor for the employees.

A Versa lattice girder welding machine with automated height adjustment during ongoing production. This saves time, material and it is one of a kind on the market in this design.

An Econ Drive automated concrete spreader, distributing the ideal amount of concrete on the pallet on the basis of the transmitted data in a resource saving way.

The high-pressure water jet cutter for insulation materials, being jointly further developed by Progress and A2C. It is able to irradiate compressed wood fiber blocks in such a way that the grooves for the ducts can be plotted and milled into the slabs or the slabs can be cut to size. In addition, the machine can be used to remove the milled or cut off material, to glue the floor slabs fully automatically and to store the product.

An automated transport trolley, ensuring more safety in the factory and carrying the elements to the storage yard quickly.

The Ebos master control system as complete solution, representing the current production status clearly and thus facilitating the work for managers and employees. It is a complete solution for operations scheduling, production, and process analysis, covering all aspects of the manufacturing process continuously.

Sustainability = staff well-being

As regards sustainable action, the aspect of providing the staff with good and safe working conditions is often neglected. Social sustainability also includes to design the working environment of the employees according to decent conditions. All employees agree that the physical burden has been reduced considerably since the installation of the new machines. „At the beginning, we have selected the Progress Group because they offered us a turnkey solution for the entire circulation plant – today they are a real partner for the future!“, said Sébastien Straub, Directeur Industriel.