In a new case study, Command Alkon says its Commandassurance solution monitors the material science of a load of concrete from the moment it is batched to the moment it is delivered at the job.
Probe technology gathers information on the properties of the materials while inside of the drum such as volume, temperature, slump and how many revs are on the truck.
Ethan Horton, operations specialist at Lauren Concrete, says: “What really sold on Commandassurance was the integrity behind the product and the efficiency opportunities. Really looking at dialing in down to the plant, the batch operator, and seeing that load from A to Z has been pretty impressive.”
Command Alkon explains that all of the the information is reported up through the cloud so production, dispatch, quality control personnel, and drivers are able to instantly check on the contents of any truck at any time and from any location.
When the truck makes it to the job, personnel can look at the display board on the back of the truck and know everything about the load before they pour.
The data collected by Commandassurance enables the batch operator to adjust loads on the frontend so that they arrive to the jobsite at the correct slump, the company adds.
Ryan Cupps, operations manager at Lauren Concrete, says: “We found that slump is accurate within plus or minus half an inch. That’s well within what you would typically see with a slump cone. So, I can tell you that as far as we’re concerned, this is as accurate as a formal slump test.”
The dispatch team knows more about the properties of the product before it arrives and can use this information to trim time off at the plant and at the job. It also allows them to have specific conversations when customer questions arise because they have real-time and historical data for all of the loads that they dispatched.
According to Command, dispatch and quality control personnel now have the answers that they need to combat false claims and data that can protect against litigation.
“The data is instantly available to our QC team,” Cupps continues. “All historical records are maintained, and I can tell you what happened a month ago or even four months ago on a specific truck.”
The Block 185 will be 594 feet tall upon completion in 2022.
Matt Jetmore, central general manager at Lauren Concrete, says: “Block 185 is a very high-spec job, so performance is extremely important. When pouring columns, strength and slump are crucial to success, so having the ability to know what’s in our trucks, how our product is going to perform, and having assurance that it’s going to be out here at a consistent slump during high temperatures – knowing the continuous reading of the temperature is invaluable.”
