The daunting challenge of laying a 49,000-square-foot by 3-foot-thick monolithic concrete foundation—within a record-setting 12 hours—was no easy task for leading ready-mix manufacturer Silvi Concrete of Fairless Hills, Pennsylvania. The foundation was vital for the placement of a new monument for the worldwide Hindu Organization, known as BAPS, for its recently completed 70,000-square-foot recreational and teaching facility, and 10,000-square-foot ornate temple in Robbinsville, New Jersey. In addition to over 7,000 yards of concrete, the project contained 160,000 tons of stainless steel rebar. The 170-foot tall monument now occupies over an acre of land, for one of the largest and most ornate Hindu mega worship centers in the world.
In an effort to streamline this “race-against-time” logistical nightmare, Silvi leveraged its association with GivenHansco, a leading developer of producer-driven software for the ready-mix construction industry. The goal was to deliver 600 yards of ready-mix concrete per hour over a 12-hour period—continuously implementing 106 trucks from three central ready-mix concrete plants to the foundation site.
MONOLITHIC CHALLENGE
The BAPS project represented the largest continuous concrete pour in Silvi’s history, requiring a perfectly executed timetable and plan of attack during which the slightest error in judgment and planning could represent the potential for catastrophic failure. Countless hours of advanced meetings were required to discuss the possible problems that might occur and to formulate solutions to those challenges. Silvi also assigned 20 additional employees on site to assist in quality control, traffic management, and truck placement.
According to Jeff Davis, Silvi’s director of dispatch, “Given the short time frame, staging the traffic patterns for the trucks was a must and the ticketing of 700 truckloads of material was key for success.” Davis also emphasized that pushing the 106 trucks through faster was critical, as the drivers were only allowed to work 12 hours per day legally, effectively calling “time” and losing the trucks after 12 hours.
At 5:45 a.m. on the day of the placement, 40 trucks started rolling on to the site. Upon arrival, after a Hindu priest’s ceremonial blessing at the project’s start, they began feeding five pump trucks strategically staged around the foundation. Special care to accommodate rotated timing to slot spaces for all the trucks was also of considerable concern.
Workers were able to manage and facilitate emptying a full truck of concrete every 60 seconds within the project’s 12-hour time limit.
MONOLITHIC SOLUTION
Efficiency of the material supply chain is critical to batch concrete with on-time deliveries to the plant, while moving a lot of material in a short amount of time—as was the case with the BAPS project. Silvi’s automated, high-capacity modern plants, trucks, and experienced personnel were able to manage and facilitate emptying a full truck of concrete every 60 seconds within the project’s 12-hour time limit with an assist from GivenHansco’s Keystone products working seamlessly in the background.
Silvi implemented a full complement of the integrated Keystone suite of software products to streamline logistical power, efficiency, and flexibility for the BAPS project including:
Keystone Accounting
- Facilitated centralized reporting for the project’s multi-plant operations
- Customized full financial and ready-mix specific accounting requirements of the producers involved
- Managed tickets, material usage costs, and job management data throughout the project’s process
Keystone Dispatch
- Provided straightforward truck scheduling with an easy to use color-coded interface
- Tracked all 106 trucks on one screen with continuous fleet management, order status, and updates throughout the 12-hour project’s delivery timeline
Keystone GPS
- Tracked 700 truckloads of concrete with radio GPS throughout project’s critical product delivery
- Provided easy to recognize icons that changed color based on driver’s current vehicle status
- Quickly identified a downed truck that was blocking the entrance to the BAPS site for retrieval
MONOLITHIC CONCLUSION
Shortly after 5:30 p.m., Silvi’s last truck discharged into the forms, culminating in a 7,029-yard BAPS pour without any interruption. It was the largest pour in Silvi’s history and one of their biggest accomplishments—likewise for the Keystone software suite. ■
For More Information: For more than 35 years, GivenHansco has been an innovative leader in developing integrated, producer-driven software products for the ready-mix construction industry, including a myriad of concrete, asphalt, and aggregate producers. For more information, visit www.givenhansco.com.
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Modern Contractor Solutions, August 2015
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