An American-designed Jaeger truckmixer, manufactured in Britain by Ransomes & Rapier Ltd The Dawn of the Ready-Mixed Concrete Industry A brief commercial history of the first 50 years from 1913 to 1963 By Michael J. Arthur hen the author It is difficult to pin down the recognized the opportunities for entered the exact starting point of ready- supplying other contractors. By ready-mixed mixed concrete production. A 1925 there were some 25 plants concrete business widely quoted date is 1913 but in production, and by 1929 over Wof Trent Gravels Ltd of other sources suggest it could 100 concrete-mixing plants were Attenborough, Nottingham, have been even earlier, depending in existence throughout the US. in 1960, the ready-mixed upon how the term is interpreted. This is the standard story of concrete industry in the UK In 1913, when the first load of the development of ready-mixed was still in its infancy. At that ready-mixed concrete is said to concrete, which credits the time there were people have been delivered by an Americans with the invention of American in Baltimore, concrete what has become the main source around who had been in was commonly mixed by hand, of the material for construction ‘ready-mix’ from the start but in 1916 Stephan Stepanian of work. In his paper entitled ‘The and some of what follows is Columbus, Ohio, filed a patent for growth of the ready-mixed based on their published a truckmixer. This was rejected, concrete industry in Great comments, the remainder on however, and the ‘transit mixer’ Britain’, however, Peter Jackson their private recollections took another 10 years to tells of a Mr Deacon, Liverpool’s and the author’s own materialize and to deliver the first Borough and Water Engineer, who experience from the early load of truck-mixed concrete in in 1872 carried out tests to satisfy 1960s. This article formed 1926. In the meantime (believed himself that concrete compacted the basis of a presentation to to be in 1922 or 1923) a building 20–30min after mixing gave better the Midlands branch of The materials supplier from Danville, results than when used Institute of Quarrying in Virginia, bought a concrete mixing immediately. Over the next five 2003. plant for his own use and soon years he went on to lay some QM July 2004 www.qmj.co.uk 19 Concrete Review An American non- agitating tipper truck from Wellings’ article Loading wet Hauling with sides On site sides are Body is tipped With sides concrete: body in V position swung to vertical, and restricted vertical, the track sides in V position redistributing gate opened to can carry stone grout give a limited or other bulk mixing action material 100,000yd 3 of concrete ‘after end of the 1920s there were no as 1945, D.C. Hay of Kuert being mixed in and carried from central mixing plants in the UK. In Concrete Inc. was reporting that the nearest available yard’. the March 1930 edition of his company used nothing but Jackson’s paper also records Cement, Lime and Gravel , however, non-agitating tippers to deliver that ‘ready-mixed concrete’ was the editor made the following 55,000yd 3 of ready-mixed used in the construction of the comment: ‘Our conservative concrete a year, over distances of Admiralty Harbour at Dover in nation is famous for its care in up to 28 miles from the plant. 1898 and in one section of the accepting new ideas and this has J.L. Wellings quoted the capital work there were two 1yd 3 delayed the introduction of ready- outlay for a central mixing plant mixers, each producing 100yd 3 of mixed concrete here.’ But he installation and trucks in 1930 as concrete a day. added: ‘It’s got to come’, and being £20,000 for a modest unit So Peter Jackson’s article, indeed it did. Simon McPherson’s and up to £90,000 for a large one published in the March 1957 comment accompanied an article incorporating a 3yd 3 mixer. The edition of the magazine Cement, entitled ‘Ready-mixed concrete truckmixer fleet would account Lime and Gravel , puts a new and central mixing plants’ by J.L. for some 60% of this outlay, with complexion on the history of Wellings of Millars Machinery Co. a 2yd 3 machine costing some ready-mixed concrete, although he Ltd, which was claimed to be the £2,000. He commented that one does admit that the term is now first comprehensive article on the company had 86 trucks in use, only applied to the situation where subject published in the UK. another 64, and observed that the producer ‘sells’ concrete to a Wellings described the several large plants had this user, and this is what is supposed situation in the US industry in the number handling their output! to have happened first in Baltimore 1920s and distinguished between in 1913. concrete from ‘central mixing Britain in the plants’ and ‘truck- or transit- 1930s The background to mixed concrete’. The former he The person credited with being developments in classified as ‘stationary’ and ‘semi- first off the mark in the UK was Britain portable’ for the production of Kjeld Ammentorp, a Dane, who Although the industry ‘took off’ wet-mixed materials, and both of had witnessed the introduction of in the US during the 1920s, post- them for mixing dry materials. ready-mixed concrete in Ammentorp’s 1930 World War I Britain experienced The plants illustrated varied in Copenhagen in the mid-1920s. He plant at Bedfont no such development and at the appearance, but each contained formed a company called Ready the essential elements of Mixed Concrete Ltd in July 1930 aggregate and cement storage. and erected the UK’s first plant Bulk cement handling through the on land owned by Hall & Co. at use of an ‘air-conveying system’ Bedfont, near Staines in was considered more satisfactory Middlesex. Peter Jackson refers to than the use of bagged cement. him as the ‘father’ of the British The vehicles used for delivering ready-mixed concrete industry, low-slump wet-mixed concrete and indeed he was. Having were either standard tippers or selected such an appropriate those with specially built name for his business, he was to V-shaped bodies, while tipping become a guiding light for several ‘agitators’ were employed for of the people running the conveying higher-slump mixes. companies that were to follow. Non-tipping, horizontal-drum The Bedfont plant included a truckmixers, which incorporated 2yd 3 mixer and was fed from four a scroll of blades, were rotated in 100yd 3 aggregate bins. Cement one direction to mix the dry was initially handled in bags, as batch, and in the other to bulk cement handling systems discharge the mixed concrete. It were not readily available in is interesting to note that as late Britain at the time. Gravel and 20 www.qmj.co.uk QM July 2004 Concrete Review sand were handled by a bucket elevator and the plant had an output of up to 40yd 3/h, which was discharged into six truck- mounted agitators, each capable 2 3 of transporting 1 ⁄3yd of concrete. His vehicle fleet consisted of Chevrolets and subsequently included Studebakers. Ammentorp was said to have started with a capital of £6,000 and through the production of a modest 8,636yd 3 in 1931 he generated a turnover of £10,000, but suffered a net trading loss of £399. Demand gradually increased, however, particularly as Middlesex County Council saw the benefit of ready-mixed concrete in its road-improvement schemes. Following the start-up at Bedfont, the next company to appear on the scene were Scientific Controlled Concrete Co. Ltd, who went into business at nearby Staines in 1934. The about the Jaeger system of ready- but, in time, also throughout The first Rapier plant company used the American- mixed concrete production to much of the rest of the world. at Attenborough designed Jaeger truckmixers, supply into the Nottingham– which were supplied by Derby–Leicester market area. Trent Gravels Ltd Ransomes & Rapier Ltd of Their Jaeger dry-batching plant Trent Gravels entered discussions Ipswich, but Scientific soon went came into operation in 1939 and with Jaeger Truck Mixers out of business, with some of in many respects was similar to (England) Ltd, sole licensees for their plant subsequently being Express Supply Concrete’s Jaeger truckmixers manufactured acquired by Truck Mixed installations, using bulk cement by Ransomes & Rapier, in 1937. Concrete (Southampton). and Jaeger-designed 2yd 3 The company also took soundings Another company using horizontal-drum truckmixers, from Express Supply Concrete in agitators and American 5yd 3 driven by a separate on-board 1938 to arrive at an estimated transit-mixers in the early 1930s engine. The plant and the outlay of £5,500 for the plant and were British Steel Piling Co. This truckmixers at Attenborough £6,500 for six ERF lorries with company and Mowlem, who were supplied by Ransomes & mixers and a garage. On an owned two truckmixers, collected Rapier Ltd. expected annual output of their own purchases of concrete. Thus, prior to the onset of 26,000yd 3, projected operating Next were Jaeger System World War II, there were only costs for the plant were 1s 6d Concrete Ltd, who established a five known operators of ready- per cubic yard and for the fleet, base in Glasgow and subsequently mixed concrete plants in Britain. 4s 2d. With materials averaging 1 operated under the name of Of these only Ammentorp’s 16s ⁄2d, and 3d thrown in for Trumix Concrete, later becoming Ready Mixed Concrete Ltd were contingencies, production costs part of the Tilcon organization.