RMC Topmix has announced the opening of its new production facilities in the Jebel Ali Industrial Area and Sharjah Industrial Area.

These new plants complement the company's existing facility at Al Quoz, Dubai.

RMC Topmix has invested Dh180 million ($49 million) so far in the UAE facilities and this demonstrates RMC's commitment to the development of the region and in particular, to the improvement of quality standards, said RMC Group regional director Peter Tyrell.

The new plants give the company the ability to provide a fast and efficient distribution of ready-mixed concrete to anywhere in Dubai, Sharjah and Ajman. "We are now ideally placed to meet the needs of construction projects in these key areas," says chief executive Steve Webb-Jones.

Both the Al Quoz and Jebel Ali locations are within a few minutes drive off the main Shaikh Zayed Highway, while the new Sharjah operation is based in the Industrial Area XI, just off the Airport Road linking Sharjah with the East Coast.

The Al Quoz facility will continue to be the nerve centre for the RMC Topmix operation. This site consists of three state-of-the-art computer-controlled wet batching plants, which have a total capacity to produce 200 cu m of concrete per hour. This facility was one of the first ready-mixed concrete sites to receive ISO 9001, says Webbs-Jones.

The Jebel Ali plant has the very best production facilities including a computer-controlled wet batching plant manufactured by Liebherr of Germany. Foundations have also been laid for a second plant on the site.

The Sharjah site, which starts operations in August, is also a completely new facility and like Jebel Ali has the latest batching and testing equipment available. The computer-controlled wet batching plant from IME of Italy has a total capacity of 90 cu m per hour and there are provisions for a second plant if required in the future.

Meanwhile, RMC Topmix has announced a one-day course designed to train individuals on the placing, handling and site testing of ready-mixed concrete.

The course has been developed in conjunction with the Institute of Concrete Technology and the Concrete Society from the UK, said technical manager Nigel Harries.

The course, called Readymixed Site Practice which is accredited by the Institute of Concrete Technology, covers both theory and practical presentations and includes sampling of fresh concrete, slump testing and cube making and testing.