SPIROLL Precast Services will be targeting construction companies in the region with a new concept in hollowcore production – the mobile plant – at the inaugural Big 5 Saudi Arabia this month.

The plant, the company says, provides the ability to manufacture precast slabs on the construction site for direct supply to the building project. It is said to have been developed specifically for the Saudi market.

Marketing director Paul Tate explains: “Hollowcore is a growing industry and developing countries don’t necessarily have the infrastructure or the finances for investment in a precast factory. In some markets such as Saudi Arabia, demand has outstripped supply and production lead-times are a critical factor. To overcome these problems, Spiroll has developed a mobile hollowcore plant that provides the facility to manufacture the precast slabs on the construction site.”

By manufacturing directly on the site, the mobile plant saves in factory investment and associated overheads. There are no transport costs in getting the product to site and it is a greener building method with a significantly reduced carbon footprint, he points out.

Hollowcore being produced at the turnkey factory.

On the completion of a project, the mobile plant can be moved to the next construction site or turned into a permanent factory.

Spiroll provides everything required to supply the hollowcore slabs from design, costing, floor layouts, manufacturing equipment, labour, quality testing to management controls and installation.

“We have people on the ground, an internationally proven precast flooring system, 40 years of know-how and hollowcore manufacturing expertise and will deliver from design through to installation,” he says.

The new mobile plants are said to enable developing countries to take advantage of the benefits of hollowcore, cut costs, speed up construction and help the environment at the same time.

The company describes last year as “excellent”, with sales showing a 25 per cent  increase last year compared to the year before.

Spiroll decided to participate in The Big 5 Saudi Arabia to explore the kingdom’s buoyant construction market. The company is not new to the region and has been involved  a number of projects in the kingdom, some of the prominent ones being the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (Kaust) with Saudi Oger and Aramco; and the Kingdom Tower with Saif Noman Said.

Elaborating on the Kaust project, Tate says: “The continuous supply of hollowcore was a key element in plans for construction of the largest university (Kaust) in the Middle East which opened in Saudi Arabia in September 2009.”
To meet this need, Saudi Oger commissioned Spiroll in 2007 to design and build a turnkey factory on site for the continuous production of prestressed hollowcore slabs. The plant was operational within six months.

“Starting from scratch, Spiroll immediately installed a project manager and two technicians to oversee the on-site support contract from day one. The team stayed on location for 12 months to provide training and technical advice and handover well after the first hollowcore slab came off the production line.

“This particular project included factory design, civil and layout drawings, product design, supply of hollowcore production machinery, specification and procurement of local factory equipment, drawings for all ancillary equipment, quality assurance documentation, and operational training and support,” he explains.

About 157,000 sq m of Spiroll hollowcore – 8,500 sq m of hollowcore per week – were manufactured specifically for the construction of Kaust in Jeddah.

“With the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology now established as one of the region’s most successful construction projects, it will stand as a testament to the quality of service provided by Spiroll Precast Services,” concludes Tate.

Spiroll is now tendering for another factory in Riyadh to produce 1 million sq m of slabs over the next three years.

The company, which was established in 2001, employs 20 people and has a turnover of £2 million ($3.15 million). From its base in the UK, Spiroll manufactures equipment and provides support to the prestressed concrete industry throughout the world. It specialises in providing cost-effective production systems for the manufacture of precast prestressed hollowcore floor/roof slabs and wall panels and supports customers with appraisal, design, project management and bespoke training packages.

Spiroll will be present at Stand E20 at the show.