Lafarge adds value to ready mix construction industry

Lafarge recently held a workshop to educate local construction suppliers in the ready mix industry. The intricacy of managing these very precise products was a subject for detailed discussion by the Lafarge India Vice President, QC and Product Development, Jean Michel Laye.

Over 50 persons from the ready mix industry were present for this workshop, which was held at the Taj Samudra Hotel and were instructed on how to manage these highly technical products.

Lafarge is one of the leading manufacturers of ready mix concrete worldwide and is a major player in urbanisation by offering building solutions using cement, aggregates and concrete. Operating in over 64 countries worldwide and spread across 1,600 industrial sites, the company is considered to be a world leader in these materials.

Many insights towards making precise mixtures for the booming construction industry in Sri Lanka were presented and a detailed discussion about what should be done, to handle certain constraints in the supply of aggregates such as sand were discussed by the presenter and the participants. The pros and cons of using sea sand as a substitute for river sand, due to it being in short supply, were closely examined. A wide variety of customised concrete products and solutions for commercial purposes were presented, to serve specific needs of the customers’ applications, mix designs and industrial standards.  

Lafarge, which has a history of turning research into products, has produced several patented mixtures like self-leveling concrete, fast setting concrete, concrete without joints and insulating concrete. Worldwide, the company has a sustainability policy, which aims at reducing the carbon footprint of constructions that use their products. They also focus on energy saving on their production processes and in the buildings constructed with their products.