Quality precast concrete for Greece
It has been in 2006 when Orologopoulos, the owner of precast concrete company Armos in Greece, decided to switch from stationary production to a state-of-the-art circulation System.
Until this time, the company manufactured industrial-size parts in stationary moulds and on tilting tables some 320 km northwest of Athens in Larisa, the capital city of the Thessaly region. The market continues to demand ever better products, however. "The quality of the precast parts we manufacture
with our new circulation system is in stark contrast to the situation in previous years. We had to change to remain competitive", explains Orologopoulos. His state-of-the-art production facility gives him an edge when it comes to maintaining high quality with cost-efficient products, especially in the current economic climate.
Armos manufactures double and solid walls as well as floor slabs on a pallet circulation system, controlled by a visualisation computer, which has a per-shift capacity of 700 m2. The plant from Weckenmann is especially practical, with its clearly structured processes and work stations as well as good overall layout. Finished shuttering pallets are moved to a curing shelf fully automatically by a rack operator. Following the curing process, the concrete elements are loaded onto lorries and taken to the construction site. Concrete parts can measure up to 3.5 x 10.2 metres. This allows the company to cater to residential housing and industrial construction needs, including modular products for schools, steel-reinforced concrete pipes, and many specialty products in addition to floor slabs and walls. Orologopoulos is certain that his state-of-the-art plant helps him stay on top of the market. "The flexibility, organization, and reliability of the Weckenmann plant are unbeatable. I don't for a second regret making the investment."
We accept orders that the competition cannot fulfil without sacrificing quality." Armos has even been commissioned to manufacture architecturally expressive precast concrete for the new Acropolis museum in Athens. Alexandros Mouchakis of ABCon, sales partner for Weckenmann Anlagentechnik, confirms the rising demand for high-quality precast concrete parts in Greece despite the state of the economy. "Although the public building sector has slowed down since the 2004 Olympic Games as expected, sizable infrastructure projects continue to be awarded, whereby an ever larger percentage of materials is assumed by precast concrete." Mouchakis also anticipates that Greece will become a leader in furthering the precast concrete industry in the neighbouring Balkan countries. Numerous construction companies headquartered in Greece are already active here. "Key to this progress will be simpler, more favourable financing terms from banks." ABCon has been the official representative of Weckenmann in Greece and Cyprus since 2006 and offers customer plants, machines, and replacement parts for manufacturing precast concrete as well as a full range of services pertaining to production software, quality assurance systems, and maintenance.
