Express solution for mixing plant at Cemex Matériaux Ile-de-France

Cemex, founded in 1906, has grown from a local player in Mexico to one of the largest cement producers in the world. In France, the company produces and distributes aggregates and ready-mix concrete across more than 260 production sites throughout the country. At its ready-mix plant in Melun-le-Mée, Cemex was faced with the challenge of replacing an aging BHS mixer – as quickly as possible. The BHS twin-shaft batch mixer, dating back to 1976, had served Cemex well for decades. However, due to operational wear and tear, it was no longer usable. Given Cemex’s high level of satisfaction with the BHS technology, the company once again turned to BHS-Sonthofen to find a quick and tailor-made solution.

BHS-Sonthofen cuts delivery time by a third

The main challenge was to perfectly adapt the new mixer to the existing cement and aggregate inlets, as well as the concrete discharge cone, to ensure a smooth implementation with minimal operational disruptions. Thanks to the detailed drawings provided by the BHS engineering department and the speedy handling of the installation, everything went according to plan. Within only four weeks, BHS-Sonthofen installed a brand-new twin-shaft batch mixer of type DKX – eight weeks faster than usual for a project of this kind.

Seamless Integration thanks to precise adaptation

The BHS twin-shaft batch mixer is considered the industry benchmark. Its three-dimensional mixing principle promotes an exceptionally intensive exchange of various materials, resulting in consistently high homogeneity of the concrete mix within a short timeframe. This quality is crucial for large plants like Cemex's, where different types and volumes of concrete are mixed. Alexandre Bernabé, Sales Director for the French market at BHS-Sonthofen, explains: “Everything went extremely quickly and efficiently on this project. The challenge for us was to determine the right dimensions of the mixer and trough cover so that all aggregate and cement inlets fit into the existing equipments on site. This also applied to technical components such as the pneumatic discharge control or lubrication units, to allow seamless integration of the mixer into the concrete plant with minimal disruption to operations.”

The results proved to be a great success for both Cemex and BHS-Sonthofen: The BHS mixer offers the proven reliability and high quality and is precisely tailored to the specific requirements on site. Ever since, the mixer has been delivering concrete of excellent quality while requiring minimal maintenance, which is exactly what Cemex expects from a partner like BHS-Sonthofen.