Saudi Readymix Concrete Company has augmented its fleet with four new stationary concrete pumps.

The pumps, similar to those used in the construction of Burj Dubai, the world’s tallest building, are unique in the kingdom.

They are each capable of pumping concrete to a maximum height of 700m.

The new pumps complement Saudi Readymix’s high-rise concrete delivery capabilities, especially considering the recent relaxation of the height limit imposed on buildings in certain areas in some of the kingdom’s major cities.

“We pride ourselves on always leading industry trends and anticipating the changes within it, and the relaxation of the height limit on buildings is a clear example of this. We prepared ourselves beforehand for the forecasted demand in high-rise construction by acquiring these advanced pieces of equipment and putting in place the necessary mechanisms to ensure success in this endeavour,” said managing director Khalid Baghdadi.

According to Saudi Readymix figures, the number of planned high-rise projects in the kingdom this year had jumped to 22 in the first quarter alone, as compared to one to two projects annually as recently as 2006.

The Saudi Readymix Operations Department, which includes a special concrete pumping division that brings the company’s operational expertise, project drawings, method statements and concrete pumping best practices together in one place, will be responsible for the deployment of the new pumps.

In parallel, the company has been working on developing special high-strength high-rise concrete mixes and utilising advanced pumping techniques to achieve heights previously unheard of in the kingdom; the most recent of which are the Al Zoebi Tower and Al Sweiket Tower, the two tallest buildings in the Eastern Province.

The company also organised several seminars earlier this year focusing on specific issues related to high-rise concrete pumping.

“Acquiring the equipment is actually the easiest part in high-rise pumping. The main issue is having the necessary technical and operational expertise to handle the unique challenges of high-rise pumping. For this reason, we created a dedicated research and development team that is constantly working to advance the underlying science of our industry with new mix designs and improved pumping techniques,” added technical director Redwan Hameed.

The acquisition of the pumps comes as part of the company’s SR440 million ($117.5m) capital investments plan for this year, a 40 per cent increase over the 2007 investment figure. – Trade Arabia News Service