Concrete supplier goes from strength to strength 29 Nov 2018

Concrete pump manufacturer Putzmeister is celebrating 60 years in business after being started by a mechanical engineering student in his father's garage. It has become an internationally oriented manufacturer of construction equipment and supplies.

Putzmeister Wetkret4 concrete sprayer

A merger with Sany Heavy Industries in 2012 marked a milestone in the company’s history, and over the years Putzmeister has focused on the concrete, mortar, industrial and substrate technology sectors. Mobile belt conveyor systems and project-based solutions for precasting works complete the Putzmeister portfolio.

From the outset, founder Karl Schlecht decided contact with the customer did not end with delivery of the machine, but was maintained in the period following delivery.

Branches were established in Munich, Essen, Hamburg, Frankfurt, Berlin and Gera in Germany in the 1960s and subsidiaries and sales offices were added in the 1970s in France, Spain, the UK, the USA, Brazil, South Africa, Singapore, China, Korea, Japan, Russia, India, the United Arab Emirates, Iraq and Turkey.

Notable achievements include development of a practical mortar pump (1958), the first continuous mixing pump for gypsum plaster (1965), a compressed air-based screed conveyor (1965), a hydro-hydraulically driven two-cylinder piston pump combined with the flapper system (1969), all of which made heavy physical work on construction sites not only considerably easier but also more streamlined.

In 2008 the company acquired the “Brinkmann” brand and relocated to the Aichtal branch in 2012.

Putzmeister Mixkret3 mixer

Putzmeister has also broken a number of world records for long distance and high speed concrete pumping including the largest continuous concrete delivery (16,200 m³ concrete in 18.5 hours) at the New Wilshire Grand Center in Los Angeles in 2014.

It has also developed large truck-mounted concrete pumps with flexible five- and six-arm placing booms. In 1986, some of these long-reach boom pumps were specially equipped to withstand radiation and, running in non-stop operation, helped construct a protective shell of reinforced concrete around the atomic reactor after the accident at Chernobyl.

For the huge project that was the construction of the Channel Tunnel (1988–1994), Putzmeister offered two solutions: Firstly, especially powerful high-density solids pumps transported enormous quantities of excavated material from the tunnels to a landfill site. Secondly, the annulus between the tunnel liner segments and the surrounding mountain was concreted with special two-component mortar using computer-aided injection and filling systems.

Putzmeister also introduced the EBC simplified remote control system in 2001, which enables concrete placing booms with several arms to be operated easily and safely with just one joystick, and the Ergonic Setup Control support system, which complies with EEA regulations and minimises risks and accidents.

World record for largest concrete delivery in Los Angeles, 2014

Putzmeister has recently expanded its product range for shotcrete in underground construction with the 2018 launch of the concrete spraying machine Wetkret 4 and the low-profile mixer Mixkret 3.

The Wetkret 4 is ideal for narrow galleries, thanks to its heavy-duty chassis with compact size (1.9m in width and 2.2m in height) and reduced turning radiuses. It boasts two spraying arm versions one with a maximum vertical reach of 10m and the other of 7.5m.

The concrete pump mounted on the Wetkret 4 is specially designed for concrete spraying and guarantees a homogeneous shotcrete application at a flow rate of 20m3 per hour.

Mixkret 3 is a compact and robust mixer, the only one at a height of 2.2m with a capacity of 3m3. It has a powerful 106 kW engine to aid climbing and transfer.