Oudenallen Concrete – handy bib against spills

When most people think of a bib, they immediately think of baby food, but a bib also helps against spills when transferring concrete. At concrete company Oudenallen Beton B.V., part of the Bruil Bouwgroep Ede, there are large concrete mixing installations with the spout as much as four meters above the road. The truck mixer can drive right under it to be filled. The concrete runs through a funnel and a pipe to just above the filling opening.

The last bit is bridged by a polyurethane bib: the “Truckflex,” invented by polyurethane specialist Habermann and supplied by Wivé. About the application of the slab, we speak to one of Oudenallen’s mixing masters, Wim Kerremans:

“When we go to fill the truck mixer, the driver drives the truck with the tub backwards against the bib. That then folds in half. Then he drives forward again, causing the bib to fold open in the filling opening. Previously, we used bibs made of rubber. They were much less flexible, so they sometimes stayed in place or stood up. This new one opens perfectly every time. Also handy is the bright color, which allows us to see it better on the camera monitoring the process.”

“Maybe this one is a little more expensive, I don’t know the price. But it is easy to clean, works easier and is less heavy, which makes assembly easier. Also, it lasts much longer. With the old bibs, cracks appeared after only three or four months. This one has been hanging under it for over a year now, even when heated concrete had to go through it this winter at minus 8 degrees. It does freeze a bit but does not wear out. This bib still looks like new, so in the end we will be cheaper anyway.”

“We use many more materials from Wivé, by the way. Such as wear-resistant mixing vanes and inner and outer walls that protect the mixer from wear and tear. We see Robert Dromers from Wivé regularly because of this. It’s good doing business with those guys.”