Express Concrete sets up new business with Liebherr concrete truck mixers

  • Express Concrete Ltd is a newly-formed ready mixed concrete business in the London area
  • The company has purchased eight HTM 804 truck mixers from Liebherr for its plant in Barking
  • Two further plants are in the pipeline with eight further truck mixers on order from Liebherr

New business Express Concrete Ltd has purchased eight HTM 804 truck mixers from Liebherr to partner with Mercedes-Benz chassis for the ready mixed concrete operation at its first plant, which is based in Barking. The company now has planning applications in process for plants in Erith and Wimbledon with an additional eight Liebherr and Mercedes-Benz combinations on order.

The market for ready mixed concrete in and around the London area has been at a recent high with major projects such as Crossrail depending heavily on its supply. Although there are a number of regional and national suppliers serving the area, Chris and Derek Casey along with other experienced colleagues saw the opportunity to start their own operation. They set up Express Concrete Ltd with a determination to provide a first-class service and a quality assured product at a competitive price.

Launching a ready mixed concrete business is not an overnight undertaking but with land purchased and planning permission obtained, Express Concrete acquired a fast loading, state-of-the-art batching plant and then set about sourcing the right truck mixers to make deliveries across London.

Deciding on which truck mixer to use was straightforward for Express Concrete: ‘The choice was an easy one as far as we were concerned,’ explained Chris Casey and fellow director Gary Power. ‘We have had past experience of the Liebherr drums and they are by far the best on the market.’ The chassis choice was also easy for the new company’s directors with Mercedes-Benz Arocs 8x4 heavy-duty versions selected.

Express Concrete has now taken delivery of a total of eight Liebherr / Mercedes-Benz combinations. The eight Liebherr HTM 804 drums have been chosen for their excellent build quality. The blades and wear protection strips are all manufactured from highly wear-resistant LH 37 steel to give the main components durability and guarantee a long service life. An additional flat plate has been welded to the blades to further enhance the mixing process and reduce wear on the blades.

The low profile design of the drum and chassis combination improves fuel consumption and its lower overall height makes is ideal for some delivery locations. ‘We like the robustness and well-laid-out design of the Liebherr drums. The rear access ladder is easy to use and exceptionally sturdy with the additional chute locations being well thought out too,’ commented Chris. The eight truck mixers have also been specified with Liebherr’s Litronic®-EMC drum control system, which allows the mixer controls to be operated from a hand-held remote within the truck cab. The system electronics are installed in a weathertight box mounted away from potential damage with just a simple lever situated at the rear of the drum.

The manufacturing process for the Liebherr drums has focused on designing fewer sharp edges in order to prevent material build up and enable faster and easier cleaning. Widely spaced rollers ensure excellent support for the drum and thanks to its integrated locking system, the drum can be secured whilst being maintained. The directors are not the only ones pleased with the Liebherr truck mixers: the drivers are also very impressed with the product, citing ease of use and build quality.

Express Concrete’s first plant in Barking is ideally situated adjacent to DB Cargo UK’s multimodal London Eurohub and to reduce both congestion in the area and the company’s CO2 footprint all materials, with the exception of cement, are delivered by rail.

This newly-formed company has just begun delivery operations from its Barking depot but is certainly not resting on its laurels: planning applications are already in place for plants in Erith and Wimbledon and an additional eight Liebherr and Mercedes-Benz truck mixer combinations are on order.

Associated Businesses

  • Liebherr-Great Britain Limited and Liebherr-Ireland are subsidiaries of Liebherr-International AG, providing national sales and after-sales product support for the Group's complete range of construction equipment throughout the UK and ...