In small construction in recent years, cinder blocks have been used quite often. They are used for the construction of cottages, garages, agricultural and other buildings. Cinder blocks are an excellent material for the construction of external walls.
They have good sound and thermal insulation performance. The use of cinder blocks made the construction time much shorter. And their low cost is another very important point.
If you decide to organize the production of cinder blocks, then you will need to enter SRO (self-regulatory organizations). You must obtain a certificate of self-regulatory organization, for which you must contact the center for licensing, certification and standardization of the construction industry.
In the same center, services related to staff training are provided, and training certificates are issued. To start the production of cinder blocks, you do not have to be a licensed builder. This type of product does not fall into the category requiring compulsory licensing and certification.
Technology
A building material such as cinder block is obtained by pressing concrete in a mold with vibration. The main material is concrete, but various fillers are added to it. In this quality, slag, ash, sand, sawdust, gravel, brick waste, expanded clay and other materials are used. The technology for the production of cinder blocks involves three main processes. It is worth considering each of them in detail.
Concrete preparation
At the moment, many different solutions for the production of cinder blocks have been prepared, depending on which fillers are used for this. For example, a concrete mix is prepared by mixing four parts of fine granite screenings, four parts of slag granules and one part of cement. All this is filled with water in which the plasticizer is dissolved, and then thoroughly mixed.
The technology for the production of cinder block suggests that in the process of mixing concrete is impregnated with the specified additive. Plasticizer is necessary to accelerate the drying process of the blocks. In addition, it is possible to improve the quality characteristics of cinder blocks: fewer cracks are formed, water resistance improves, and the degree of resistance to frost increases.
So, if we talk about how to make a cinder block, we can give an example of a raw material recipe for the manufacture of thousands of pieces: 18 tons of granite screenings, 1.8 tons of M500 cement, 25 kilograms of universal plasticizing additive, water. There are other options for recipes.
Slag stone production
The prepared concrete mixture is poured into a vibrating machine. It takes a little time for the concrete to begin to shrink. After that, the clip is installed, and then you can turn on the vibrator. When the vibrator is turned on, the machine rises, and the finished unit remains on the special platform.
Drying and folding finished products
With the use of plasticizing additives, the finished blocks dry out in about 6-8 hours, after which they can be completely moved to a pallet for storage. If additives are not to be used, drying sometimes takes up to 24 hours.In this case, the blocks must be periodically moistened and turned from side to side in order to achieve uniform drying. When the first day is completed, cinder blocks should be stacked in piles for additional drying.
Production room
It is clear that you will need not only a machine for the production of cinder blocks, but also a special room in which the entire process will be carried out. Its area should be 100-155 square meters. The presence of a smooth concrete floor is a prerequisite. In addition, the room should be equipped with a heating system, as well as a high-quality ventilation system.
For storage of cinder blocks, you can use any platform with a flat surface. This can be done on the street, provided that there is a roof or canopy. In the summer, cinder blocks dry in three days, but they need to be moistened with water 4.5 hours after manufacture. Such care allows concrete to retain moisture, which gives the cinder blocks the best quality characteristics.
Necessary equipment
As in any other business, in this case, certain equipment is necessary for the production of cinder blocks. And here you can name the following necessary units:
- forced-type concrete mixer;
- machine for the production of cinder blocks "Comanche" (2 pieces);
- a wheelbarrow needed to deliver the mortar to the machine from the concrete mixer;
- a container of water;
- buckets, shovels, trough, spatulas, as well as other auxiliary equipment.
The production of cinder blocks is most often carried out using the Komanche-34 vibrating press. This device can also be used for other wall stones and blocks obtained by vibropressing. This unit is characterized by a capacity of approximately 120 blocks per hour. The dimensions of the cinder blocks in this case will be 390 * 190 * 190 millimeters. The vibrating press is operated from a standard power supply network. In the list of advantages of this particular model, simplicity in terms of maintenance and repair, low cost, reliability, high and quick payback.
Implementation
Before you decide to open a business and buy a machine for the production of cinder blocks, you need to determine what your target audience will be. Such people can be citizens who planned the construction of a summer house, garage, barn or some other small construction on their own, without the involvement of specialist builders.
Further, you will be required to register your entrepreneurial activity, as well as choose a single tax system. After that, you as a businessman will pay a fixed amount of tax in absolute terms. You will not be required to make any complex calculations of various taxes and fees.
If you have already found a room for production and warehousing, bought all the necessary equipment and inventory, then you should deal with the selection of skilled and responsible workers. You need to pay attention to the design of signs for the created company, as well as advertising.
Promotion
Successful business is impossible if you have not conducted marketing work in the region that you will be covered. Call similar companies to find out the list of their products and their prices. Before you make a cinder block, you should work out a clear production technology from raw materials that are most beneficial to you in terms of quality and price.
It is worth considering the cost of delivering raw materials to your enterprise. Now you can calculate the cost of production. In order to win the attention of buyers at the initial stage, it is quite acceptable to slightly lower retail prices. So you will compete with other entrepreneurs engaged in the production of building materials.
When the demand for your products becomes high enough, you can organize production in two shifts.This may require you to hire additional workers, however, all labor costs will pay off with interest. If it happens that the demand for cinder blocks falls, and production will stand idle for a while, you can simply rent out vibrating machines.
For successful business, you need to have knowledge and skills in drawing up strategic plans for the development of the enterprise, calculate the budget for a month and a year in advance, adjust goals, monitor competitors' prices and their development, find new customers. And also continuously monitor all processes from the procurement of raw materials to the sale of finished products.
Even if you manufacture cinder blocks at home, it is important for you to attract as many buyers as possible. This will help you to place ads in various sources. Slag blocks of its production should be sold at a fairly affordable price.
The quality of your products should be as high as possible. It should be convenient and easy for customers to work with you. You should organize a high level of service, as well as the delivery of finished products. In this case, satisfied customers will constantly bring you more and more new customers.
Expenditure part
Even the manufacture of cinder blocks at home is associated with certain costs, and when organizing full-scale production it is worth talking about such cost items:
- for the construction or rental of premises for the organization of production;
- monthly payments for water, electric energy, as well as other utility costs;
- purchase of the required equipment for the organization of production;
- purchase of raw materials in accordance with the recipe of the mixture you have chosen;
- monthly payment of wages to employees;
- the costs associated with the delivery of cinder blocks to customers;
- costs of advertising campaigns;
- tax payments;
- various unplanned expenses.
Summary
The cinder block production business has a good chance of existence, since this building material is convenient for developers in small-scale construction and enjoys considerable popularity, and the weight of cinder blocks is not the last value. The only minus of this idea is that the market is already saturated with similar industries. However, with the manifestation of ingenuity, you can quite compete.
For example, you can engage in the manufacture of facing cinder blocks that mimic natural stone. For this, inserts made of decorative concrete are placed in the molds, which makes it possible to obtain a facing cinder block of the required appearance. In this case, your small enterprise is quite capable of taking its rightful place among similar manufacturers. Your product will certainly find its buyer.
