MAPEI provides innovative solutions for dispensing admixtures for concrete

Manufacturing ready-pour concrete requires advanced technology systems to dispense precision-measured liquid admixtures in carefully timed doses, tailored to the specific needs of each batch. With MAPEI dispensing systems installed, concrete providers are able to meet the demanding specs of each batch of concrete with routine assurance.

From pour to restore, no one knows concrete like MAPEI. With industry-leading innovation, the company developed the Admixtures for Concrete product line in MAPEI’s R&D laboratories back in the 1990s, with the formulation of the industry’s first acrylic-based superplasticizer.

In Canada, MAPEI has been manufacturing admixtures since 2014 and now, thanks to constant technological innovation, MAPEI offers solutions for the most varied range of construction needs – from large-scale commercial and infrastructure to residential building projects. Additionally, MAPEI Canada’s specialized R&D research center for admixtures, located in Laval, Quebec, was created in 2021. This research center is dedicated to customizing admixture solutions and testing them in-house for MAPEI customers to ensure that the concrete they manufacture meets the unique challenges of the Canadian climate.

From air-entraining or -detraining agents to set retarders and water reducers (and other uses), liquid admixtures for concrete allow contractors to create concrete perfectly attuned to a multitude of jobsites, specifications and situational criteria. Whatever admixtures are prescribed for a given batch, they all need to be dosed in relation to one another – as well as to the basic components of the concrete itself, including water, aggregate, gravel, sand, cement and sometimes fibers.

MAPEI on the job

As the refinement of concrete mixes has grown more complex, so has the need for modern dispensing solutions to ensure that the right types of admixtures are released into the mix with precision timing. To meet today’s construction criteria, concrete producers must craft their ready-pour concrete mixes according to exacting standards, and MAPEI dispensing technology is as crucial to that end as the formulations of the various admixtures themselves.

“Altogether, we have about 600 different mix designs,” said Lafarge Plant Manager Alain Beaudin. Beaudin’s plant, known as Bearbrook-1 and situated near Ottawa, Ontario, was one of three that Lafarge recently upgraded with MAPEI’s Dispensing Systems for Admixtures for Concrete, under the supervision of Martyn Gosselin, Dispensing Systems Manager - Admixtures for MAPEI Canada. Alongside MAPEI National Business Development Manager [Cement Additives] Yves Brousseau, Gosselin served as MAPEI coordinator for the project. Lafarge is one of Canada’s largest providers of aggregates, cement, ready mix and precast concrete for paving, road and civil construction.

Each of the two large plants, Moodie and Bearbrook-1, typically have a daily output of between 17,657 and 21,189 cu. ft. (500 and 600 m3), with peak production running as high as about 31,783 cu. ft. (900 m3). With that high demand, mitigating the plants’ downtime during the full-scale system replacement was a crucial aspect that convinced Lafarge management of the viability of the upgrade.

Fast-track installation to reduce downtime

MAPEI played a crucial role in the restoration of the Arthur Fiedler Footbridge, providing advanced materials and solutions to meet the project’s stringent requirements.

“We were able to move fast,” Gosselin said. “First, we did their Moodie [concrete production] site in Nepean, Ontario, which took altogether five days. Following that, Bearbrook-2 [in nearby Gloucester], a smaller, backup plant, was completed in just two days, and finally, the main Gloucester facility, Bearbrook-1 was done in five days. In each installation, the last day is reserved for calibration with the customer’s batching software,” which was upgraded simultaneously by Lafarge’s vendor.

Previously, admixtures had to be dispensed manually, which made human error a daily concern that could potentially ruin any batch. With the new MAPEI system installed, the customer software automatically activates each dispenser to dose accordingly through software controls. “It’s very accurate,” Beaudin said.

Each dispensing system requires two inputs and one output. “You’ve got two meters which measure the volume: first the pulse, and the second to open the electro-valve to activate the pump and measure the volume of the admixture being dispensed,” Gosselin explained. “The variance in output is less than 3 percent, which is the industry standard.”

Compact system design

Another benefit of the MAPEI dispensing system is its more compact design, which makes for a more efficient installation. “We have all the new dispensers in one corner, and we have space for four more tanks in another corner. I like what they did,” Beaudin said, speaking of MAPEI’s 6-person team of technicians that worked on the teardowns and new system installations on all three sites. “They doubled-up [the dispensers], one above the other one,” saving space from the previously installed system.

“It’s a confined area, with the existing tanks,” Brosseau added.

With the help of MAPEI innovation and Technical Services’ expertise, the team of technicians was able to completely uninstall the existing, manual dispensing systems and then install and test the new MAPEI systems with relative ease. They were able to complete the work within the first two weeks of 2025, strategically limiting the plants’ downtime during their lowest-demand part of the year. This enabled Lafarge production to keep pace with the demand, keeping two out the three plants fully operational at all times.

As for how the new systems have been performing, Beaudin has zero complaints. “I’ve had good service (from MAPEI). As soon as I need them, they come down right away.” Speaking to his satisfaction with the new systems more generally, Beaudin said, “I’ve had no issues. They’re very accurate.”

For Gosselin’s technicians, it was all in a few days’ work. After refurbishing close to 20 such plants in 2024, the three Lafarge plants servicing the greater Ottawa area were a perfect start to a demanding schedule for 2025. On to the next one!