KP1 continues its investments in low-carbon concrete: Focus on its Rots plant in Calvados (14)

Launched in 2021, it is based on 4 pillars: placing employees at the heart of priorities, producing with a limited environmental impact, sustainably consolidating relationships with its ecosystem and contributing to reducing the carbon impact generated by the construction of buildings.

For this last pillar, the Innovation roadmap is structured around 3 axes:

• consume ever fewer materials through the design of its construction systems and its prestressed concrete technology,
• integrate more virtuous materials through the development and use of low-carbon concrete,
• develop the mix of materials, for example by using bio-sourced materials in its solutions.

One of KP1's major projects is to develop its concretes in the factory, drawing on the expertise of its K-LAB test center in Pujaut (30). This involves changing cements, developing and adjusting concrete formulations such as the eco-designed IMPAKT range and replacing CEM I cement with lower-carbon cements (e.g. CEM II*) across all KP1 sites.

The industrialist has launched an investment program of 1,8 million euros over three years to equip its sites with additional silos that will accommodate new cements or other additions. More than half of the KP1 sites are already equipped with them, such as the Rots plant in Calvados.

For David Henriques, Technical & Innovation Director: "These new cement solutions have different characteristics such as a slower increase in strength or more delicate workability depending on the product. It was essential for KP1 to implement these new concrete formulations to reduce the carbon impact of our solutions without affecting our processes, our production rates and capacities as well as the quality, performance and implementation conditions of our products and our construction systems. Drawing on the expertise and know-how of our "K-LAB" test center, we have developed new concrete formulations. In particular, we have worked on the nature and dosage of the constituents and the type of admixture, taking into account industrial constraints and the regulatory requirements in force, including specific requirements applicable to the case of prestressed concrete. On the factory equipment side, we have also invested in the development and optimization of our concrete plants in order to accommodate the cements and constituents necessary for the production of our low-carbon concretes, and to be able to anticipate the evolution of our concretes of tomorrow via continuous decarbonization.

Immersion on the industrial site of Rots (14), showcase of KP1’s know-how

This industrial site, which employs 90 people including 50 in production, specializes in the manufacture of pre-slabs, beams and joists, mainly for construction sites in the North and Normandy.

Since last November, its concrete plant has benefited from new-generation equipment: a silo, a control system and measurement and control tools. This modernization allows high precision in the formulation of concretes, a major asset for anticipating construction developments. The equipment makes it possible to offer high-performance solutions in low-carbon concrete but also concretes for specific exposure classes and aggressive atmospheres (for example by the sea). As with all KP1 plants, no more KP1 products are produced in CEM I in the Rots plant. These investments are also accompanied by an ambitious training plan to strengthen the teams' know-how.

This state-of-the-art equipment is now a pilot for the research and industrial development of low-carbon concrete. The K-Lab development laboratory carries out industrial-scale tests, particularly for pre-slabs. It is working on concrete recipes with a lower environmental impact (less cement, less clinker, etc.), which require technical dosages and meticulous adjustments. KP1 is in the "industrial implementation" test phase. The aim is to soon launch an IMPAKT+ range that will complete the current range, by reducing carbon weights, always for greater performance.

Industrial site identity card

• Opening in 1964
• Factory Manager Fabrice Enault
• 90 employees
• Site with an area of ​​45.000 m2
• 1 concrete plant with 3 silos
• 3 production halls, for each type of product
• Manufacturing capacity: 6 km of beams/day in double rotation (8 trucks of beams), 1.100 m2 of pre-slabs/day in double rotation (15 trucks/day) and 320 m of beams/day in single rotation (7 trucks/day)

* CEM II cement composed of approximately 80% clinker compared to 95% for CEM I traditionally used in prefabrication.