The Alkern cradle factory in Harnes is in turn switching to low-carbon construction

With this investment, Alkern is further optimizing a manufacturing process that is energy-efficient, sustainable and capable of meeting the new challenges of low-carbon construction in France and in particular the next milestones of RE2020.

A little bit of history

If the company was created in 1972, it was bought in 1990 by the TARMAC company, which inaugurated its new head office, behind the factory in 1998. After a ten-year stint within the Anglo American group, the company is since 2010 under the ownership of private investors, thus allowing it to support an offensive strategy of acquisitions for 15 years, at the rate of one acquisition per year on average. Remember that the company took the name Alkern, resulting from the contraction between Alk (strength, resistance, valor in Greek) and Kern (solidity, centrality, assurance in German and Dutch).

Harnes, a site ideally located to support the environmental transition in the development of towns in Hauts-de-France!

Alkern, one of the leaders in prefabricated concrete products, has established itself as a key player in low-carbon construction and regional development solutions, through 3 major activities: building, exterior design and public works. Constantly investing in its production tools and in line with its CSR strategy, the Alkern Group has just acquired a brand new grinding machine to equip its Harnes site, which covers an area of ​​9 hectares. This investment will thus generate the equivalent of a carbon economy for Alkern customers of 1600 t CO2eq each year and sustain 22 direct local jobs (creation of 4 jobs).

Producing some 100.000 tonnes per year, mainly in traditional blocks, curbs and gutters, the Harnes site will now also be able to produce rectified concrete blocks Elibloc, Elitherm, Confort R1 and R+Mur. And the announced production rate will thus make it possible to provide the equivalent of 2000 housing units per year. Enough to meet the demand for construction sites with controlled, low-carbon construction methods. In fact, the rectified blocks allow installation with thin joints, guaranteeing faster, less noisy, cleaner and more environmentally friendly construction sites with, for example, 90% water saved on site and a carbon footprint reduced by 25%. compared to a masonry installation.

During the rectification process, the blocks are produced on a press for immediate demoulding, then passing through an auto-oven for 2 to 3 days (without energy input because there is no cooking or heating), before being palletized and then stored in a park. To ensure their rectification, the blocks are subsequently depalletized using a robot in order to pass through the grinding machine where they are cut by a diamond disc to the desired dimensions at a precise and constant height (+ or – 0,3 mm tolerance). It should be noted that all the ground material is sucked up by a powerful and efficient device (without dust at the outlet) and that the fine dust and production waste are recycled via external service providers (for use, for example, in aggregates for road underlay). On the employee side, Alkern provided in-house training, particularly on the adjustments and settings of the machine, enabling them to operate the line perfectly and in complete safety.