Produce wide-floor slabs faster, better and more efficiently using the right software

Digitization and automation in the precast concrete industry

Predalco in Lokeren, as the name suggests, specializes in the production of predals or concrete wide-floor slabs. The company was founded in 2011 by Peter Van der Stock and in barely 12 years, it managed to achieve a number of far-reaching ambitions. Today, Predalco already has more than 60 employees and already occupies three production halls, two for the production of precast concrete slabs and one specifically for beams, columns and structural steel. Every day, more than 3,000 m2 of wide-floor slabs roll off the production tables at Predalco.

Quality, service, durability and flexibility at the forefront

From its inception, Predalco maintained an unwavering vision of quality, service and sustainability. Partly because of this, it was nominated for a Trends Gazellen award for the fourth time in a row. In 2021, Predalco even became the first precast concrete company to obtain the prestigious silver CSC label. CSC stands for Concrete Sustainability Council and assesses concrete companies based on strict requirements, including environmental impact, socio-economic aspects and sustainability in general. A strong focus on quality and service, plus extensive automation and digitalization in collaboration with i-Theses, also from Lokeren, contributed significantly to the successful growth.

Furthermore, the company is committed to providing total solutions, which resulted in a "one stop concrete shop. Indeed, customers can come to Predalco not only for wide floor slabs, but also for beams, columns, reinforcement baskets, multiple types of floor slabs and dry cementitious mixtures.

Positive impact at every level

i-Theses, a leader in software programs for the design of precast concrete elements and the automation of related business and administrative processes, developed a number of specific customized modules for Predalco. Charlotte Stans, quality manager at Predalco: "The i-Theses software has a strong and positive impact on all our business processes, from planning, drawing, production and storage to transport and delivery. Only the invoicing still runs partially through an external program. The great advantage of the i-Theses solution is that all software modules are linked to each other, so that, for example, data only has to be entered once. Via the umbrella ProjectManager module, our employees can call up and check the current status of a project at any time."

A customized module for every task

In a preparatory phase, the AutoFloor and AutoBeCo modules automate the drawing of pre-stacks and beams, respectively. Once the drawing work is complete and the laying plans are approved, the prefabricated beams can be stacked logically and efficiently with the Cargo-Planner module. In terms of production planning, the Plandesk CarouselPlanner module displays in a visually clear way which prefabricators should be positioned where on the production tables in order to work efficiently. It also controls the production robots so that they receive all information about reinforcement, lattice girders and concrete thickness directly from the drawings and can faultlessly lay out the exact contours of the precast units.

With the PlanDesk MouldPlanner, concrete elements can be correctly scheduled into the available beam formwork. The YardPlanner module gives a clear overview of which products are where in the storage area. Color codes graphically show what needs to be delivered and when. The LogisticsPlanner leads the transport planning in the right direction and is also a great help when customers pick up goods themselves. The system also automatically generates a text message to the customer the day before delivery. In this way, all operations and processes run in a single, smooth and logical flow, allowing faster, more precise, clearer, more secure and more efficient work, without wasting time or unnecessary work and with a greatly reduced risk of human error.