Cemex Rail Products - Prestressed Concrete Monoblock Railway Sleepers

Cemex Rail Products (formerly RMC Rail Products) is a leading manufacturer of Prestressed Concrete Monoblock Sleepers for the railway industry.

Cemex Rail Products, part of the International Cemex Group, runs it's market-leading business from Birmingham – in the heart of the UK.

During the last ten years they have positioned themselves as the industry leaders in the production of Prestressed Concrete Monoblock Railway Sleepers in the UK through offering a comprehensive package of design, manufacture and unrivalled delivery service by both road and rail - the factory being strategically positioned on a line-side site close to the West Coast Main Line and within a stone's throw of the country's main motorways.

Using the long line production method the factory has a production capacity of half a million sleepers a year and has an adjacent factory for the production of crossing bearers, level crossing units and platform units. Another factory within the company manufactures dry cast cable troughing - completing the comprehensive range of precast / prestressed concrete available to the UK rail industry.

ENVIRONMENT - MAKING THE MOST OF THE LINE-SIDE SITE

The factory is supplied by rail for all coarse aggregates and with some 90% of deliveries being made by rail, the factory works in harmony with the local environment.

SERVICE AND DELIVERY

Over the last 10 years Cemex Rail Products have manufactured over one and a half million sleepers and the quality of both products and service has always been the key objective. The factory's position ensures the fast loading of trains - an overhead crane, capable of handling 56 sleepers at a time, can load 2,500 sleepers in less than four hours.

The factory can also service "high output" relaying methods with lifted sleepers being returned to the factory on the same wagons used for the delivery of new sleepers. Cemex's sister companies can also crush and re-cycle the sleepers into aggregates for the Readymix business.

THERE IN A CRISIS

Unfortunately derailments do occur and large numbers of sleepers can be required immediately. As a result key personnel can be contacted 24 hours a day, seven days a week all year round and with the factory's closeness to the main motorways emergency supplies of sleepers can be delivered to site within a very short space of time.

QUALITY AND INNOVATION

All sleepers and bearers meet Railtrack's specification RT/CE/S/030 and Cemex's own quality system which is approved and regally audited by the BSI to conform with the requirements of BS EN ISO 9002.

Recent innovations include a move to digital measurement of track and rail seat dimensions using digital verniers and data loggers which down load statistics onto computers. This allows the data to be analysed with SPC (statistical process control) to ensure both moulds are set accurately and the customer can prescribe where in the tolerance band Cemex should target, giving total process control.

Cemex's new "state of the art" laboratory monitors concrete production, workability, strength and temperature control during the curing cycle as well as testing all raw materials. Finished dimensional accuracy and traceability of all products is essential.

CROSSING BEARERS

New technology has also been utilised for their entry into the Bearer market - through the use of Cemex's computerised measurement systems. The Bearers in turnouts and crossovers can be produced in standard size units with the stock items being bought back into the secondary processing facility to be measured, plotted and drilled by a computer operated CNC rig. This then ensures the fixings can be positioned to very tight tolerances. The rig also allows data to be programmed in to make allowance for creep and elastic shortening of the Bearers.

THE CEMEX TOTAL PACKAGE

Cemex groups world wide presence allows access for rail products into markets and countries not normally accessible. With experts in Design, Production Engineering, Quality Management and Railway technical support, Cemex Rail Products (UK) Limited are ideally positioned to assist you with your applications on track in the UK and/or overseas.