Liebherr concrete plant supporting world?s largest sea lock project
In order to make Amsterdam, one of the most important European ports, accessible for the new generations of ships with even larger dimensions, the largest lock in the world will be built in IJmuiden located at the south of the 27-km long North Sea Canal, which connects Amsterdam with the sea. Dyckerhoff Basal, one of the largest suppliers of ready-mix concrete and cement in the Netherlands, is providing the concrete mix for the project. The largest lock in the world requires around 300,000 cu m of concrete.

For Dyckerhoff Basal, the most important criterion in selecting the concrete mixing plant was a rapid start of operation and the possibility of a rapid change of location in the future in order to be able to start concrete production at short notice for construction projects with limited time. In addition, a theoretical output capacity of up to 150 cu m/hr was an essential requirement for the mixing plant in order to reliably cover delivery peaks throughout the day.

Liebherr and Dyckerhoff Basal have selected the Mobilmix 3.5-C in container design with CSC approval for cost-effective and worldwide ship transport as the optimum solution under the given conditions. With its container design and installation on steel foundations, the Mobilmix 3.5-C is ideally suited for quick installation and relocation in temporary construction projects.

The plant can be relocated within four days. With the already integrated insulation, the Mobilmix 3.5-C is also optimally equipped for winter operation. The Mobilmix 3.5-C is equipped with a Liebherr DW 3.5 twin-shaft mixer. The DW 3.5 enables optimum concrete homogeneity due to the three-dimensional mixing principle. In addition, the Liebherr twin-shaft mixer is particularly suitable for short-term recipe changes.

With the Mobilmix 3.5-C, up to 150 cu m of concrete can be produced per hour, as a double plant even up to 300 cu m. The plant is operated intuitively via Liebherr?s own Litronic-MPS control system at a PC workstation. All components are optimally accessible for maintenance work due to the generous steps and platforms and offer sufficient space for tools and working equipment.

The construction project comprises an investment volume of approximately EUR 700 million and is to be completed within a construction period of around seven years. The new lock is to be opened for shipping at the beginning of 2022.