More and more concrete products manufactured in dedicated production plants or factories are being used these days, so the choice of product is becoming more varied and diverse every year. An increasing variety of new products is appearing on the market today, from different kerbs, concrete building blocks (bricks), chimney elements, restraining wall bricks, fencing and various fence elements, to similar products for the construction and landscape planning of the surroundings of residential buildings. A particularly wide range of paving blocks is available. These are probably the most popular concrete product, so their manufacturing is undergoing constant change and development, leading to the availability of numerous types of paving blocks with a huge variety of dimensions, shapes, colours, and finishes. With these products, it is truly safe to say that imagination knows no bounds since different paving techniques and combinations can achieve a completely unique atmosphere around an individual residential house or a larger space in an urban setting. By using decorative concrete products such as, for example, flower troughs, fountains and fireplaces, it is possible to turn our surroundings into an aesthetically pleasing and appealing residential environment.
This rapid expansion in the manufacturing and usage of concrete products has undoubtedly been made possible by the development of the technology for their manufacturing, since increasingly rigorous quality demands have been set and only high quality products can stand out among the rich variety on offer. Contemporary production lines for concrete products are automated to a large extent and do not require many staff for their operation. These are mainly operators, who manage and monitor the functioning, a few workers for regular maintenance and cleaning, and some transport workers for the supply of raw materials and manipulation of packed final products. There is very little manual labour involved in the entire production process, since the majority of operations are computer controlled. The monitoring system for some parts is devised in such a way that it is capable of gradually eliminating any errors occurring during operation on its own. For example, it is very important that the products are of the same height, so constant measuring is performed and the system compensates for any possible discrepancy by enhancing or reducing the quantity of concrete while monitoring the impact of this change. In this way, the largest possible repetition of manufacturing is ensured, which is of course a very important factor. The technological solutions of production lines incorporate the latest innovations in concrete products - from integrated components to mixing and preparing concrete for manufacture in the machine in which a product is actually formed. Furthermore, systems for adding quality chemical additives and colours are installed, enabling the manufacturing of products with a more challenging shape and appearance. Contemporary architectural designers of urban environments no longer favour the predominant usage of asphalt in the final setting: Instead they increasingly recommend the usage of concrete products. These make it possible to achieve a more dynamic and colourful final appearance by using products made of natural materials. Concrete paving blocks can be reused if, for various reasons, one needs to re-dig the paved surfaces. A very important environmental effect can be achieved by incorporating concrete paving elements in cities since the paved surfaces remain water permeable, which leads to lesser load on the meteorite water channels during abundant rainfall and lessens the possibility of flooding. In addition, the water seepage on larger areas reduces the lowering of the soil water level, which is an increasing problem in cities.
In the briquetting unit, briquettes are made from raw material waste and products, enhancing the efficiency of raw material utilization in stone wool production and lessening the environmental impact. The quantity of solid wastes in stone wool plants reduces to practically zero with the installation of a briquetting unit for waste recycling. Waste under the cupola furnace and spinner is used, along with waste products, edge trim waste from the production line, used slabs from filters and a small fraction of raw materials are all used for briquetting, and cement is used as binder.