With over 60 years of experience, HASTAG (Zürich) AG is one of the leading companies in the building materials industry in north-eastern Switzerland. They have been part of the JURA Materials Group since January 2004; while JURA has been part of the CRH Group since 2000. Their mantra, “Where building begins. Building blocks of success.” is part of their DNA and is used to guide everyday strategic and customer experience decisions.
HASTAG creates the foundation for successful construction projects with the production, distribution, transport, and recycling of gravel, concrete, sand, and mixed material. State-of-the-art production facilities and manufacturing processes, sophisticated logistics, and comprehensive quality and safety concepts guarantee first-class products and services to their customers.
First contact with CA
HASTAG’s systems were outdated, so they were in the market for a new batching systems. CRH Ireland, their parent company, touted the success that one of their locations in Romania had experienced with Command Alkon, and suggested that HASTAG get in contact. Command Alkon’s UK office had conducted the implementation for CRH, so the Sales Director from the UK office, Dave Phillips, went to Switzerland to assess HASTAG’s needs. He quickly saw that the HASTAG plants are very large and comprehensive. He determined that the batching solution that Command Alkon’s Dutch location specializes in, Command Alkon Conactive Process Control, would be a perfect fit for them.
International Solutions
Because they have operations worldwide, experts from Command Alkon know first-hand that concrete production processes aren’t the same globally. Different locations and customers’ plants can be set up in a different way; the scale of the production can vary; and the needs can be unique. That’s why Command Alkon offers various batching solutions – so that each market has suitable products that meet the requirements of that region or specific plant.
Why CA?
After an initial introduction and plant assessment meeting, Command Alkon’s Dutch team met with representatives from HASTAG in Switzerland to discuss what solutions could be used. HASTAG sent ten different individuals across a range of specializations: Plant Manager, IT, Batcher, and Quality Control expert – who were all German-speakers. Command Alkon’s Sales Manager, Rob Verburg, and Project Engineer Manager, Marc-Jan Kok, were both represented so that they could answer any questions HASTAG had and discuss their options.
HASTAG put their trust in Command Alkon and COMMANDbatch CP for these reasons:
- The ability to speak German, thus providing better support
- Proven knowledge, expertise, and solutions
- Realistic technology options and timelines
- Ability to understand the customer's situation
- Command Alkon promises only what they can deliver
- Command Alkon Conactive Process Control system’s ability to automate this very extensive and complex plant
- CRH Group is already a Command Alkon customer
- Command Alkon is able to deliver the project as desired
Example of the CP automation solution that HASTAG uses.
Implementation
Command Alkon started the first implementation at HASTAG’s Winterthur location. The entire plant was up and running with the new systems in two weeks, which is what was agreed upon. Meeting deadlines is a top priority at Command Alkon; regardless of having to work day and night to get it done on time. One of Command Alkon’s goals is to ensure production can start again as soon as possible because time is money and everyday counts.
HASTAG is very satisfied with Conactive Process Control, the implementation and especially the support that Command Alkon provides. It’s very important to HASTAG that they receive service they can trust and that if they need support, there is always someone ready – even if it’s someone in the Netherlands. Command Alkon’s Dutch office has multiple employees who speak fluent German, enabling them to always deliver excellent customer experiences to that market. If HASTAG happens to have an emergency and needs assistance right away, The Netherlands is close enough that a representative from Command Alkon can easily get in the car or on a plane and be on their way.
Future
Since the first implementation in Winterthur, Command Alkon has converted two additional plants of HASTAG and is looking forward to expanding their partnership with HASTAG. The CRH Group supports companies within their umbrella to choose Command Alkon’s solutions because of their proven service and success.
Contact us today for more information.
