Birjo Must, newspaper Äripäev
E-Betoonelement, Estonian largest manufacturer of reinforced concrete elements, bought from the Swedish company Abetong AB half a holding in Swetrak, a company engaged in the design and production of railway sleepers. The other half of the holding belongs to Consolis OY, the parent company of E-Betoonelement.
Fred Holst, the Manager of Abetong AB that sold the holding, said that it is not reasonable for two competitors to share a company. “We believe that Swetrak should belong fully to our company or to Consolis OY and, all in all, it was the best solution for both parties,” added Holst. Abetong no longer has any holdings in Estonian companies.
Purchase price not revealed
“Purchasing shares in Swetrak allows E-Betoonelement to participate in the marketing of railway sleepers more actively,” said Vaido Leosk, the Manager of AS E-Betoonelement. He did not wish to give further comments on the purchase. He was not willing to reveal the purchase price either. The remaining 50% of Swetrak’s shares belong to Strängbetong AB, a subsidiary of Consolis OY. E-Betoonelement is a sub-contractor of Swetrak and produces sleepers for Swetrak at its plant in Rakvere. Swetrak is responsible for marketing the sleepers.
Close-up of the export market
According to Leosk, the volume of orders in Estonian market is relatively small and inconsistent in time. To produce sleepers efficiently, it is necessary to ensure a stable volume of orders. For this purpose, businesses must actively try to succeed in foreign markets. “Within Consolis Group, Swetrak can use its advantages in marketing and sales better than before,” added Leosk.
The concentration was verified by the Estonian Competition Authority since the activities of two companies in the production and sale of sleepers coincided as a result of the transaction. The joint market share of E- Betoonelement and Swetrak in the Estonian market of production and sale of finished concrete products was less than 40% in 2009. Therefore, the concentration was allowed.
According to Jaan Luts, the Manager of AS Tartu Maja Betoontooted, other Estonian companies do not produce railway sleepers and, therefore, this transaction does not affect the competitors of E-Betoonelement.
On 7 October, the training: “Requirements for reinforced concrete elements. Standards for reinforced concrete elements: principles, requirements, changes in standards” will be held at Ülemiste Hotel in Tallinn, Lennujaama tee 2, from 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Koolituspäev on kasulik betoonelementide tootjatele, projekteerijatele, paigaldajatele, järelevalvele - andes ülevaate Euroopa betoonelemente käsitlevatest standarditest; millised on betoonelementidele esitatavad nõuded, mille vastu eksitakse ja mis on selles vallas hiljuti muutunud.
PROGRAMME:
09:15 Registration
09:30 Enno Rebane,, the ACMPE
Overview of standards for reinforced concrete elements, general principles and requirements for standardisation
10:00 Toomas Laur, Certification Centre of the Tallinn University of Technology
EVS-EN 13369:2006 Common rules for precast concrete products; EVS-EN 13670:2010 Execution of concrete constructions; about the requirements, standards and differences in the export of concrete elements.
Coffee break around 11 a.m.
12:15 Vello Otsmaa, docent at the Tallinn University of Technology
Reinforced concrete elements, standard EVS-EN 1168:2006+A2:2009 Hollow core slabs
13:00 End of the training
Participants will receive training points from the Estonian Civil Engineers Association.
The registration form can be found here. Please send the form by 24 September 2010 at the latest. to the e-mail address: or fax 648 9062.
Osavõtumaks on 750 krooni. Eesti Betooniühingu liikmetele 400 krooni. Osavõtumaks sisaldab: osavõtu seminarist, seminarimaterjale ja kohvipausi.
After the registration, the CAE will send a confirmation together with an electronic invoice.
Additional information: telephone 648 1918, fax 648 9062 http://www.betoon.org/
21.-24. septembrini toimub Berliinis rahvusvaheline raudtee- ja liiklustehnikamess InnoTrans 2010.
The topics of the fair are railway construction, railway and tram rolling stocks, equipment, engines, furnishings of rolling stocks, transportation technology, and construction of tunnels.
Enterprises of Consolis participating in the fair are Swetrak from Estonia, DW Schwellen from Germany, Parma from Finland, Sateba from France, Sateba Maroc from Morocco, Stanton Bonna from England, Spanbeton from the Netherlands, Spenncon from Norway, Strängbetong from Sweden, and W.P.S from Poland.
The fair team will greet the visitors in the 25th hall, stand 303.
The fair is open daily from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
1,914 exponents from 41 different countries participated in the last fair which was visited by more than 88,000 people.
Enno Rebane, Äripäev
Although the economy is showing signs of positive development, the situation in the construction and building materials industry is still poor. True, for the second quarter of this year, it was positive for building materials producers, but only for exporters.
In the first half of the year, the Estonian Building Materials Manufacturers Association kuuluvate ettevõtete müügikäive eelmise aastaga võrreldes siiski õige veidike kasvas - 2267 miljoni kroonini. See on ligikaudu 2004. aasta tase, sealjuures ei ole arvestatud inflatsiooni mõju.
Although almost all building materials manufacturers would like to forget about the results of 2009, unfortunately, these product groups still exist, whose results for the first half-year are negative compared to the previous year.
Also, the sale of sand, roofing materials and insulation materials remains on the minus side. The biggest increase is the sale of wooden windows, wall materials and reinforced concrete elements, with all the positive effects being exports.
Again, it leads to the idea that it is necessary to publicly raise funds for public works in order to carry out construction work in bad times for the public sector in the bad times. Do not do this when everyone is building and the prices of construction works are on the ceiling.
At the very least, there is something positive at the moment - the success of exporting companies.
2010. a 6 kuu jooksul eksporditi ehitusmaterjale 1118 miljoni krooni eest, mis ületab 2009. a sama ajavahemikku enam kui 300 miljoni krooniga. Kõige rõõmustavama tulemuse ja arenguga paistab silma ehitusmontaažvahtude tootja OÜ Krimelte. Veel võiks eraldi välja tuua AS Tartu Maja Betoontooted, suur osa nende toodangust läks ekspordiks, mis betoonelementide tootmise puhul on tähelepanuväärne. Enam kui poole toodangust eksportisid avatäidete tootjad AS Fenestra, AS Metus-Est, AS Saku Metall ja AS Viking Window, seinamaterjalide tootja AS Aeroc, katusekivide valmistaja OÜ Monier, plasttorude tootja OÜ HAKA Plast ning lubjakivitoodete müüja AS Nordkalk.
According to turnover (6 months of 2010, million kroons)
1. Krimelte OÜ 449
2. AS Saint-Gobain Ehitustooted 130
3. AS E-Betoonelement 130
4. AS Pipelife Eesti 123
5. AS Saku Metall 103
6. AS Rudus 96
7. AS Nordkalk 91
8. AS Metus-Est 68
9. AS Silikaat 66
10. AS Tartu Maja Betoontooted 55
11. AS Viking Window 54
Raivo Raigna, Virumaa Teataja
Due to the gradual recovery of the economy, the labour market is also showing signs of recovery since companies that have been able to increase their export volumes are creating new jobs.
Põhiliselt metallitöödega tegelev Tamsalu EPT on viimastel kuudel saanud tellimusi koostööpartneritelt Norrast ja Soomest, mistõttu on ettevõte võtnud tööle kolm uut keevitajat. Metallitöökoja toodangust läheb 85 protsenti ekspordiks.
“We mainly manufacture actuators and buckets for excavators intended for the Norwegian and Finnish markets and the clients’ quality demands for our production are high. The three men that we hired are experienced welders who know their job,” said Valdo Simonlatser, the Manager of the company.
He added that more responsible persons with occupational skills will find work when the economy recovers. “There have never been enough skilled workers and they have always been needed,” said Simonlatser.
Skilled workers in demand
Temper is a family business operating in Vohnja. The business owns a large equipment park which allows to prepare large-scale metal structures as well as to perform turning, milling and welding works using various materials and technologies. Due to the increase in export volumes, the business has also hired three new workers in the past 1.5 months. A turner, a lathe operator and a production worker were offered jobs.
Raivo Ruuto, a member of the Management Board, said that orders from both Finnish and Swedish markets have increased. “We manufacture constructional metal structures for Finnish clients and ball valves for the Swedish market,” said Ruuto. Increase in export gives the company a sense of economic security for the future and, therefore, the company is also looking for an additional welder.
Group E-Betoonelement Marek Prees, the Production Manager of substructure elements and hollow core slabs, said that executing the orders of foreign partners has increased the number of employees by 20 persons in the past months.
“We have hired skilled workers who manufacture reinforced concrete wall and façade systems and substructure elements. 80% of the production in this manufacturing sector is exported and executing orders placed by foreign partners has nurtured the economic activities of the whole group,” said Marek Prees. Orders for wall panels are mainly placed by Finnish companies.
“We produce substructure elements for the Murmansk nuclear waste facility. Executing this large-scale order provides us with work for the next year as well,” said Prees. He added that despite the economic crisis, construction activity near St. Petersburg is thriving and local companies are interested in their production. This creates hope that export volumes will continue to increase and ensures a job for the employees of the company.
Support from the banking sector
Meelis Annus, the Head of the Agriculture Sector at Swedbank, said that the economy is recovering from the crisis and positive developments in the banking sector are one of the proofs of this. Swedbank Estonia’s profit for the second quarter was EEK 108 million.
Annus said that the times of lay-offs in the banking sector have passed and people are being hired again to bank offices in Tallinn and other regions.
“Since business activity is perking up, the banking sector mainly needs business customer managers. This is also the case in the sector that I am responsible of,” explained Annus.
Annus said that loan applications that are well thought through and have been filed by companies with an appropriate cash flow have received and will continue to receive a positive answer from the bank. He assured that selling production in export markets provides companies a great advantage when applying for a loan.
Export
In May 2010, most Estonian production was sold to:
1) Soome - 1930 mln kr,
2) Rootsi - 1414 mln kr,
3) Lätisse - 980 mln kr,
4) Venemaale - 932 mln kr,
5) USAsse - 887 mln kr.
Site: Helme street apartment buildings
Location: Tallinn, Helme 5a and 5b
Architects: OÜ Arhitektuuribüroo JVR
Manufacturer of reinforced concrete elements: AS E-Betoonelement
Builder: Merko Ehitus AS
Two five-storey apartment buildings will be built in Helme street; decorated and exposed aggregate surfaces and colours will be used for finishing the external walls of the apartment buildings.
E-Betoonelement will manufacture poles, beams, hollow core slabs, balcony slabs, stairs, and one- and three-layered wall elements for the apartment buildings located at Helme 5a and 5b. The agreement also includes technical design and assembly.
The works of E-Betoonelement will be finished in November; the completion of the buildings can be expected in 2011.
The works of E-Betoonelement will be finished in November; the completion of the buildings can be expected in 2011.
Today, on 30 June, the outdoor area of the Estonian Road Museum, “Teeaeg”, will be opened. In the outdoor area, graphic concrete elements made by E-Betoonelement will illustrate a road running through history. It is an extraordinary exhibition environment in the open air which, in addition to introducing the history of traffic and roads, also offers an opportunity for traffic education and recreation.
When entering the “Teeaeg”, visitors will first see traffic and settlement signs that have changed throughout time and the mid-truss of the oldest road bridge (Vati) in Estonia. When moving onwards, visitors will enter a fascinating underground architectural environment, a historic road space where it is possible to move back in time and perceive the atmosphere of different eras. There are also children’s attractions and a picnic ground in the recreation area.
The architectural concept of the “Teeaeg” was prepared in the architectural bureau Salto and the exposition project in the design studio Laika, Belka & Strelka.
The total cost of the development of the Road Museum was EEK 47 million, whereas about EEK 40 million was covered by the European Regional Development Fund.
Read more:
The E-Betoonelement started manufacturing of graphite concrete wall elements for the Road Museum
and
E-Betaonelement uses graphic concrete as a surface finish for elements
More information: http://muuseum.mnt.ee
Site: 2nd construction stage of the storage tank in Kumna farm
Customer: AS Metsaküla Piim
Address: Kumna, Harku Rural Municipality, Harjumaa
Technical design, delivery and assembly of elements: AS E-Betoonelement
Project Manager: Kalle Kõllo
AS E-Betoonelement entered into a contract with Metsaküla Piim AS for completing the 2nd construction stage of the storage tank in Kumna farm.
In 2008, E-Betoonelement assembled liquid manure storage tanks constructed for the needs of dairy cattle in Kumna Village. The walls of the storage tanks are 4.0 m of height, consist of 54 wall elements and hold 5,073 m33 This was the first stage of the planned two liquid manure storage tanks. In the second stage, a similar storage tank will be constructed.
Kalle Kõllo, the Division Manager of Cabro™, commented on why the customer chose AS E-Betoonelement to complete the 2nd stage as well: “The good quality and simple usage of the storage tank that has already been completed and taken into use as well as the price offered contributed to our re-selection. Good co-operation between us has lasted already since the agricultural fair Maamess of 2007.”
Kalle Kõllo adds: “AS Metsaküla Piim has outpaced the difficult period, during which dairy producers had to settle for a buying-in price that was lower than the production price for quite a long time. Now that they have become stronger again, the enterprise will complete the reconstruction of their dairy farm, where we have already set up farm storage tanks as one part.”
The elements for the storage tank will be completed in August, which will be followed by their assembly at the farm. The storage tank will be taken into use at the beginning of November.
Journal Inseneeria
Mart Arro, E-Betoonelement
Since wind energy has become one of the most important sources of renewable energy, while also creating a completely new industry, it is important to understand how to collect wind energy most effectively. Until today, wind turbine towers have been mostly manufactured from steel; however, it is reasonable to use concrete for building more powerful and higher towers.
Many years ago, wind turbines were mainly used in agriculture; for example, for grinding grain and pumping water. Several of these human-made masterpieces have survived until today. However, the requirements for wind turbines and their towers have increased in time and, therefore, turbines have become much more powerful. Original turbines with the capacity of 5-30 kW have given way to modern turbines with the capacity of 5-6 MW. The height of wind turbine towers has also increased constantly: 10 metres in 1970, 20 metres in 1983, 50 metres in 1990, up to 85 metres in 2000, and up to 140 metres in recent days.
Higher wind is “better”
During the history of wind turbines, both horizontally and vertically rotating generators as well as turbines with one, two and three blades have been tested. Today, horizontally rotating three-blade turbines are most common since they have proved to be the most effective. So how is energy collected from wind? This can be calculated using a simplified formula P = KD2V3, where P is energy, K is constant, D is rotor diameter and V is wind velocity.
In other words, the energy collected from wind equals the square of the rotor diameter and the cube of wind velocity. Wind becomes stronger and its quality improved higher from the ground level since relief, buildings and forest cause friction and turbulence close to the ground level which, in turn, significantly reduce the good qualities of wind. Therefore, placing a rotor with a bigger diameter higher from the ground makes it possible to produce energy more efficiently.
90 m is the dividing point for height
Turbines with the capacity of 2.5-3 MW are becoming a standard for land-based wind turbines. This means a great challenge for towers. For example, a turbine with the capacity of 2.5-3 MW together with a rotor with the diameter of 100 metres weighs approximately 150 tons. When lifted to a tower that is 100-150 m high, the blades of such turbine make 10-20 rotations per minute. In such conditions, wind turbine towers have to bear great static and dynamic load. Dangers arising from the latter and material fatigue are what complicate the design of such towers. It is reasonable to use steel for building towers that are up to 90 m high and meant for turbines with the capacity of less than 2.5 MW. In the case of higher towers and more powerful turbines, it is rational for both economic and technical reasons to use precast concrete. Concrete structure provides sufficient rigidity in the case of large turbines and long blades, helping to control vibration. It is also easier to create a tower solution that is resistant to resonance. In the case of metal towers, sections are joined together by means of bolts and building one tower requires hundreds of bolts. In the conditions of constant vibration, the joints of bolts need to be checked on a regular basis. Concrete does not need this and, therefore, the maintenance of concrete towers is much cheaper. In addition to that, the elements of precast concrete towers are beautiful and they can be used to quickly erect a suitable tower for the turbine. Wind parks often have limited access; the roads are narrow and curved. In the design phase, the size of the elements is chosen so as to ensure easy access to the least accessible construction sites.
30 cm thick walls
Concrete is an environmentally friendly material with good availability and a relatively stable price. In the case of towers more than 100 m high, concrete gives a considerable price advantage as compared to steel since the diameter of the tower and the thickness of steel sheets used to build the tower increase considerably. The increasing mass of steel sections and problems with transportation increase the price of steel solutions. There are two types of precast concrete towers: 100-110 m high full concrete towers, where the concrete section reaches the turbine, and 100-150 m high hybrid towers which combine concrete and steel. The lower part of a hybrid tower is made of concrete and the upper part, which is approximately 50-70 m high, is made of steel. A hybrid tower combines the benefits of both materials. In its essence, precast concrete tower for a wind turbine is a conical tower, the walls of which are approximately 30 cm thick. This concrete tower is divided into cylinders approximately 10-15 m high which, in turn, are divided into segments, i.e. precast elements. The wider part of an element is 3.5 m wide and its height is 10-15 m, depending on the height of the cylinder. The maximum weight of an element is 40 tons. Precast elements are manufactured from self-compacting concrete at the plant. Concrete panels, i.e. segments that are delivered to the construction site are pre-assembled into the aforementioned 10-15 m high cylinders. These cylinders are lifted on top of each other, creating the concrete structure of the conical tower. A concrete adapter slab is placed on top of the tower and a wind turbine or a steel tower (in the case of a hybrid tower) is attached to this. The whole concrete tower is post-stressed from the adapter slab to its foundation. This is necessary to ensure that the tower is resistant to the dynamic load caused by the working turbine. For example, a 100-metre-high tower can weigh up to 1,500 tons and consist of approximately 70 precast concrete elements.
Raivo Raigna, Virumaa Teataja
Signs of economic recovery can be seen in the building materials, bakery and furniture industry.
Nordkalk Eesti AS, which has three production units in Estonia, manufactures several types of lime, ground limestone (fillers), lime and dolomite cement, construction aggregates and field lime materials.
The E-Betoonelement group, the largest manufacturer and manufacturer of concrete components in Estonia, has grown exports several times compared to a year ago when it was working in a sustainable economy.
After several years of thorough groundwork, Lääne-Virumaa bakery company Hallik arrived in the Swedish market last July for its four branded Hagar products.
