Five minutes with...Rob Ingram of Essex Precast
Can you tell us how Essex Precast came about?
We wanted to offer a better product and service than was available on the market local to us. We have an outdoor joinery and fencing supplies company called UNIQUE Bespoke Ltd and were buying in concrete to sell out of our trade yard. But we weren’t happy with the quality, service and overall experience. We kept hearing similar things, the same gripes and bug bears from our merchant customers, too and these represent 85% of UNIQUE’s customer base. We first considered the idea in 2022. It’s taken a little while to find the time to get things going, and to get all the ducks in a row.
How important is it for you to reduce the impact on the environment?
We have found that our customers, and eventual end user have begun to consider the environment when making a purchase. As such, we have made every effort to reduce our impact as much as we can. Our new factory will have a rainwater harvesting system from the factory roof and we reduce the PH level of our washout water and reuse into the batching process. We use a low carbon which can help us reduce the concrete carbon footprint by up to 70%. We use local suppliers for purchasing our most-used commodities – cement and aggregate. Our cement is supplied from a manufacturer whose distribution plant is less than 40 miles away and our aggregate is sourced from the local quarry a mere five miles away. This is all in to reduce the distance it all has to be transported in an effort to reduce the logistical Co2. Finally, we recycle 90% of our waste, again to reduce our carbon footprint and impact on the environment.
What are the biggest challenges affecting the concrete industry?
I would say the biggest challenge affecting the concrete industry at the moment are labour shortages. Whether that be skilled labouring or just general labouring. There seems to be a shortage of people. Along with energy costs and shipping costs – these are all proving to be challenges affecting every aspect of the industry. This ultimately means the end user will feel this with increased costs and lead-times.
Is there a favourite project you’ve been involved with?
Being in our first year of trading, we are the new kids on the concrete block, so as such we don’t have a exhaustive list of projects we have worked on. But I would say, our favourite – and the one that is going to take some beating – is setting up a new company and getting it off to such a superb start. We have had some great feedback and have secured plenty of work. The next exciting project for us has got to be the new factory. Planning the new plant, and ordering more moulds is always exciting.
How do you relax when you’re not working?
When not at work, we both enjoy spending time with our families. Ultimately this is the drive and motivation for us both. We set out with a clear and matching personal goals, to create businesses that would allow us to have lives. Not to become a slave to them – we didn’t want to replace a boss with a company. When not with our families, Mike is actually either in his shed (he obviously can’t get enough of the joinery shop at work) or out on the water paddleboarding. I'm either in the gym or on a rugby field getting injured. I also spend a lot of time in my caravan with my girls out exploring and enjoying the countryside – on land and water.
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