A COMPANY providing patterned imprinted concrete for driveways has spread out into a related product area.

Lockwood-based Spectacular Driveways UK has introduced an on-site concrete batching service.

The investment enables the Albert Street firm to mix concrete to precisely the quantity required by the customer using a state of the art batching machine.

The service – which is aimed at the domestic market, builders and utilities – has already attracted the attention of a Holme Valley builder and developer, which has placed orders for all its sites.

John Quinn, managing director of Spectacular Driveways UK, said that even experienced concrete users found it difficult to estimate how much concrete to order.

Under or over-ordering traditional ready mixed concrete could end up costing more, he said.

Batching on site overcomes these problems, said Mr Quinn, explaining: “The concrete is batched right in front of you, so it is totally fresh – resulting in the concrete being workable for longer.

“This means more time to place the concrete.”

Said Mr Quinn: “This is a significant investment, particularly given the general economic climate and we will be creating up to six jobs as a result.”

Mr Quinn, who lectures in construction technology, said the specialist machine was also helping with the Spectacular Driveways business.

“We install driveways where concrete is made to look like a wide range of natural materials like stone and slate,” he said.

“This is a skilled, precise and time-consuming process, so having fresh concrete when and where you want it saves time and money and improves quality.”

The firm also has a website which includes a calculator page to help customers work out how much they need to order.