French company’s self-service concrete dispenser growing in popularity
Selfbeton has set up almost 40 of these machines around the country, including in Normandy, Brittany, Ile-de-France, Occitanie
A self-service concrete dispenser set up in Normandy is proving popular with locals
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A centralised, self-service concrete mix dispenser that is open to the public is proving popular in Normandy and around France.
Customers who need concrete, whether it is for a garden, driveway or a bigger job such as laying the foundations of a house, can use the automatic dispenser to get the right mix of concrete. It saves the need to buy cement, sand and gravel separately.
French company Selfbeton has set up almost 40 of these dispensers around the country, including in Normandy, Brittany, Ile-de-France, Occitanie, etc. See a map here of their locations.
One customer, Morgan, who used one of the machines set up in Rouxmesnil-Bouteilles (Normandy), told Franceinfo:
“I find it super practical. It’s really quick; you come, you leave, no need to go pick up sand or gravel. There, you have everything you need immediately, I find that great.”
The idea is that customers can go to the site where the dispenser is located and order their preferred concrete mix using a type of ticket machine.
There is a choice of up to 50 different mixes, according to the company, although this may vary depending on the dispenser.
Once the customer has chosen and paid, the machine prints out a ticket with a QR code on it. The customer then takes that ticket to the dispenser and scans it, and the concrete mix is carried up a conveyer belt and dropped into the customer’s waiting truck.
You can watch the video below to see how it works.
Selfbeton was started by François Behr two years ago and since has received a lot of demand, Franceinfo reported.
He is planning to update the system so that customers can pay for their chosen concrete mix online before going to the site, to save even more time.
The concrete mix from Selfbeton’s automatic dispensers cost roughly €15-€20 more than the usual market rate, the company’s website states.
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