Recycled Sand & Aggregates Company invest into Fibo Collect Drive through Concrete, Mortar & Screed Plant

MJ TEALE Recycled Sand & Aggregates, established in 1971, specialises in supplying quality recycled aggregates across Blackpool, Wyre & the Fylde Coast. With 50+ years of experience, they ensure superior service and guaranteed quality. All aggregates meet WRAP protocols and Highway Works Speciﬁcations. Their facilities accept and process non-hazardous soils and hard materials like concrete and tarmac. The site is also the home of Blackpool skip hire, specialising in skip hire, waste management and recycling services, advancing the company's commitment to a circular economy.

The Kingscourt site boasts advanced crushing and screening facilities alongside a state-of-the-art wash plant. In an exciting new development, the site has become home to the UK’s 10th ﬁbo Collect Concrete, Mortar, and Screed Drive-Thru machine. Following a successful soft launch with regular customers, the innovative machine opened for public use on Friday, November 1.

Crucial to the new development are Directors and twin brothers Josh and Jake Teale. The pair’s mission for growth within the business has incorporated innovation with sustainability at its heart.

The Evolution Of The Concept
Landscapers, general builders, fencers and groundworkers across the UK and Ireland face a cumbersome task when it comes to small loads of concrete, mortar and screed. The traditional approaches present several challenges:

Mixing on site : time-consuming, expensive and labour intensive
Delivery options : cost of minimum order requirements for delivery is high and delivery slots uncertain
Readymix plant collection : subject to extensive waiting periods, let’s face it these facilities are built for mass production not the small load market.

A new click-and-collect concept for concrete, mortar and screed collections is gaining signiﬁcant momentum across the UK. ﬁbo Collect was the ﬁrst to enter the market making its UK debut in February 2023.

The system comprises an automated batching plant equipped with self-cleaning technology, a washout recycling tank, a hydraulic conveyor all merged with cloud-based software enabling users to easily order varying amounts of concrete, mortar, or screed with a simple push of a button. O􀀁ering ﬂexibility with orders starting from as little as 0.2m3 but with the ability to stretch to 15 – 20m3 per hour if needed. It’s like a giant co􀀁ee machine but instead of an americano or a latte the user can order from a delicious selection of quality concrete, mortar and screed recipes.

The MJ TEALE team came across the concept in its infancy and immediately saw the value of the service in their local market. They placed their order for the ﬁbo Collect system with the Danish Manufacturer ﬁbo Intercon back in August 2024, working hard to make the live launch happen just three months later.

Interview with Josh Teale.
ﬁbo Collect UK, the UK distributor of the danish manufacturer, recently took the opportunity to catch up with Director Josh Teale to explore his initial thinking around the investment decision along with his aspirations for the future:

Interviewer: Why did the ﬁbo Collect concept appeal to MJ TEALE?

Josh Teale : Well, we’re a very for ard-thinking waste management company with sustainability at the heart of what we do. As a business we’re focused on producing high quality sand & gravels as a bi-produce of waste excavations that would otherwise be sent for landﬁll. There’s a lot of companies who are focussing on making environmentally friendly decisions at the moment, but it's something we’ve been dedicated to for 40 years. The core of both our businesses is recycling, so we like to set the bar when we can.

The decision to invest into the ﬁbo Collect system is one based on our passion for a circular economy and always looking for alternate ways to be resourceful with these materials. The concept has opened up opportunities for us to push our recycled products further up the value chain whilst creating a quality, greener and more e􀀂cient ready mixed concrete, mortar and screed service for our local market.

We’ve built the capacity to process excavation materials from sites across the Northwest that would otherwise end up in landﬁlls. Now, we’re not only converting these materials into stone but also advancing them further up the supply chain to produce concrete. This allows us to take materials from one construction site and deliver sustainable products back to the same location, actively supporting a circular economy.

Interviewer : Who will the main users of the ‘drive thru’ service be?

Josh Teale : The new service is perfect for landscapers, groundworkers and utility contractors in the local area, who have all shown a lot of interest already. There will be a lot of existing customers, but we’ve also been attracting companies we haven’t dealt with before to the facility.

The ﬁbo Collect automated RFID tags for us have also given us an inroad to support local council workers and larger contractors, some of which have been to try out the machine already. It o􀀁ers them a more ﬂexible and convenient service.

As the pan mixer on the machine has an automated cleaning and washout facility it ﬁts well with your current ethos but has also given us a chance to break into the mortar market where we are able to gain bricklayer customers from the housebuilding sector.

Interviewer : What were your initial thoughts about the factory visit to ﬁbo Intercon?
We have been extremely impressed with the attention to detail in all parts of the manufacturing process. But more than that what has surprised us is the productive work ethic and positive culture that’s been generated at the factory.

I have been to many factory visits over the years but have been blown away by the innovation that’s evident here in Denmark. The team have clearly dedicated a huge amount into looking at how they can innovate in the drive thru concrete space and are quickly becoming a driving force in sustainability which is a value that we both have in common (maybe lose this bit).
Interviewer : Has the machine been meeting your expectations?

We’ve been relieved to see the high quality of our F1200 machine which is something that we value very highly as plant maintenance and longevity is at the top of our agenda when it comes to investments into new kit. Beyond the machine we were able to build a very positive relationship with ﬁbo Collect UK ltd who have been able to support us operationally throughout the process and developed the marketing side of the product launch.
Pre-launch, we had the opportunity to serve our ﬁrst customers as they collected a variety of materials and shared enthusiastic feedback. The launch day was great and I've been really pleased with how our customers have responded.

How It Works On The Yard
Kingscourt is a 9 acre site located close to Blackpool on the Poulton Business Park. There is a lot going on at the site as the company o􀀁ers Muckaway/ Tipper Haulage, Tipping Facilities, Earthworks / Contracting, Site Clearance, Skip Hire. The company has now added Concrete, Mortar and Screed collections to this impressive list.

The service that attracts the local ‘man in van’ customer is the weigh and tip service. Upon arrival customers are directed to a weigh bridge where they can get weighed before tipping. Once tipped the material is stockpiled and loaded into various recycling plants which in turn produces a fully recycled quality washed aggregate ready for re-use.

The ﬁbo Collect machine has been positioned in a designated layby on the main exit road. The thinking here is that customers can load & go without causing disruption to main yard operations. The model is simple,

Drive up to the drive-thru kiosk via the designated lay-by.
Position your vehicle or tub under the conveyor belt.
Order from the list of recipes displayed on the touch screen kiosk 4.) Lower the hydraulic conveyor belt to your desired height.
Pay by card to start the mixing process.

The whole process can be complete in under 5 minutes meaning businesses can save both time and money.

What's on Offer
The range of materials MJ Teale o􀀁er through the ﬁbo Collect machine include a wide range of concrete and screed options in various mixes, from as little volume of 0.25m3 to as large as 16m3.

In terms of Concrete, the company will be o􀀁ering C8/10 GEN 1, C12/15 GEN 2, C32/C40 as well as 10mm Concrete and 10mm No-Fines.

In terms of Screed mixes, the company offer a 4:1 screed and 6:1 screed both with 8hr retarder.

Mortar mixes include a 4:1 class 2, Mortar 5:1 class 2 and Mortar 6:1 class 3 available, supplied with a one, two or three day retarder.

Additionally, Mortar Tubs will be available to buy.

Advancing Sustainability: A Commitment To The Environment
In the face of escalating environmental concerns, positioning ﬁbo Collect units within the premise of sand & recycling centres represents forward-thinking business model with major notable environmental beneﬁts:

Enhanced waste management: Weight measurement technology is reducing production waste of all materials. The machine's ability to reduce waste cement from the production process also saves on carbon.
Efficient material reuse: The machine is a creative way to reuse waste materials rather than sending them to landﬁll.
Reduced packaging: The use of loose materials is cutting down the number of wasted bags and packaging that typically accompanies the site mixing method.
Optimised transport routes: Strategic locations decrease travel distance for procurement. Additionally, the ability to purchase large quantities can make two journeys become one.
The advancement of water sustainability goals: Integrated water recycling and self-cleaning systems.