Sustainable Approach to Efficiency in Production and Use of Ready-Mixed Concrete in Construction Firms in Abia State.

There are variations to the quality of concrete produced on various batches of concrete produced in any site especially those manually mixed in site. These variations have an effect on the quality of concrete and hence the quality of the finished product. Ready-mixed concrete which are concrete that is batched for delivery from a central plant produces a more uniform quality of concrete than those mixed on site. However, the construction firms in Abia State are reluctant in adopting the technology of ready-mixed concrete in its construction projects despite benefits accruable to its usage. This study aims at formulating sustainable and efficient approach in the production and usage of ready-mixed concrete with a view to improving it efficiency through accessing the level of practices, understanding the constraints and thereafter developing a suitable framework. The methodology involves the use of well structured questionnaire and analyzed with relative importance index. Findings show that small sizes of projects, poor round network and changes due to transit time are some factor affecting its adoption by firms. In conclusion, ready-mixed concrete technology should be adopted more to enable the estimated 17 million housing deficit gap closed.