Hope Cement Works (Breedon Group) is Britain’s leading independent supplier of cement, concrete, aggregates and asphalt. Its cement business is based at the UK’s largest cement plant at Hope, Derbyshire, producing up to 1.5 million tonnes of cement products each year.
Hope Cement has recently replaced its analogue two-way radios with a digital MOTOTRBO system. Working with its communications partner DCRS, Hope Cement based its decision to use MOTOTRBO on several factors. The radios deliver clear and loud audio in a challenging environment (the site is in a rugged and hilly part of Derbyshire); the system can easily accommodate new users; and talk groups can be simply created for effective team communications. Hope Cement has also deployed MOTOTRBO’s Digital Telephone Interconnect system so that supervisors in the office can connect with radios used by production and maintenance teams.
As well as improving communications, the system is enhancing safety: the radios include lone worker and man-down functions to help protect staff, and an override channel enables an “all call” to be made to instigate emergency procedures if an incident occurs.
The site presents some challenging conditions including quarry and manufacturing areas, but the radios’ robust construction, high IP rating and ATEX compliance ensure continuous operation. In short, MOTOTRBO provides the reliable, dependable communications that are essential to ensure safe, efficient and productive operations in this demanding 24/7 environment.
