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CONCRETE PRODUCTS & CAST STONE106 CPI %u2013 Concrete Plant International %u2013 1 | 2026 www.cpi-worldwide.comBased in Cognac in France for over 150 years, the Garandeau Group plays an important role in the Charente economy. Today, with over 680 employees, it also has a presence in Charente Maritime, Vienne, Haute Vienne, Gironde and Dordogne. A leading supplier to the regional construction industry, the Group is developing its activities in the production of natural and recycled aggregates, precast concrete, ready-mixed concrete and building materials stores. With more than 50 sites (including 20 quarries, 11 ready mix plants and 19 building materials stores), the Garandeau Group's local network in Northern Nouvelle-Aquitaine enables strong synergies between its activities and enhanced efficiency in serving its customers, whether they are private, contractors, professionals or local authorities.The company was founded by Pierre Daunizeau, a plaster manufacturer from Deux S%u00e8vres. He acquired the Champblanc gypsum quarry in 1869 and soon built a plaster factory there.The family business modernised at the beginning of the 20thcentury with the arrival of the railway, which connected the plaster factory directly to Cognac station. In the 1920s, the %u201cGarandeau Fr%u00e8res%u201d plaster factory shipped 700,000 bags of %u201cCognac plaster%u201d per year throughout Western France.Today, the company is run by the founder's descendants; this is the sixth generation, several of whom work in different field and activities within the company. Laurent Richaud (CEO) and Tanguy Chauvi%u00e8re Le Drian (Managing Director) are members of this sixth generation. But the family nature of the company is also reflected in its attachment to the human values that have always driven it and in its ambition to remain independent and sustainable.As part of its CSR policy and continuous improvement approach, the Garandeau Group places customer service, innovation and sustainable purchasing at the heart of its commitments. It has drawn up a Responsible Purchasing Charter which lists its commitments and expectations towards its suppliers and subcontractors.Quadra: the choice of a partner that shares the same valuesIn 2009, the Garandeau Group inaugurated the Pierre Soucaret precast concrete plant at its Ch%u00e2teauneuf site. Fully automated, it can achieve an annual production of six million blocks.The environmental integration of the plant was one of the Group's priorities:%u2022 Fully enclosed installation (to prevent noise emissions and dust dispersion),%u2022 Plant located on the limestone quarry site itself (reducing truck traffic),%u2022 Use of locally produced cement,%u2022 Recovery and treatment of rainwater before discharge into the natural environment,%u2022 Entirely natural drying process requiring no heat input.Quadra, a French manufacturer of automated equipment for the concrete industry, has been selected to supply the production tool for the plant, a Q10 HP vibrating press.The entire plant has been designed to meet the Group's productivity and quality requirements:%u2022 Manufacture of blocks on steal boards to guarantee the dimensional regularity of the products,%u2022 Height control ensured by a laser measurement that analyses and detects height deviations bigger than 2 mm (manufacturing tolerance in block height of +1/4 mm),%u2022 Reversed palletising: the block is ready for use, saving time on construction sites and reducing physical strain,%u2022 Drying area automatically fed with wet products. A programme manages the removal of dry blocks by finger car, which are then palletised.At that time, Quadra's design and R&D teams were working on developing their first range of concrete block grinding Commissioning of a grinding unit at Garandeau Group's concrete block manufacturing siteQuadra, 74130 Contamine-sur-Arve, France