Ready-Mixed Concrete Day

What Is Ready-Mixed Concrete Day?

November 15th is "Ready-Mixed Concrete Day" in Japan. It commemorates November 15th, 1949 (Showa 24), when ready-mixed concrete was shipped to the market for the first time in Japan. The day was established in 1988 (Showa 63) by the National Federation of Ready-Mixed Concrete Industrial Associations (Zennama).

How "Namacon" Changed Construction Sites

Ready-mixed concrete, known in Japan as "namacon," is concrete whose ingredients, such as cement, water, sand and gravel, are mixed at a plant and delivered to the site while still soft, before it sets. Before it appeared, concrete was usually mixed on site. As factory-made concrete delivered by truck became common, the workload at construction sites was greatly reduced.

• Origin of the date: the first market shipment of ready-mixed concrete in Japan on November 15th, 1949
• Established by: the National Federation of Ready-Mixed Concrete Industrial Associations (Zennama)
• Established: declared on November 15th, 1988 (Showa 63)
• The declaration: it describes the industry as having supported postwar recovery and economic growth, and pledges high quality, stable supply and fair prices

The Job of the Mixer Trucks You See Around Town

The trucks with a large, slowly turning drum are called truck agitators, or mixer trucks. The drum keeps turning so that the quality of the concrete does not change on the way. Because ready-mixed concrete starts to harden over time, managing the time from plant to site is an important part of the job. From buildings, bridges and roads to the foundations of houses, much of our daily life rests on ready-mixed concrete.

Tips for Marking This Day

• If you see a mixer truck on your commute, imagine where it might be headed
• Look into how a building or bridge near you was built
• Ask people in construction or civil engineering about the challenges and ideas behind their work
• Check the structure of your home or office building, such as reinforced concrete

Gratitude for the Material That Builds Our Cities

Once a structure is finished, the concrete often disappears from view, making it a true unsung hero. November 15th is a day to recognize ready-mixed concrete, which has supported Japan's city building from postwar recovery to today, and the people who work with it.