PreCon
Canada
2026
PreCon
Planning a New Precast Concrete Plant for Prestressed Walls and Architectural Façades
PreCon, located in Woodstock, Ontario, is centrally situated in the Greater Toronto Area, a metropolitan region with a population of more than 6 million people. Due to the expiring lease for the Brampton facility, the entire production operation had to be relocated to Woodstock. The existing equipment and facility were outdated and could no longer be relocated, making a complete redesign of the production facility at the Woodstock site necessary.
Master Planning and Factory Design for PreCon’s New Precast Concrete Plant
Prilhofer Consulting, an experienced industry expert and factory planner, was commissioned to develop the master planning for the site development and design of the new production facility in Woodstock.
Highly Automated Production of Prestressed Precast Concrete Elements
For the production of the sandwich walls (Flexwalls)—which are prestressed in both concrete shells—a fully automated concept with a pallet carousel system was developed as an alternative to production on long stationary casting beds. However, due to the desired element dimensions—up to 15 meters in length—and the resulting immense size of the pallets and production equipment, this concept was rejected, and the highly automated long-line production system was implemented instead. Automation was integrated into nearly every work step, from conveyor belt cleaning, plotting, automated concrete placement and compaction, to the automatic removal of the formwork and cutting of the prestressing wires.
The concrete supply to the three concrete distribution units is fully automated, using gray and white concrete via two bucket conveyors per hall bay and a distribution crane with two buckets for the two concrete types.
Plant Design, Tendering and Project Coordination
In addition to the overall factory planning, Prilhofer Consulting managed the entire tendering process for the production equipment and subsequently coordinated the project in close collaboration with the client PreCon, the OSCO Group's factory planner, the multidisciplinary consulting firm WalterFedy, and the equipment suppliers through to the successful commissioning of the plant.
Future Success Ensured with PreCon’s New Precast Concrete Plant in Ontario
A plant upgrade with a mesh welding system, an integrated pallet carousel system, and the future concrete supply for these systems have already been considered in the master plan. With the relocation of its complete production to the new plant in the spring of 2025, PreCon has reached a significant milestone in its company history. The new plant will ensure the company’s competitiveness and product quality for decades to come.
For an investment of this scale and another milestone in the company’s history, it was particularly important for OSCO and PreCon to obtain a concept for the new production facility at the new plant location that was tailored to their specific needs and provided maximum security, as well as being technically and commercially verifiable.
A decisive factor in appointing Prilhofer Consulting despite their own extensive experience and in-house planning expertise was the OSCO Group’s and PreCon’s awareness of the value of having an experienced and independent partner at their side to guarantee the project’s implementation will proceed as efficiently as possible while minimizing risks.
PreCon manufactures precast concrete elements in Woodstock, Ontario/Canada, for industrial and commercial buildings, public buildings, and infrastructure projects. The company is part of the OSCO Construction Group. Its product portfolio includes, among other things, façade and wall elements, beams and columns, as well as precast concrete elements for bridge construction.
Products
- Prestressed insulated sandwich walls (Façades)
- Architectural sandwich walls
- Solid walls
- Double-tee slabs and NEXT beams
- Columns and beams
- Stairs
- Bridge girders
Company page
Prilhofer Consulting GmbH & Co. KG
Hauptstraße 19
83395 Freilassing
Germany
Prilhofer Consulting GmbH & Co. KG
Heinestr. 36
1020 Vienna
Austria