The Challenge
Managing quality across six plants and nearly 1,000 active mixes is no small task. For Conewago, it means hours of manual work every week. This includes exporting break data by mix, combing through spreadsheets, and making optimization calls based on experience and assumptions alone.
The traditional methods and systems they relied on offered no predictive capability, and re-yielding was the only lever available. A single mix analysis took 45 minutes to an hour. With that kind of overhead multiplied across their entire mix library, something had to change.
Finding the Right Solution
There had to be a better way. After an extensive market search, Conewago chose Giatec SmartMix® and found exactly what they were looking for: AI-driven optimization and predictive analytics that are already transforming how their team works every day.
The deciding factor was AI. Specifically, Roxi™, Giatec’s AI engine, and the platform’s predictive analytics feature. Conewago was already committed to evolving with the industry, and SmartMix aligned with that vision better than anything else on the market.
We did a pretty extensive search, and this was the only option at the time. We looked around and there was nothing else on the market like this system.
— Dylan Meade, QC Manager, Conewago Manufacturing, LLC
Implementation and Onboarding
Adopting a new platform across six plants can be daunting, but Conewago’s transition to SmartMix was seamless. Dylan was given system access two months before going live, giving him time to get comfortable with the platform and build a training plan for his team.
Within one to two weeks, he was confident in everything he needed. His QC technicians followed, reaching full productivity within two to four weeks. The platform’s intuitive design made the entire process straightforward from the start.
Conewago Reduces Testing by 25% and Moves 4x Faster
The optimization dashboard has changed how the Conewago team begins their operation. At a glance, they can see batch data coming in across all plants, identify if a plant is overweighing by a significant amount, and take action fast. Cross-plant analysis for them is now straightforward! Two of Conewago’s plants share identical materials, so their mixes are combined in SmartMix and managed as a single dataset.
They have also highlighted that their testing volume has dropped by approximately 25%. Instead of testing every mix the same way, the team now tracks results by air content and temperature, which enables intelligent, more targeted testing.
For Dylan, the time savings are significant. Tasks that previously consumed 45 minutes to an hour now take about 10 minutes. Across the week, he estimates saving roughly 12 hours.
Submittals have also improved dramatically. What previously took 15 to 20 minutes can now be completed in under 5. With 2 to 10 submittals per week, that adds up quickly!
Results at a Glance
| Metric | Impact |
| 25% | Reduction in testing |
| 12 hrs | Saved per week by QC Manager |
| 4x faster | Manual data analysis and spreadsheet review |
| 75% faster | Submittal creation |
The Predictive Advantage
From day one, the team saw an immediate impact. The system generated intelligent recommendations based on available data, allowing teams to act earlier and with greater confidence.
Meade’s team has seen these predictions firsthand and validated them against their own benchmarks, using SmartMix’s predictive analytics to inform decisions before reaching their internal threshold of tests per mix, giving them a head start on optimization without compromising the standards they hold themselves to.
Looking Ahead
Conewago’s optimization rollout is just getting started, and the team expects the impact to grow significantly as more data comes in. The goal from the start was for SmartMix to pay for itself through cement savings, and that milestone is now within reach!
Conewago and Giatec continue to work closely together to improve the platform, with the team already excited about SmartMix’s new AI plain-language search feature, which lets users find exactly the data they need just by prompting a question.
SmartMix looks like it’s going to change the way the industry works going forward with optimizations and not having to track everything by hand.
— Dylan Meade, QC Manager, Conewago Manufacturing, LLC
