History

On the Carmans site, sister company Grepobel installed a charging station that is fully powered by green energy. It’s the first concrete step towards a future where Carmans’ truck fleet also runs on renewable energy.

In 2020, the washing installation was completely rebuilt and upgraded to today’s standards. With thirteen years of experience under its belt, Carmans took the installation to the next level. The result? An innovative installation that ranks among the top in Belgium and the Netherlands. Today, it forms the foundation for the production of the BLUEBLOCKS – a new chapter in the story of circular construction.

Since 2015, Carmans has been producing concrete stacking blocks from recovered raw materials, made entirely with renewable energy. A circular product, developed from A to Z within our own story.

Around 2005, Carmans built its own machine to stabilize excavated soil with lime, a first in Belgium. Until then, soil from sewer works was simply dumped, and new sand was extracted elsewhere to fill up trenches. That’s a double hit for nature. By reusing that soil directly on the construction site, Carmans set a completely new standard in the sector. What started with a single project and a homemade machine has grown into a practice that pretty much every major contractor follows today.

In 2005, Carmans built its first soil-washing installation, once again a progressive step, as very few facilities in Belgium could match its quality at the time. With the introduction of our own washing installation, soil contamination could be treated effectively, and waste materials could be transformed into secondary raw materials once again.

In 1998, Carmans’ mobile crushing installation received Copro certification, a true milestone. Until then, only fixed installations operated under an approved quality label. Thanks to Carmans’ efforts in bringing together all mobile crusher operators to make this possible, mobile crushing became a fully recognised alternative.
Offering the same level of quality, but with added benefits for both the construction site and the environment, it was a breakthrough that made a significant difference, especially for public-sector projects.

In 1997, Carmans set up its own concrete plant. Not just any plant, but one that was built from the very start to produce as much concrete and mixed products as possible using recycled materials. That way, recycled debris got a second life as a new raw material.

In 1994, Carmans invested in a mobile crushing installation. A forward-thinking choice, because at that time, only fixed crushers were used. By recycling debris on site, less transport was needed. That wasn’t just more efficient, but also better for the environment. Less transport, less emissions.

In 1986, Stefan Carmans joined his father’s company. What started as the next generation taking the helm quickly became the beginning of a new vision. Gradually, the focus shifted towards the blue economy philosophy, which is now the common thread running through the company.

In 1963, father Carmans started a small-scale transport company. He quickly expanded those activities with the construction of driveways in pavers and asphalt, and later also road construction for public tenders.