XN000022-1976-12-12 — Page 6

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The heart of the factory is a huge steam oven which covers

an area of nearly 4,000 square feet.

Temperatures inside, ranging from 80 to 85 degree Celsius,

help to solidify the liquid cement in less than three hours.

A four-wheel cart running on rails transports the steel

moulds, interlaced with steel bars, to a giant mixer where liquid

cement is poured into the moulds. Electrical vibrators are used to

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ensure that the moulds are properly filled and that the surface is

perfectly smooth.

The cart is then pushed into the super-heated oven and in

less than three hours the finished product comes out the other end,

is plucked by a crane from the mould and is ready for instant use.

More than 200 different sizes of prefabricated walls are

produced by the factory. All are used for external and internal

partitions and the floors.

This method of wall making, known as the "Omnia" system,

saves both time and manpower and the product is as good as any made

by the traditional methods used by contractors in the building industry.

For the construction of the four blocks at Tai Hing Estate,

the factory has so far churned out 53,000 concrete slabs of different

sizes. Another 6,500 slabs will be required before construction

finishes in April next year.