Displaying items by tag: concrete

UK: Quinn Building Products has fitted a waste heat recovery (WHR) plant into the aircrete block production process at its Quinn Lite Plant in Fermanagh. The installation will pump thermal energy from excess heated water back into the pre-curing chamber to sustain the chemical processes by which the blocks are aerated. Quinn Lite production manager Kieran McGorman said that the upgrade ‘forms part of a larger, company-wide drive to minimise the impact of our operations on the environment and to maximise efficiencies wherever possible.’

Thailand: Siam Cement Group’s concrete and aggregates division SCC Concrete Products and Aggregates (CPAC) has entered into a joint venture agreement with Swedish digitisation specialist BIMobject for the formation of BIMobject Thailand Co., Ltd. (BIMobject TH) on a 51:49 basis in favour of CPAC. This will provide building information modelling (BIM) - a service platform for use in conceptual design, material selection, and construction simulation of customers’ projects. Siam Cement Group president and CEO Roongrote Rangsiyopash said, “This is in line with SCC’s strategic plan to extend its breadth of innovative construction solutions.” The joint venture will have US$170,000 registered capital.

Germany: Concrete furniture manufacturer InGrau has won a commendation at the Iconic Awards for innovative interior design for its InLight concrete ceiling light. The product also received a nomination for the German Design Awards 2020. It is 1.25m long and made of concrete 5mm thick, making it light enough to hang from two invisible wires in addition to its power cable. InGrau founder Jens Maasen told Beton.org that the company’s next project will be the design of 1.5m and 1.75m InLights.

South Korea: South Korea’s leading ready-mix concrete producer Eugene Concrete is exploring the possibilities artificial intelligence (AI) offers to its vertical supply chain. Singaporean construction and logistics technology specialist Pan-United says it has signed a memorandum of understanding with Eugene Concrete, allowing the latter to evaluate the possibility of integrating Pan-United’s AiR scalable digital system into its existing operations. The aim is to accelerate digital transformations in areas including the replenishment of raw materials, management of customer orders and e-billing and quality control checks at batching plants. Chung Jinhak, Eugene Group CEO, said, “Through this partnership with Pan-United, we seek to digitalise our entire end-to-end operations.”

Germany: Frankfurt-based fashion designer Concrete Jungle has won the Inhorgenta Fashion Jewellery Award 2019 and the German Design Award for Excellent Product Design 2019 for its Grey Rosé range of jewellery. The collection includes earrings, pendants and wedding rings, which showcase the beauty of concrete. The concrete is inlaid with metallic shards. “The particular challenges of mixing these elements necessitated particular techniques. We were able to work extremely delicately while achieving the enormous stability that characterises our jewellery,” said Concrete Jungle partner Madlen Thorwarth.

US: The construction company Cross River has partnered with Canada-based proprietary technology manufacturer Svante to deliver industrial carbon capture and storage (CCS) projects. BusinessWire has reported that Svante has already supplied its CCS pipelines to the 1Mt/yr CO₂ment concrete plant in British Colombia, a joint operation between Swiss LafargeHolcim and French Total which uses captured CO₂ to aerate its concrete.

UK: Breedon Southern, part of Breedon Group, plans to form a joint venture in London trading as Capital Concrete with Robert Brett and the Capital Concrete senior management. Three of Breedon’s existing ready-mixed concrete assets will be combined with those of Capital Concrete, Brett’s established ready-mixed concrete operation in London.

Capital Concrete currently operates seven ready-mixed concrete plants in Bow, Croydon, Romford, Rainham, Wembley, Silvertown and Staines. Breedon will contribute its plants in Cricklewood, Feltham and Enfield, together with Euro3.6m in cash, in return for a 43% interest in the joint venture. The remainder will be owned by Brett (43%) and management (14%).

“We have had a longstanding ambition to expand our footprint in the UK’s largest construction materials market. This joint venture enables us to secure immediate critical mass in Greater London, in collaboration with an experienced local partner, with the potential to develop a business of significant scale in the capital over the next few years,” said Pat Ward, group chief executive of Breedon.

Completion of the transaction is expected to take place on 1 December 2019.

Argentina: Holcim Argentina has developed the Ultraseries range of 11 concretes for various applications to be produced at its Malagueño plant in Cordoba. José Villacreses, Holcim Argentina general manager of concretes, said “We aim to facilitate a leap in productivity, aesthetics and costs, with comprehensive solutions,” according to La Voz.

The company has announced that its upgraded 3.1Mt/yr Malagueño cement plant will be inaugurated in February 2020.

Poland: The Swiss-based Concrete Sustainability Council (CSC) has acknowledged Górażdże Concrete’s sustainable management of resources in the concrete production process. Przemysław Malinowski, Górażdże president, stated that the company has sought to ‘minimise its impact on the environment in all areas of the supply chain.’ This included sourcing its cement from producers who demonstrate effective waste heat recovery and alternative fuel substitution practices, with a view to promoting the circular economy.

The World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) established the CSC to promote care for the economic, social and environmental impacts of concrete production by auditing the entire production process. In a Polish concrete sector of 25Mm3/yr total production capacity, Górażdże is the sole holder of CSC certification.

Oman: Al Tasnim Cement Products has opened a 425m³/hr ready-mix concrete plant in Duqm’s Special Economic Zone. Arab Finance has reported that four batching plants will supply cement to the facility; one on-site and three elsewhere in Duqm.