Displaying items by tag: concrete
Mexico: Cemex says that it has supplied its low-CO2 Vertua concrete to 786 construction works in Mexico. The El Sol de San Luis newspaper has reported that the volume so far delivered totals 33,000m3. In late May 2021, 398 further projects have placed orders for future deliveries.
The UK construction market is in a funny situation right now. As the economy has started to grow in 2021, shortages of building materials have been reported following the relaxation of coronavirus-related restrictions. In April 2021, for example, the Construction Leadership Council (CLC) added cement, aggregates and certain plastics to its existing lists of products in short supply. These commodities joined a slew of other materials, including timber, steel, roof tiles, bricks and imported products such as screws, fixings, plumbing items, sanitaryware, shower enclosures, electrical products and appliances. The CLC advised all users to, “plan for increased demand and longer delays, keep open lines of communication with their suppliers and order early for future projects.”
Skip forward a month to May 2021 and these shortages are on more people’s minds with the announcement by the Office for National Statistics that UK monthly construction output grew by 5.8% month-on-month to around Euro16.5bn in March 2021 due to both new work and to repair and maintenance projects. Quarter-on-quarter output also rose by 2.6%, adding to the impression of a building sector emerging from the fog of lockdown. In the face of this good news Nigel Jackson, the chief executive of the UK mineral Products Association (MPA), was asked about reported shortages of cement. He told local press this week that “it would not be surprising if there were short-term issues of supply as the economy gathers momentum.” He added that the biggest issues had been observed in levels of bagged cement typically used in domestic projects.
The MPA followed this up with the results of a survey of building materials manufacturers that reported a slow but steady start to 2021 with mounting construction demand month-on-month. Sales volumes of aggregates and concrete were both up quarter-on-quarter but volumes of asphalt and mortar fell. Unfortunately that survey didn’t cover cement volumes but it did have more to say about concrete. In its view ready-mixed concrete sales had been subdued since 2017 due to the UK’s departure from the European Union (Brexit) and a general slowdown in residential building. The market recovery seen so far in 2021 was likely to be merely a return to growth from a subdued level of activity that pre-dates Covid-19.
At the time of writing the UK government faces a decision about whether to continue opening up the economy or exercise caution in the face of the as-yet unknown consequences of the Indian variant of coronavirus. This may delay talk of building materials shortages but it can’t avoid it forever. In the UK, cement shortages appear to be due to the self-build segment and will hopefully soon be resolved.
A shortage of cement in the UK may not mean much to people outside the country, with the exception of exporters. Yet the wider picture here is that the coronavirus pandemic has affected the production of building materials, changed end-user behaviour and distorted markets around the world. Other examples include the row over the price of cement in Nigeria, the boom in cement sales in Brazil in the second half of 2020 or reported shortages in Jamaica this week. A significant number of people, when forced to spend more time at home, appeared to save money and then decided to either move to a different house or make their current one better. Yet at the same time differing government restrictions and market fluctuations have seen building material output levels vary widely. Other reasons are at play both local and international. Brexit in the UK is one example of the former, as importers and exporters have been forced to grapple with new rules and costs. The temporary blockage of the Suez Canal in March 2021 is one example of the latter. No wonder supply chains are struggling. That last point goes wider than building materials though, for example, as anyone trying to buy semiconductors has discovered. One fear behind all of this though is whether these are temporary shortages or whether inflation is on the way for the global economy generally. In this is the case, then it signals the end of the low consumer inflation rate era since the financial crash in 2008 and may herald changes in behaviour from both producers and consumers.
Sweden: Researchers at the department of architecture and civil engineering at the Chalmers University of Technology in Gothenburg in Västra Götaland county are developing a technology to enable concrete to store energy in the manner of a rechargeable battery. The team has proposed a design based on cement mixed with short carbon fibres. The concrete is then fitted with a metal-coated carbon fibre mesh that forms the battery’s anode and cathode. The team says that a future product based on the technology would enable solar-powered roads and buildings to store their own energy. Additionally, the introduction of sensors to the system would enable full and constant monitoring of the condition of the structure.
Chief researcher Emma Zhang said, “Results from earlier studies investigating concrete battery technology showed very low performance, so we realised we had to think out of the box, to come up with another way to produce the electrode. This particular idea that we have developed – which is also rechargeable – has never been explored before. Now we have proof of concept at lab scale.”
Switzerland: France-based Vicat subsidiary Vigier Holding has agreed to sell precast concrete producer Creabeton Matériaux to Müller Steinag Holding. The group says that it will finalise the deal within the first half of 2021.
Creabeton Matériaux specialises in the prefabrication of concrete products. It has a workforce of nearly 380 employees and reported a turnover of Euro83m in 2020. Vigier Holding will retains its railway business including the construction of concrete sleepers.
UK: The Mineral Products Association (MPA) has described first-quarter building materials demand as ‘resilient’ in 2021 despite renewed coronavirus lockdown restrictions, on-going supply chain disruptions and wet winter weather. Following a recent survey the association says that continued housing activity – with increased home improvements – and an acceleration in infrastructure work, driven by a new roads programme and the start of the HS2 high-speed railway, drove minor growth during the quarter. Ready-mix concrete demand rose by 2% year-on-year, while mortar demand fell by 7% during the period. The MPA said that both products are mostly used in the early stages of construction, thus serving as a barometer for construction activity ahead in the short term.
The MPA reports that since September 2020, construction growth has remained close to zero, whilst new contract awards have been ’weak’ since May 2020. The downward trend of housing-led mortar demand in the first quarter of 2021 continues a pre-pandemic decline since mid-2018. Thus, housing activity growth is considered unlikely to continue beyond the completion of existing projects ahead of the end of a land tax holiday and a deadline in a first time buyers loan scheme. The MPA described the slow growth of ready-mixed concrete demand as ‘concerning.’ Low housing activity and few new commercial projects compounded the difficult recovery: non-infrastructure projects normally generate 60% of demand. Ready-mix concrete producers rely on London and the South East region for over 30% of sales. First-quarter volumes were 9% below the previous five-year average, despite three consecutive quarters of growth since the first coronavirus lockdown in the first half of 2020.
Director of Economics Affairs Aurelie Delannoy said, “Mineral products manufacturers are busy supplying post- lockdown pent-up demand, particularly for domestic activity such as landscaping, repair and maintenance and home improvements, as well as infrastructure projects.” She added “The outlook for this year and next is also positive, but the stakes are high. Any optimism assumes activity is not disrupted by renewed outbreaks of Covid-19 and, most importantly, relies on the government delivering on its planned infrastructure commitments. MPA members tell us they are yet to see a more clear-cut pick-up in new house building, whilst any recovery in commercial development is expected to remain muted given the current reticence for major new investments.”
Mexico: Cemex has partnered with UK-based oil company BP to accelerate the progress of its ambition for net-zero CO2 concrete by 2050. The partners have signed a memorandum of understanding to develop cement production and transport decarbonisation solutions. Such solutions include the transition to reduced-emissions power and vehicles, energy efficiency-improvements, carbon capture and storage (CCS) and carbon offsetting. In addition, the companies will collaborate on urbanisation solutions to decarbonise cities.
Sustainability, commercial, and operations development executive vice president Juan Romero said “Concrete plays an integral role in society, and there are no substitutes for its key attribute – strength and resilience. We believe it will continue to have a critical role in a low carbon economy, and the challenge for the industry is to find solutions to the manufacturing process emissions.” He added “This initiative with BP is another example of the work we are doing with partners across industries, academia, and startups to tap into the latest innovation and disruptive technology to achieve our ambition of delivering net-zero CO2 concrete globally to all of our customers.”
Malayan Cement to acquire YTL Cement’s Malaysian cement and ready-mix concrete operations
14 May 2021Malaysia: Malayan Cement has agreed to acquire YTL Cement’s cement and ready-mix concrete operations in Malaysia. MarketLine News has reported the value of the deal as US$1.25bn.
Greece: HeidelbergCement subsidiary Halyps Building Materials has agreed to sell its aggregates business and two ready-mix concrete plants to Heracles Group, part of Switzerland-based LafargeHolcim. Heracles Group said that the acquisition would enable it to better serve the growing Athens metropolitan area and key infrastructure projects regionally. The value of the deal is undisclosed.
LafargeHolcim’s Europe, Middle East and Africa regional head Miljan Gutovic said, “I am excited about the opportunities and growth prospects of this acquisition in the Attica region of central Greece. It will provide additional support towards our net zero ambition with our leading range of sustainable building solutions such as EcoPact green concrete.” Heracles Group launched EcoPact on the Greek market in April 2021. In the first four months of 2021, LafargeHolcim completed four other bolt-on acquisitions.
HeidelbergCement remains active in the market through its subsidiary Halyps Cement. The company operates the 0.7Mt/yr Apropyrgos cement plant in Athens. Chief executive officer Dominik von Achten said, "We are pleased that the transaction has been successfully signed.” He added that the realignment is the next step in the group’s portfolio optimisation as part of its Beyond 2020 strategy. In January 2021, its subsidiary Suez Cement departed from the Kuwait cement market with the sale of its majority stake in Hilal Cement.
Holcim El Salvador opens three concrete plants and an aggregates plant in first four months of 2021
26 April 2021El Salvador: Holcim el Salvador, part of Switzerland-based LafargeHolcim, has invested US$4.0m in the first four months of 2021 in establishing three new 70m3/hr-capacity ready-mix concrete plants and one aggregates plant. The La Prensa Grafica newspaper has reported that the plants have increased the company’s concrete production capacity by 60%. The concrete plants are situated at Apopa, La Paz and Sonsonate, enabling the producer to serve a wide area. The new plants have generated 100 direct and indirect jobs. As part of the investment, the company acquired 22 new concrete trucks. It plans to establish two further concrete plants at Santa Ana and in eastern El Salvador in 2021.
Concrete and aggregates manager Guillermo Torres said “We intend to have national coverage for all builders of all types and sizes.” He added “We have seen a rebound in the construction sector. The main bet is always high-rise, medium and high-end housing, small-scale shopping centres with open concepts, textile industrial buildings plus government investment in roads and maintenance and extension.”
University of Tokyo researchers develop cement-free concrete production method from sand
21 April 2021Japan: Researchers from the University of Tokyo have developed a new method for producing cement-free concrete from sand. The method reacts sand with alcohol in the presence of a catalyst, according to ChemEurope. When dehydrated, this produces tetraalkoxysilate. The research team then reintroduced water, and thus allowed the reactants to move back and forth between tetraalkoxysilate and sand. In this way, the sand particles progressively bonded together. The resulting concrete is reportedly more resilient to chemical, temperature and humidity changes than concrete produced from Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC).
In the report of the findings, researcher Ahmad Farahani wrote that various sources of sand tested suitable for use, including silica sand, glass beads and simulated moon sand. This gives the method the advantage that it is non-specific to raw materials or locations, and can be integrated into waste management.