Displaying items by tag: concrete

Taiwan: Taiwan Cement Corporation (TCC) and 100 construction firms have together launched the Low Carbon Construction Pioneer Alliance. CNA News has reported that the founding members eliminated 146,000t of CO₂ emissions altogether through their use of reduced-CO₂ building materials since November 2024. This includes despatches of 800,000m³ of Portland limestone cement (PLC) concrete by TCC, with 2.5Mm³ in cumulative orders to date. TCC first launched its PLC in October 2023, touting an emissions reduction of 15% compared to ordinary Portland cement (OPC). It since enlarged the net reduction to 24% through production modifications.

Taiwan Cement chair Zhang Anping said "TCC took the initiative to align with the Global Cement and Concrete Association and released the lowest-carbon PLC concrete in Taiwan. The CO₂ reduction is far greater than the 53% as defined by the government.”

Another potentially gargantuan deal in the US building materials sector emerged this week in the shape of Quikrete bidding to buy Summit Materials. The latter company announced that a non-binding acquisition proposal had been received and the business press revealed who it was from. Further reporting suggested that Summit Materials has a market value of around US$7bn.

Quikrete is well known in North America for its packaged concrete products that are often sold in distinctive yellow bags. Its brands include Quikrete cement and concrete, Pavestone and Keystone paver and block products and Rinker concrete pipe and storm-water products amongst others. The company says it operates over 90 manufacturing sites in the US, Canada, Puerto Rico and South America, although it does not appear to own any cement plants. Notably, it is privately owned.

The deal is likely to revolve around the ready-mixed concrete assets that Summit Materials runs. However, readers may recall that Summit Materials and Cementos Argos completed the merger of their operations in the US at the start of 2024. That deal was set to make Colombia-based Cementos Argos the largest shareholder in Summit Materials. The companies also said that it was going to set them up with the fourth-largest cement-making portfolio in the US, with a capacity of 11.6Mt/yr, and place them among the largest aggregates and concrete producers. So it will be interesting, to say the least, to see how Cementos Argos reacts to a change in plans so soon after the merger has finished. Assuming the deal is credible, how it reacts may suggest whether the company is following the money in the short term or sticking to a longer plan.

Yet another large deal in the building materials sector in North America reinforces the diverging fortunes between the markets there and in Europe. However, this dynamic can create its own problems. More details about Holcim’s spin-off of its business in North America, for example, emerged in October 2024. Press reports suggested that the group was considering a dual-listing as its Swiss and other European shareholders were potentially facing restrictions from holding shares outside of their home markets.

Despite the current frenzy for market share and margin in the US by multinational building materials companies though, the cement market hasn’t had the best year so far in 2024. US cement shipments actually fell year-on-year in 2023 and continued to do so during the first seven months of 2024, according to United States Geological Survey (USGS) data. The Portland Cement Association (PCA)’s Chief Economist Ed Sullivan blamed this mainly on high interest rates. He then noted in an autumn forecast that a cut in rates was likely to benefit the construction market from mid-2025 onwards. Anne Noonan, the CEO of Summit Materials, also noted the negative effect of interest rates on construction projects at a recent Colorado Business Roundtable event.

None of this has discouraged the hunger of companies to cash in on the US market. Even the uncertainty of the impending US presidential election taking place on 5 November 2024 has failed to quell this desire. In brief, either administration might take different approaches to trade protectionism, infrastructure investment plans, green investment, permitting, regulations and so on. Yet the market fundamentals are strong for building materials. Koch helped MITER Brands buy window and door manufacturer PGT Innovations for US$3.1bn in January 2024 and Owens Corning acquired another door producer, Masonite, for US$3.9bn in May 2024. Quikrete smells potential and it may follow.

Canada: Climate technology company CarbonCure Technologies has announced that it has ‘saved’ over 500,000t of CO₂ across 7.5m truckloads of concrete. CarbonCure uses a technology that injects captured CO₂ into fresh concrete, which is mineralised and permanently stored, and which enables concrete producers to reduce cement usage while maintaining strength. The solution integrates into existing concrete plant operations, allowing for both environmental benefits via a reduced CO₂ footprint and cost savings through reduced cement consumption, according to the company. The company also claims that for every 1t of CO₂ that is mineralised in ready mix concrete, another 50t of CO₂ is ‘avoided’ by reducing emissions from cement adjustments.

CEO of CarbonCure Technologies Rob Niven said “This milestone reflects the strong sustainability leadership of CarbonCure’s innovative concrete producer partners. Together, we are proving that reducing the carbon footprint of concrete is not just a goal for the future — it can happen, and it is happening, today at scale.”

Qatar: The Ministry of Environment and Climate Change has organised a symposium to launch a new ‘green’ cement made from sewage waste, with aims to support environmental sustainability and the circular economy in line with the Qatar National Vision 2030. The symposium highlighted the role of scientific research in transforming sewage into green cement. The cement is produced by treating sludge, resulting from solid sewage waste by burning, grinding and mixing it with catalysts, then is practically applied in the manufacture of building blocks and foam concrete. The amount of accumulated sewage waste is estimated at about 40,000t/yr, which can be used to produce 40 million bricks or 150,000m³/yr of foam concrete.

New Zealand: Fletcher Building has appointed Thornton Williams as CEO of its Concrete division. Williams has served as acting CEO of the division since 29 March 2024. The group noted Williams’ ‘significant’ leadership role in driving culture, customer satisfaction and sustainability. He has also been its chief financial officer (CFO) from 2021, before which he was group general manager, treasury and risk. He previously worked in dealer roles at Australia-based banking group ANZ and the Bank of New Zealand. Williams holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of Auckland, New Zealand.

Incoming group CEO and managing director Andrew Reding said "Thornton brings to the role a deep understanding of the commercial drivers of the Concrete business and the competitive landscape. He is therefore well-positioned to lead this high-performing division, not only as Fletcher Building navigates the current challenging trading conditions but also as economic conditions start to improve and opportunities for profitable and sustainable growth emerge.” Reding added “I look forward to working closely with Thornton and the Fletcher Building executive team when I formally commence my role on 30 September 2024. I would also like to take the opportunity to thank acting CEO Nick Traber for his support and commitment in enabling an orderly and smooth handover of the CEO role.”

US: Gabriel Carrero has taken on the role of Chief Commercial Officer (COO) at Carbon Limit, developer of the CO₂-sequestering concrete additive CaptureCrete. Carrero previously served as Senior Vice President, Sales & Marketing at fellow additive developer CarbonCure, and has held directorial roles in multiple companies in the cement and concrete chemicals innovation space, including working as COO of Sysdyne Technologies and NITROcrete and as Global Director, Specialty Construction Chemicals at GCP Applied Technologies. Carrero holds a Mechanical Engineering degree from the Centre Technological University (UNITEC) and an MBA from the University of Carabobo, both in Venezuela.

New Zealand: Neocrete has entered a partnership with major cement manufacturers, including Cemex, Heidelberg Materials, CRH, Titan, Cementos Argos and Ultratech Cement to promote its new Activator product aimed at reducing the amount of cement required in concrete. The product uses volcanic ash or residual ash from industrial processes to cut the amount of cement required by 40% to 50%, according to the company. Neocrete aims to replace cement completely, resulting in carbon-free concrete, by 2027. The new product will be submitted for life cycle assessment once a new pilot plant in Mt Wellington is operational. The plant is valued at US$2m and will produce 0.12Mt/yr of cement, to meet 10% of New Zealand’s demand.

Co-founder Zarina Bazoeva said "We don't need to produce the whole volume of cement. We activate the concrete chemically with a small catalyst at 3kg compared to 100kg of cement. So, we can scale fast."

Switzerland: Holcim has entered a partnership with Kibag and Oxara for the production and distribution of Oxacrete Oulesse, a cement-free binder developed by Oxara. This new product reportedly aims to supply up to 10% of Switzerland's annual concrete market. Oxacrete Oulesse is made with materials from deconstruction, offering a low-carbon alternative to traditional cement.

Peru: Switzerland-based Holcim has acquired ready-mix concrete producer Mixercon and industrial minerals producer Comacsa for US$100m. Comacsa owns a white cement plant in Lima. Noticias Financieras News has reported that the acquisitions mark Holcim’s entry into Peru, strengthening its hold in the South and Central American market.

Regional head Oliver Osswald said "The incorporation of Comacsa and Mixercon will allow us to generate synergies and develop export markets.”

UK: UK-based startup Cocoon has raised €4.9m in pre-seed funding to develop technology that repurposes byproducts from electrified steel furnaces into a ‘near-identical replacement’ for blast furnace slag, according to the company. The modular technology integrates into existing steel-making processes without disrupting operations or requiring high capital expenditure, reports UK Tech News. Cocoon targets a 50% replacement of cement in concrete, aiming to reduce emissions for producers. Initial tests are underway at a steel plant in northern England, followed by another in the US.

Cocoon CEO Eliot Brooks said "We’re turning a byproduct with little use into a valuable product that the market badly needs and can be easily integrated into existing supply chains. By repairing a broken link in the circular economy, Cocoon provides steel makers with a new revenue stream while meeting the low-carbon material needs of the concrete industry. For every 1t of Cocoon’s slag-based cementitious material used, 1t of CO₂ can be avoided."

Brooks hopes Cocoon's climate technology will be integrated into a pilot plant by late 2025.