Displaying items by tag: retail

India: ACC has expanded its Green Building Centre chain into Telangana. The Orissa Diary newspaper has reported that the producer inaugurated the new Karimnagar Green Building Centre in the state on 14 December 2021. The centre will stock affordable alternative building products such as fly ash bricks and reduced-CO² concrete blocks. ACC aims to support Indian cities’ social, environmental and financial development through its Green Building Centres.

Managing director and chief executive officer Sridhar Balakrishnan said "At ACC, we strongly believe in embracing communities and working together to effect the real change. ACC's Green Building Centre business model benefits thousands of small scale construction workers by giving them employment and training."

Indonesia: Thailand-based Siam Cement Group (SCG) has completed its acquisition of a 13% stake in building materials retailer Caturkarda Depo Bangunan (CKDB). SCG made the purchase through a joint venture its runs with Siam Global House. The cement producer said that the acquisition was intended to support its strategic expansion in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations region and that it might increase its stake at a later date. CKDB is headquartered in Surabaya, East Java.

Mexico: Cemex's Cemex Go online shopping platform has won the Best Internationalisation Strategy award at the Mexican eCommerce Awards 2021. Marketing company Marketing4eCommerce hosted the awards, which compared Mexico's ecommerce platforms across 10 categories. Cemex Go also received nomination in the Best Mobile Transactional App category.

Cemex said "With this distinction, Cemex Go increases its positioning as a reliable app, in addition to offering merchants an alternative to solve their business needs from a mobile phone."

Bangladesh: LafargeHolcim Bangladesh has launched a new early strength rapid set cement known as Holcim Shokti. The company said that the product is the first on the Bangladeshi market to use rapid set technology to enhance its early strength by 50% within 48 hours, reduce its setting time by 15 – 25% and optimise water requirements. The producer estimates that project costs will fall by US$16.4/t of Holcim Shokti cement used compared to those of projects using ordinary Portland cement (OPC).

Holcim Shokti cement is available across Bangladesh in bagged form.

Benelux: Belgium-based building supplies chain EcoBati has signed a distribution agreement with France-based Hoffmann Green Cement Technologies. The producer will supply its H-Iona clinker-free cement for EcoBati to sell online and in its shops in Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands.

Hoffmann Green Cement Technologies owners Julien Blanchard and David Hoffmann said "Signing a distribution agreement with an international specialist in ecological materials shows the competitive edge and relevance of our H-Iona cement within the context of the fight against global warming. We are therefore delighted with the signing of this partnership that allows us to benefit from the EcoBati network’s strategic retail outlets and provide a response to the exponential demand for sustainable cement. We intend to sign more such partnerships in the future in order to spread our responsible vision of the construction sector and contribute to the environmental transition."

France: Hoffmann Green Cement Technologies has signed a contact with Réunion-based retailer Ravate Group, under which the latter will stock its H-Iona slag cement in its shops in Réunion, Mauritius and Mayotte until 2025. The producer says that the first deliveries will follow in late 2021.

Owners Julien Blanchard and David Hoffmann said “Providing professionals and the general public with the possibility of buying very low-carbon cement, and thus of helping fight global warming, is a source of great pride for Hoffmann. We are delighted to have signed this first H-Iona distribution contract with Ravate Group, an independent family-run business with which we share many values such as innovation and respecting the environment. This partnership will allow us to increase our current order book and generate deliveries of bags of cement from 2021. We intend to sign more partnership deals of this type in order to be able to supply H-IONA and its exceptional benefits, notably environmental benefits, to as many people as possible.” Ravate Group operates over 40 outlets.

US: Lehigh Hanson has launched a new bag design for its EcoCemPLC product, a Portland Limestone Cement. Features of the refreshed packaging design for EcoCemPLC include the ‘reduced carbon footprint’ icon, featured prominently in the new bag design to emphasise EcoCemPLC’s carbon-reduction benefit. The newly designed bag will be released to retail and dealers in October 2021.

“The new bag design and transition to EcoCemPLC is about more than aesthetics - it’s about clearly communicating the proven benefits of EcoCemPLC to sustainably minded customers,” said Alex Car, president of Lehigh Hanson’s Northeast Region.

Algeria: Saoura Ciment has begun sulphate-resistant cement production at its Saoura cement plant near Béchar. The Groupe des Ciments d'Algérie (GICA) subsidiary made the move as part of efforts to diversify its production. It plans to supply the product to public works projects in the region, where its resistance to high soil salinity will prove useful. The cement will be available from all four of the plant’s commercial outlets in and around Bechér.

In August 2021, Saoura Ciment produced 180,000t of cement. It exported 25,000t to Mali, Mauritania and Niger during the month.

US: LafargeHolcim US, part of Switzerland-based Holcim, has launched its CementDirect ready-mix concrete delivery mobile and web application (app) on the US market. The app consolidates ordering, tracking and shipping records for customers. Plant operators will be able to sign-off on deliveries and access bills of lading remotely.

Supply chain senior vice president Kristin Beck said “More than ever, ready-mix producers are operating under significant constraints. CementDirect allows for easier access to delivery information and removes the daily burden of managing and storing paper.”

Philippines: Holcim Philippines says it is focusing on sustainability and invocation to its customers. At a virtual conference held in mid-June 2021, the building materials producer said that it is using more alternative low-carbon fuels and developing new products that contain less clinker. It added that builders could improve their carbon footprint by ensuring that structures are made with the right materials to meet strength and durability requirements without being overdesigned and that hardware stores could play a role in guiding customers to the correct building materials for their projects. The company is also working on its digital platforms to make customer transactions smoother.

“With our commitment to sustainability and innovation, we will develop the next generation of building materials that will help the country build better for the future. We want to continue to strengthen our collaboration with our customers to raise consumer awareness that these products support their aspirations for a greener and healthier Philippines," said Horia Adrian, Holcim Philippines’ president and chief executive officer.