Global Concrete News

Sweden/Switzerland: Holcim has partnered with US-based retail company Amazon’s Climate Pledge Fund to invest in CO₂-sequestering concrete filler developer Paebbl and 3D printers 14Trees. The Paebbl investment is part of a US$25m Series A funding round jointly led by Germany-based venture capital firm Capnamic. Holcim says that the new investment will help Paebbl to scale up. Meanwhile, 14Trees, which is a joint venture of Holcim and British International Investment, will also scale up its operations to begin 3D printing larger buildings, including data centres.

Paebbl co-CEO Marta Sjögren said "We are thrilled to welcome first movers in their respective fields, Amazon and Holcim, as first commercial partners to bring our vision to market. This funding round enables us to take even bolder steps in our mission to make the built environment a cornerstone of the decarbonised economy."

14Trees managing director Francois Perrot said "We are excited to count Amazon and Holcim as investors in 14 Trees, to take our successful 3D-printed technology from homes and schools to data centres, to deliver low-carbon and high-performance buildings."

Holcim’s chief sustainability officer Nollaig Forrest said "By investing with Amazon’s Climate Pledge Fund into 14Trees and Paebbl, we can scale up these pioneering technologies to push the boundaries of sustainable building, from 3D printing to making concrete a carbon sink."

US: Construction and design products company Outdoor Living Supply has acquired Mid-Atlantic Concrete Products (MACP) and South-Atlantic Concrete Products (SACP). MarketLine News has reported that MACP president Ken Armistead will move to an ambassadorial role, while SACP president Rich Kearney will join Outdoor Living Supply in the newly-created position of vice president, commercial and wholesale.

SACP president Rich Kearney said "Outdoor Living Supply provides us with expanded resources and a powerful growth platform, helping us take our commercial sales, talented team, loyal customers and suppliers to new levels."

Outdoor Living Supply CEO Brian Price said "We are thrilled to have the teams at MACP and SACP join Outdoor Living Supply. These partnerships enhance our existing store network in North Carolina and Georgia and give us a significant foothold in the commercial hardscape market."

Saudi Arabia: City Cement subsidiary Nizak Mining Company has entered talks with UK-based calcined clay producer Next Generation SCM about a possible joint venture. The proposed joint venture will build a reduced-CO₂ concrete plant in Riyadh, with further such plants to follow. TradeArabia News has reported that commercial-scale production will commence in mid-late 2025, with an initial target capacity of 350,000t/yr.

City Cement CEO Majed Alosailan said "This joint venture is a significant step in our commitment to the continued growth of Saudi Arabia as a global materials and infrastructure hub. Not only will it support domestic job creation, it will also dramatically improve accessibility to critical low-carbon materials that we will soon be able to export around the region. As the materials transition continues to accelerate, finding solutions that support the Kingdom’s infrastructure ambitions hand in hand with sustainability targets is essential to realise the opportunity ahead."

Next Generation SCM CEO Christian Husum said "There are over 4bn people who live in urban areas right now, and that is going to increase by 2bn over the next 30 years. This is a massive, global building project, which is equivalent to building an additional New York City every month. Those cities will also need the infrastructure to cope with an influx of people and there is no way to do that without concrete. There is also no way for our planet to cope with concrete production at that scale unless we find a way of producing it without generating enormous amounts of carbon emissions. Now, there is a way. This joint venture will put the process into practice to bring about a revolution in how we build everything from stadiums to skyscrapers in Saudi Arabia, the Middle East and then the world.”

Australia: Aggregates and ready-mix concrete producer Doyle Group has expanded its fleet of ready-mix concrete trucks to 12. Local press has reported that the fleet supports a recently commissioned US$1.68m ready-mix concrete plant in Townsville, Queensland.

Aiden Wherry, raw materials manager at Doyle Group subsidiary CAMM Quarries, said "We want to supply local jobs and keep local jobs going. We are the only local supplier in town."

Saudi Arabia: Ready-mix concrete producer Asas Al-Mohileb has secured a contract with the development company for the upcoming Neom new city in Tabuk Province. Asas Al-Mohileb will build a US$186m, 20,000m³/yr ready-mix concrete production complex at the Neom site, to supply concrete for the Line commercial and residential development in the city. The ‘high-tech’ complex will begin to produce concrete in November 2024. When fully operational in 2025, it will employ 500 people.

Construction of foundations for the Line is currently underway, with 1000 of an eventual 30,000 precast concrete piles already in place.

Asas Al-Mohileb CEO Sulaiman Al-Mohileb said “This partnership emphasises our firm commitment to advancing economic growth in the Kingdom by employing the latest technologies and innovative construction solutions. We are dedicated to adopting sustainable practices that align with the goals of Saudi Vision 2030, which focus on empowering the manufacturing sector and enhancing its role in driving the Kingdom’s broader development objectives.”

Neom CEO Nadhmi Al-Nasr said “The delivery of these concrete plants is another testament to the rapid progress happening at Neom. It also underscores the strength of the kingdom’s construction industry, and the critical role local partnerships play in delivering this transformational project efficiently and sustainably. We are proud to partner with local contractors and appreciate their contribution to Neom’s advancement across our portfolio of projects, fulfilling Neom's goal of becoming a hub for local industry leaders and entrepreneurs in support of Saudi Vision 2030.”