Displaying items by tag: UK

UK: Holcim subsidiary Aggregate Industries has acquired mortars producer Eco-Readymix. Aggregate Industries that the acquisition will reinforce its position in the north west of England, and help to establish its place in the mortars market.

Aggregate Industries CEO Dragan Maksimovic said “This also marks our entry into the UK mortars market with a knowledgeable and ambitious management that has multiple synergies with our own. The acquisition supports our long-term strategy to continue to grow our business in order to become the UK’s leading supplier of sustainable construction materials and solutions.”

Ireland/UK: UK-based construction chemicals company Oscrete has raised its stake in its Northern Ireland-based distributor, Adcrete, to 90%. The group says that this will enlarge its customer base across Ireland in line with its 2024 strategic growth plan.

Director Scott Wilson said “The strengthened Oscrete business model and presence in Ireland will ensure the team has the infrastructure and the expertise to become the leading supplier of concrete admixtures and additives in the country.” He added “Our growth and turnover in Ireland has increased by 200% in the last four years and this growth serves to support the wider business operations.”

UK: The British Standards Institution has introduced a revised BS 8500 standard for concrete. The revised BS 8500 standard opens new possibilities for concrete producers to combine CEMII/A-L Portland limestone cement (PLC) and ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBFS) in a wider range of exposure classes.

Mineral Products Association (MPA) chair and Cemex UK Materials managing director Lex Russell said “As the first UK company to introduce net-zero CO₂ concrete in 2020, we have the ongoing responsibility to deliver lower carbon products at scale. The incoming changes to BS 8500 are welcomed by all at Cemex as it underpins our ambitious global goal for Vertua lower-carbon cement and concrete products to reach half of all cement and concrete sales by 2025.” He added “The amended concrete standard will serve to keep us on track with our decarbonisation goals, with the primary objective to become a net-zero CO₂ company by 2050. It also aligns with our Future in Action programme to achieve sustainable excellence through climate action, circularity and natural resource management.”

UK: The purchase of Mick George (MG) by Hanson Quarry Products Europe (Hanson), could result in less choice and higher prices for building contractors in parts of England, according to a Phase 1 Investigation by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA). It has provisionally found that the proposed purchase of MG by Hanson raises competition concerns in certain markets for building materials in East of England and the East Midlands. Hanson is wholly owned by Heidelberg Materials.

The investigation concerns the supply of ready-mix concrete and aggregates. Colin Raftery, CMA Senior Director for Mergers said "These products are an important input for building projects, so a loss of competition between two of the main suppliers could result in increased construction costs for businesses and public bodies. In many areas where both businesses are active, sufficient competition will remain. But in some local markets, where there are not enough strong alternatives to the merging business, the deal could limit customer choice.”

Hanson and MG now have five working days to address the CMA's concerns. If they are unable to do so, the merger will be referred for an in-depth Phase 2 investigation.

Europe: The European Commission (EC), in coordination with the UK Competition and Markets Authority and the Turkish Competition Authority, launched unannounced antitrust inspections of additives and admixtures producers in ‘several’ countries. The EC said that the inspections form a preliminary step in an investigation of suspected anticompetitive practices.

UK: Recycl8 and Breedon Group have poured concrete containing Recycl8’s R8 Mix additive at the site of the upcoming Huntingtower residential block in Perth, Scotland. The R8 Mix additive contains recycled materials, helping to lower the CO₂ emissions of construction projects. Meanwhile, Breedon supplied blended cement from its Breedon Balance range of reduced-CO₂ products.

Breedon commercial manager Craig Godsman said "We are really pleased to be involved in this innovative project using Recycl8's sustainable R8 Mix concrete technology. It aligns perfectly with our commitment to decarbonisation, with the provision of lower carbon solutions through our Breedon Balance range of products.”

UK: Heidelberg Materials UK commissioned its new Sutton Courtenay ready-mix concrete plant in Oxfordshire on 17 October 2023. Local press has reported that the plant is equipped with a waste management system for concrete washout and a rainwater harvesting system.

Australia: Alternative cement and concrete producers have welcomed a new Australian civil engineering standard that allows builders to use reduced-CO₂ geopolymer concrete in infrastructure projects. Wagners, which produces Earth Friendly Concrete (EFC), said that the revision has removed one if its key barriers to wider market acceptance. EFC replaces 100% of cement with supplementary cementitious materials, including ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBFS) and pulverised fly ash, by virtue of its binder technology. Wagners previously supplied EFC for the London Power Tunnels project in the UK, based on local technical approval-based building codes. The producer now expects a new standard like the Australian one to follow in the EU.

UK: Cemex UK says that it has achieved a 30% reduction in the CO₂ emissions of its mortars range, enabling it to bear the company's Vertua sustainability label. The producer said that it has incorporated its Vertua CEM II A-L Portland limestone cement (PLC), alongside new admixture technology, in its mortar mixes. It added that it has upgraded drying processes in its mortar production, increasing energy efficiency.

Cemex's Europe regional mortars production manager Andy Bright said “By utilising designed mortar formations, we have been able to make a considerable carbon reduction to the products in our mortars range. These products are prized by our customers because of their strong performance and strength, flexibility of supply and wide range of colours and we are confident they will appreciate the opportunity to choose a more sustainable product too.”

UK: SigmaRoc subsidiary CCP has launched Greenbloc Standard, Ultra and Premium. The new designations correspond to 50%, 80% and 100% cement substitution. Professional Builder News has reported that Using Greenbloc Standard reduces structures’ CO₂ emissions by 77% compared with structures built with conventional ordinary Portland cement (OPC)-based blocks. For an average semi-detached house, this is equivalent to 2.7t of CO₂.

CCP general manager Phil Rotheram said “The expansion of our Greenbloc range continues our commitment to sustainable alternatives to our product offering as we fully commit to the challenges of removing embodied carbon from the built environment.”

Greenbloc Ultra featured in a gold medal-winning garden at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2023 in May 2023.