Displaying items by tag: investment

UK: Russell Roof Tiles has installed a 165kW solar power plant as part of a €22.2m upgrade to its Burton concrete roof tiles plant in Staffordshire. Energy company Alt-Group supplied the solar power plant, which is equipped with Solis Inverters’ energy storage inverters. The upgraded Burton plant also features wash water recycling.

Russell Roof Tiles has signed a pledge to achieve Scope 1 and 2 CO₂ neutrality by 2040.

Taiwan: Chongqing La Rui Yonggu Concrete has loaned US$2.91m to fellow Yonggu Group subsidiary Chongqing Taihong New Building Materials. Chongqing La Rui Yonggu Concrete informed the Taiwan Stock Exchange that the finances are intended to support the working capital needs of Chongqing Taihong New Building Materials.

Belarus: Alfa has raised US$152m for its construction of a new building materials production facility in Minsk. The upcoming facility will include a ready-mixed concrete plant and a reinforced concrete structures plant. AK&M News has reported that commissioning is scheduled for 2025.

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."

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: Meyar has initiated trial operations at its new ready-mix concrete and concrete products plant in Malham, Riyadh. Argaam News has reported that the trial will ascertain the proper functioning of equipment and the efficiency of the plant.

Meyar acquired the Malham site in September 2023 for US$880,000.

US: Builders Supply Co. plans to invest US$10.6m in the construction of a new concrete block plant in Fort Payne, Alabama. Local press has reported that the plant is scheduled for commissioning in mid-2025 and will employ 10 people.

Builders Supply Co. president George Weatherly said “We are extremely proud to be a multi-generational, family-owned and operated local business. We are excited to reinvest in the future of our employees, our families and the communities in which we work and live.”

Costa Rica: América Construcciones (AMCO) is preparing to inaugurate its new Villarreal de Tamarindo ready-mix concrete batching plant and office complex in Guanacaste on 22 August 2024. The entire facility cost US$1.05m and the plant has a production capacity of 110m³/hr.

General manager Pablo Labarca said "We have several areas of interest in the province, but Santa Cruz is particularly interesting to us because we know that many of AMCO's clients that are currently developing projects in the area have particular requirements, both in terms of the quality of the products, as well as the level of service they expect.”

UK: Precast concrete producer FP McCann plans to invest €105m in expansions and upgrades to its plants. The plans include the launch of multiple new product lines, including a new decorative paving range, due for launch in September 2024. Another new line will build drainage pipes, complementing its portfolio of concrete products for below-ground applications. Upgrades include the installation of an additional bagging line at a mortars plant. Local press has reported that a total of 100 new jobs will be created as a result.

FP McCann said “We constantly take on board customer feedback, and the investment in these new products and services is driven by their needs. FP McCann’s unique multi-product load offering has been a fantastic success. Builders’ merchants no longer have to coordinate multiple deliveries of single product loads, each often carrying a part-load surcharge. With the introduction of our new decorative paving range, we can now offer up to eight different products on a single load, and as more products come online we will expand this service further.”

US: Heidelberg Materials North America has acquired aggregates and asphalt producer Highway Materials. Highway Materials is based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and operates four stone quarries, a concrete recycling facility and other assets, with 350 employees. Heidelberg Materials previously acquired Texas-based aggregates producer Victory Rock and concrete recycling company Aaron Materials earlier in July 2024. The deals advance Germany-based Heidelberg Materials’ strategy of growth through small-to-medium-sized synergistic bolt-on acquisitions. The combined value of the acquisitions is US$380m, with anticipated earnings synergies of US$50m.

Heidelberg Materials North America president and CEO Chris Ward said “We are excited to further expand our footprint in two of the fastest-growing areas in the US. The addition of these operations complements our existing aggregates businesses in Texas and Pennsylvania, while also adding to our rapidly growing portfolio of circular solutions across North America.”

Heidelberg Materials chair Dominik von Achten said “These latest US acquisitions reflect the progress of our ongoing efforts to optimise our portfolio by expanding our presence in this key region. We will continue on our growth trajectory in our key markets around the globe, while pursuing the industry’s most ambitious sustainability goals.”