US: High Concrete Group is reportedly seeking a re-zoning to accommodate an expansion of its Springboro plant in Ohio. Local press has reported that the re-zoning would affect a 9.7 hectare area at the company’s site.
New Zealand: Fletcher Building subsidiary Firth Industries has launched a new 200m³/hr ready-mix concrete batching plant in Penrose, Auckland. The plant is equipped with two drive-through production lanes, storage capacity for supplementary cementitious materials and recycled concrete aggregates, automated concrete reclaiming and 100% wastewater recycling. It will produce Firth EcoMix reduced-CO₂ concrete, ramping up production to full capacity from 2 February 2025.
General manager Cameron Lee said that the plant "Will enable us to efficiently serve the needs of major construction and infrastructure projects in Auckland. We're seeing a big demand for concrete as the economy recovers. We're now well-placed to fill that demand."
US: Furno Materials has signed an agreement with ready-mix concrete producer Maschmeyer Concrete for the use of its compact modular cement kiln technology. Maschmeyer Concrete plans to operate the kilns using its 90,000t/yr of ‘waste’ concrete as a feedstock. The company will build an initial 50,000t/yr-capacity mini cement plant in Florida. The partners are currently conducting site analysis and a feasibility study for the project.
This latest deal brings Furno Materials’ total commitments to 295,000t/yr across announced and unannounced projects. The sale remains contingent on the successful deployment of its first commercial-scale reactor with concrete producer Ozinga in Chicago, Illinois.
UAE: Investment company Nael & Bin Harmal Group has launched a new precast concrete plant in Abu Dhabi. The plant will serve Abu Dhabi Housing Authority and Abu Dhabi Projects and Infrastructure Centre's on-going US$28.9bn, 40,000-unit housing initiative across Abu Dhabi, Al Ain and Al Dhafra. Gulf News has reported that Nael & Bin Harmal Group's concrete capacity is now 450,000m3/yr of precast concrete components.
General Manager Joseph Varghese said "The launch of this facility marks a major advance not only for our company but for the UAE's broader vision for sustainable, high-quality housing."
