Global Concrete News

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.

US: Cemex USA has poured 18,300m³ of Vertua reduced-CO₂ concrete in the construction of the Centennial Tower at Houston Methodist Hospital in Texas. Cemex USA says that it successfully completed the 20hr pour at the world’s largest medical complex without interrupting surrounding emergency services.

President Jaime Muguiro said “Cemex’s purpose of building a better future comes to life when we participate in projects that improve people’s quality of life, particularly in the area of health services, in the communities in which we serve. Not only are we providing expert logistics and resilient materials, but we are also providing an alternative to lower the carbon footprint of the project with our more sustainable solutions.”

US: Cemstone celebrated the opening of a new concrete plant in Owatonna, Minnesota on 5 October 2023, when it hosted an open house and ribbon cutting ceremony. Located in an out-of-town industrial park with good highway connections, the new plant has replaced an aging facility that stood much closer to downtown Owatonna, according to the Owatonna People's Press newspaper.

The plant can produce around 190m3/hr of concrete, compared to 84m3/yr at the old facility. General Manager Ken Kuhn said the loading chute at the new site can turn concrete trucks around in three minutes, as opposed to eight minutes before. The plant also features ramps that allow trucks to dump loads of aggregate directly into five large outdoor hoppers, each with a 35t. The previous facility had just one hopper and aggregate had to be transported from a stockpile across the street.

The new plant also features a water recycling system, which Kuhn said is a rarity in the concrete business. Cemstone trucks will return wash water from job sites to the plant, where it will pass through a series of bays to filter out debris and sediments. Once clarified, that water will be used to wash the truck, before being recycled again. The facility will also collect all the process water it produces and approximately half the rainwater from the site for reuse.

UAE: Dubai Municipality has launched the world's first system for certification and conformity marks in the field of 3D printing in the construction industry. The Municipality says that this will serve as a proactive measure to streamline procedures and improve the quality of concrete mixes used in factories licensed and operating in the Emirate and that it will play a ‘pivotal role’ to advance Dubai’s leading position for cutting-edge and sustainable construction technology.

Dawoud Al Hajri, Director General of Dubai Municipality, said “The certification and conformity mark system for factories and entities operating in the field of 3D printing for construction has been comprehensively established in alignment with Dubai Municipality’s proactive vision. This system embraces international best practices to provide exceptional services to both individuals and the community, thereby enhancing Dubai's global reputation and aligning with Dubai Municipality’s strategic objectives outlined in Dubai's 2030 Plan. Additionally, the system supports Dubai’s 3D printing strategy, launched by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai. The strategy aims to utilise technology for the advancement of humanity and position the UAE and Dubai as prominent regional and global hubs for 3D printing technology.”

Alia Al Harmoodi, chief executive officer of the Environment, Health, and Safety Agency at Dubai Municipality, highlighted that the main focus of the new system includes assessing product and raw material quality, ensuring the efficiency of manufacturing equipment and machinery, defining technical standards of manufacturing operations at every stage of production, and ensuring efficiency of management systems within factories.

UAE: Cemex UAE and UltraTech Cement UAE have signed an agreement to collaborate on the development of waste concrete recycling in the UAE, according to Dow Jones Institutional News. The cement producers say that their partnership will help to reduce CO₂ emissions from construction, in line with the UAE’s 2050 net zero commitment.