Global Concrete News

Germany: Austria-based Baumit has acquired four ready-mix dry mortar plants from Dr. Arnold Schäfer GmbH. The Kronen Zeitung newspaper has reported that the plants are licenced to mix Sakret brand mortars.

The acquisition brings Baumit’s total number of building materials production facilities in Germany to 14.

US: The Slag Cement Association (SCA) has announced the recipients of its 2021 Slag Cement in Sustainable Concrete Awards program. Thirteen construction projects were chosen to showcase the broad applications of slag cement and its impact on creating more durable and sustainable concrete. The infrastructure winners included projects with slag cement supplied by companies including Argos USA, Cemex, Lehigh Hanson, Ozinga, Skyway and St Mary’s Cement. These projects included work on roads, bridges, residential construction, a concert venue, a sport stadium, airports, a theme park and a hydroelectric dam. Two research projects on slag cement from Cleveland State University and Florida State University were also recognised.

Romania: Xella Romania has sold its Macon precast concrete operations to Romcim, a subsidiary of Ireland-based CRH. The operations being sold served the civil engineering and transport infrastructure end markets in Romania. The price of the divestment has not been disclosed.

Christophe Clemente, chief executive officer of Xella Group, said, "The sale of Macon's precast concrete division will sharpen Xella's profile in the autoclaved aerated concrete (AAC) and construction market and will allow us to focus our resources on the development of sustainable and efficient walling solutions for the building industry.”

Xella Romania acquired Macon Group in 2018. The addition added AAC as well as precast concrete, lime and terracotta operations. Parent company Germany-based Xella says that the acquisition made its subsidiary the largest AAC producer in Romania. The precast concrete business line is managed by Simbeton and operates two production facilities in Deva and Oradea.

France: Eqiom’s demolition waste recycling plant Gennevilliers in Paris has processed 10,000t of material since it opened in January 2022. The site has a target of 50,000t/yr in its first year of operation. Sand, gravel and larger aggregate fractions are screened from the concrete in a ratio of 40%, 20% and 40% respectively, according to Le Moniteur. The gravel is used at a nearby concrete plant whilst the sand and aggregate is used mostly in road construction.

France: Sustainable concrete producer Materrup has shared plans for its upcoming Bordeaux precast concrete elements plant. The L’Usine Nouvelle newspaper has reported that the facility will produce precast elements from Materrup’s cement-free concrete, which it produces from uncalcined clay, an activator and a precursor at room temperature. The technology, called Clay Cement 1 (MCC1), reduces CO₂ emissions by 50 – 80% compared to ordinary Portland cement (OPC), according to the producer. It previously opened a Euro7m 50,000t/yr plant in the Atlantisub Business Area in Saint-Geours-de-Maremne, Nouvelle-Aquitaine.