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.

US: Lehigh Hanson has completed its acquisition of Atlanta-based ready-mix concrete company Meriwether Ready Mix.

Parent company HeidelbergCement’s chair Dominik von Achten said “The acquisition of the Meriwether Ready Mix assets will enhance our integrated footprint in the rapidly growing Metro Atlanta area. These operations better position us to capture this growth potential and serve a broader customer base with a wide range of sustainable, low carbon concrete products and digital solutions. We welcome the Meriwether employees to the HeidelbergCement team.”

India: ACC has launched its new Concrete Direct app for booking and live tracking concrete deliveries. The producer says that the app reduces operational follow-up calls.

Managing director and CEO Sridhar Balakrishnan said “At ACC, we recognise the need to improve and lead through digitalisation. We are happy to launch Concrete Direct, a premium digital tool that saves time and money for our customers. With such innovations, we want to enhance customer experience and build a strong ecosystem of partners to support them.”