Costa Rica: Holcim Costa Rica has acquired the heavy precast unit of Productos de Concreto for US$3.35m. The La Nación newspaper has reported that the company also increased its stake in prefabricated construction company Tecnología de Construcción to 100% from 49%. The latter deal's value was US$774,000.
Holcim Costa Rica's corporate affairs manager José Alfredo Alpízar Guzmán said that these latest acquisitions complement the producer's existing abilities to supply its customers.
Canada: Lafarge Canada has made a donation of US$37,500-worth of its ECOPact reduced-CO2 concrete to the site of an upcoming recreation ground in Pic Mobert First Nation Reserve, Ontario. The US$562,000-facility will serve 1000 local people.
Lafarge Canada's Hemlo ready-mix concrete plant manager Jared Paris said "For over 20 years, Lafarge's Hemlo plant has been operating and servicing the traditional lands of the Pic Mobert First Nation, supplying concrete for new homes, a water treatment plant and many other projects. The US$562,000 project on the Pic Mobert First Nation reserve is being sponsored by a number of companies, including Lafarge Canada customers, showing their support for this indigenous community."
US: CR Minerals has signed a contract with mining company Rio Tinto for the supply of mineral waste from the latter's subsidiary US Borax's boron mining operations in California. CR Minerals will use the waste to produce pozzolans to replace cement in local concrete production.
CR Minerals president Jeffrey Whidden said "We have been working with Rio Tinto for several years now to bring this concept to life. Taking what was once considered waste streams and turning them into usable products for the construction materials industry is part of the vision of our company."
Spain: Holcim has introduced its EcoPact Prime concrete and mortar range, following a strong reception in other European markets, including Switzerland, Germany and France. The EcoPact Prime range is presented as a sustainable portfolio of concrete and mortar products offering a 70% reduction in CO2 compared to equivalents based on ordinary Portland cement (OPC).
Manuel Barrero, director of the concrete activity at LafargeHolcim Spain, said “Decarbonisation is a fundamental pillar of our business strategy. Therefore, in our objective to develop materials and solutions that allow us to build better with less, we are going one step further by introducing this new product to the Spanish market.”
All the products in the EcoPact Prime range have their own Environmental Product Declarations (EPD). They incorporate low-emission cements, also from the EcoPlanet range, selected aggregates, additions, water, special additives and use electrical energy generated from renewable sources in their manufacture.
The products are intended for the construction of all structural elements, including beams, walls, floors, foundations or pillars, as well as self-compacting structures, those that need to drain and those that need to exhibit particular aesthetic qualities.
