Romania: Voestalpine Railway Systems Romania has concluded a deal to acquire an outstanding 25% stake in precast concrete producer Travertec, to become sole owner. SeeNews has reported that the Romanian Competition Council will assess the terms of the deal to determine whether to grant it clearance.

Travertec specialises in the production of prestressed reinforced concrete railway sleepers.

India: The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research’s Structural Engineering Research Centre (SERC) has developed a new prefabricated concrete panel made of alternative raw materials. The technology incorporates expanded polystyrene (EPS), along with fly ash and calcium carbide residues from industry. ETV Bharat News has reported that the panels have a lifespan of 70 years. A specially-designed wall structure and bonding mechanism called Steel Eps Concrete Re-Organised Building Technology (SECROBuilT) allows for construction up to four storeys with 40% less weight and greater sound and thermal insulation than conventional concrete construction. The method further allows for quicker assembly with a lower labour dependency.

Italy: Precast concrete production equipment supplier Progress Group has launched its Selective Paste Intrusion (SPI) 3D printing process for large-format concrete parts at its Brixen plant in South Tyrol. The system achieves a layer resolution of 3mm and allows for complex geometries and surface detail beyond what is generally achievable with conventional printing methods. It enables targeted material deposition by placing paste only where structurally necessary.

Bulgaria/Germany: Germany-based equipment supplier Liebherr-Mischtechnik will relocate its concrete mixers and mixing plants production operations from Germany to its Plovdiv plant in Bulgaria’s Trakia Economic Zone. The move aims to optimise costs within the producer’s existing production network.