Displaying items by tag: construction

Kazakhstan: Steppe Cement sold US$83.4m-worth of cement in 2021, up by 16% year-on-year from its US$71.7m-worth in 2020. Its sales volumes totalled 1.69Mt for the year, up by 2.4% from 1.65Mt in 2020. It exported 202,000t of cement, down by 57% from 86,500t. The company said that production limitations prevented it from fully meeting demand, and it concentrated on local markets. Regarding its outlook in 2022, Steppe Cement said “We have a healthy cash balance and are continuing our capital expenditure (CAPEX) programme to increase the production capacity of the company by 5% by mid-2022.”

Dow Jones Newswires has reported that Kazakhstan’s 2021 full-year cement consumption was 11.6Mt, up by 23% year-on-year from 9.4Mt in 2020. A rule change to pension withdrawals permitting allocations for home improvement and construction bolstered demand growth. Exports fell by 20% to 1.6Mt from 2Mt, while imports rose by 33% to 800,000t from 600,000t.

China: Saudi Aramco and China Building Materials Academy (CBMA) have launched the Nonmetallic Excellence and Innovation Center (NEXCEL) in Beijing. The centre will leverage CBMA's expertise and resources to promote the development and application of nonmetallic technologies offering superior lifecycle cost, efficiency and environmental performance to metal-based alternatives in Chinese construction.

Saudi Aramco’s senior vice president of technical services Ahmad Al-Sa'adi said “We are excited to be part of this important initiative with CBMA, to jointly advance the use of nonmetallics in building and construction in China. At Aramco, we have been developing and deploying nonmetallic solutions within our own operations for more than 20 years as they offer superior lifecycle cost, efficiency and environmental advantages over their metal alternatives.”

UK: Ecocem has reported the successful delivery of the first batch of its Exegy ultra-low CO2 concrete at the site of the upcoming EcoPark South waste management hub at Edmonton EcoPark in London. Infrastructure construction company Taylor Woodrow carried out the work. Ecocem says that Taylor Woodrow used Ecocem Ultra concrete from the new Exegy range, reducing the carbon footprint of the project’s concrete by 70%.

Ecocem says that it has secured contracts for the supply of Ecocem Ultra concrete to the sites of the upcoming Grand Paris Express transport link and Paris Athletes’ Village in Paris in Paris, France.

Mexico: Cemex’s total dispatches of its Vertua reduced-CO₂ concrete in Mexico reached 284,000t in 2021. After launching the product in its home country on 8 December 2020, the company supplied it to 3820 sites throughout 2021. Cemex says that it enters 2022 with 1580 orders outstanding.

Mexico/Denmark: Cemex and 3D printing construction company Cobod International have launched D.fab, a range of admixtures which enable builders to use ordinary concrete in 3D printing. The partners say that the products eliminate the need for expensive specialised mortars. Power2Build implemented the admixtures in concrete to print a whole house in Luanda, Angola, in early December 2021.

Cemex’s executive vice president sustainability, commercial and operations development Juan Romero said “The introduction of this revolutionary 3D printing system is a testament to our customer-centric mindset and relentless focus on continuous innovation and improvement. Working together with Cobod, we have developed an experience for customers that is superior to anything that has been provided in the past,” said “Our innovation efforts position us at the forefront of new technologies that contribute to building a better future.”

Pakistan: BHS-Sonthofen (Tianjan) has reported the successful delivery of two of a total of six twin-shaft batch mixers to the site of CEC-PowerChina and Pakistan Frontier Works’ upcoming Diamer-Basha dam. The Chinese division of the Germany-based company is supplying four DKX 7.00 7m³/batch precast concrete mixers and two DKX 6.00 6m³/batch precast concrete mixers as part of the project. The mixers will contribute towards the 18.6Mm³ of mainly roller-compacted concrete required for the dam’s construction.

General manager Ronny Laux said “The hydraulically bound base layers required for the dam (also known as roller-compacted concrete) must withstand the heaviest of loads. Our mixers are designed to handle demanding mixing tasks. The twin-shaft batch mixers meet the highest demands for mix homogeneity and reproducibility, even with large quantities – ensuring optimum concrete quality.”

Algeria: BMSD Chaux Algeria has commissioned a 100,000t/yr lime plant. Italy-based QualiCal supplied the plant. It is powered by natural gas and relies on CogiTech bulkmaterial handling equipment, Mathios Refractories’ refractories, Laife steel structures and Sysware and Tecnoelettra automation systems.

Taiwan: Asia Cement Corporation plans to establish further offshore wind power plants under an extension of its partnership with Germany-based power company RWE. SNL Energy Finance Daily News has reported that the partners are investigating potential sites in Changhua, Hsinchu and Taichung.

UK: Tarmac has supplied its Toptint Glow glow-in-the-dark concrete for a major mixed-use commercial development called The Glass Yard in Chesterfield, Derbyshire. Construction company Blue Deer used Toptint Glow in the main walkways and first-floor balconies of the office, restaurant and retail complex. France-based Chryso supplied its Lumintech glow-in-the-dark chippings for use in the concrete. The supplier said that the chippings are fully recycled. They are available in white, stone, light grey, agate and jade to match the colour of the concrete mix. Each has a corresponding glow colour of blue, green turquoise or blue turquoise. Tarmac says that glow-in-the-dark concrete helps to enhance the nighttime built environment.

Product development manager Glanville Norman said “Tarmac is always looking to develop new and exciting materials that can complement bold design. This is the first time that Toptint Glow has been used on a major commercial development and we were delighted to be able to propose a solution that not only has high aesthetic and environmental quality but also helped to improve safety and visibility.”

US: Cementos Argos plans to begin trading publically in mid-late 2022 with the launch of an initial public offering (IPO) on the New York Stock Exchange.

The company said “The listing in the US will contribute to the purpose of fully capturing the business value of the company, optimising the capital structure and obtaining the necessary resources to continue executing the growth strategy that the company plans to achieve in that country as a result of the recent approval of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law for US$1tn and the positive cycle expected for the construction materials industry in the residential, commercial and civil works segments during the next 10 years.”