A supplement of:
CONCRETE REPORT ConCrete industry Bashar aBou-Mayaleh on expansion plans and future opportunities ready-mix e r Menon of golden ready-Mix relates how his firM is Bouncing Back
BaCk in Business
optimism within the concrete industry is on the rise as companies expect business to boom in the years to come
Golden Ready Mix LLC
Jabel Ali Industrial Area 2 P.O.Box 171929, Dubai U.A.E Tel : 048804494
www.goldenreadymix.com
Introduction
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BASHAR ABOUMAYALEH
PUBLISHING DIrector RAZ ISLAM raz.islam@cpimediagroup.com +971 4 375 5471 eDItorIAL DIrector VIJAYA CHERIAN vijaya.cherian@cpimediagroup.com +971 4 375 5472 eDItorIAL eDItor GAVIN DAVIDS gavin.davids@cpimediagroup.com +971 4 375 5480 oNLINe eDItor BEN FLANAGAN ben.flanagan@cpimediagroup.com SUB eDItor AELRED DOYLE aelred.doyle@cpimediagroup.com ADVertISING coMMercIAL DIrector JUDE SLANN jude.slann@cpimediagroup.com +971 4 375 5496 MArKetING MArKetING MANAGer LISA JUSTICE lisa.justice@cpimediagroup.com +971 4 375 5498 DeSIGN Art DIrector SIMON COBON cIrcULAtIoN & ProDUctIoN DIStrIBUtIoN MANAGer SUNIL KUMAR sunil.kumar@cpimediagroup.com +971 4 375 5476 ProDUctIoN MANAGer VIpIN V. VIJAY vipin.vijay@cpimediagroup.com +971 4 375 5713 WeB DeVeLoPMeNt MOHAMMAD AwAIS SADIq SIDDIqUI PUBLISHeD By
CpI Trade publishing FZ LLC licensed by TECOM pO Box 13700 Dubai, UAE Tel: +971 4 375 5470 Fax: +971 4 447 2409
Ready to Go
I
t’s been quite interesting putting together this year’s Concrete Report. To be honest, I expected to encounter some negativity about the prospects in the market, especially given the economic backdrop we’ve had for the last couple of years. However, I was pleasantly surprised to see quite a few people tell me that they’ve all done quite well over the course of the year, and are expecting to go on to greater things in the months ahead. We feature two individuals who encapsulate this positive outlook, with Bashar AbouMayaleh, from CIC, and E R Menon, from Golden Ready-Mix, both telling us that they’re raring to go, with big ambitions in place. In other features, we look at the different facets of the concrete industry, hearing from the experts, who provide us with valuable tips and tricks to get the most out of your concrete. It’s certainly worth a read!
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COBIAX CASE STUDY VIDA RESIDENCE
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MIXED TO ORDER
www.cpimediagroup.com A supplement of Big project Middle East FoUNDer DOMINIC DE SOUSA (1959-2015) PrINteD By pRINTwELL pRINTING pRESS LLC © Copyright 2017 CpI. All rights reserved while the publishers have made every effort to ensure the accuracy of all information in this magazine, they will not be held responsible for any errors therein.
Gavin Davids editor gavin.davids@cpimediagroup.com
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THE GOLDEN TOUCH Concrete Report 2017 1
Overview
The Creation of Concrete
Mike Kenyon, partner and head of Machinery and Business Assets at Cavendish Maxwell, discusses the details of concrete production
At first glance, the creation of concrete appears very simple: a mixture of cement, water and admixtures. However, in reality it is far more complex.
The creation of concrete is known as batching and is created by mass, as opposed to the traditional way of by volume. Concrete is formed through the process of measuring ingredients by volume or mass and then mixing these ingredients together. When creating concrete, the materials used consist of cement, water, aggregate and admixtures. A careful percentage of each should be combined, using the following materials: Cement
There are many misconceptions as to what cement is, and if it is the same as concrete. Portland cement is the basic ingredient of concrete and is a powder-like substance that turns into a thick formula when mixed with water. So, what is in cement? Cement consists of clay, slate, chalk, sand and limestone. When heated at a very high temperature, these ingredients form a rock-like substance. The rocks are then ground down into powder, which becomes known as cement. When making concrete, cement acts as the binding agent for the water, aggregate and admixtures. Aggregate
Aggregate is made up of gravel, sand and crushed stone, and strongly affects the quality of the final concrete. Aggregate comes in
2 Concrete Report 2017
two forms: fine and coarse. Fine aggregate is the components in their simplest form, whereas in coarse aggregate, the components can be up to 1.5 inches in size. Admixture
“If aiming for high-quality concrete, using less water in the mixture helps. Air bubbles can take up to 8-10% of the mixture, so it is important to understand the requirement of the concrete so that this can be reduced if required”
Admixtures reduce the need for large amounts of water in the mixture, and increase the strength of the concrete and the workability of the cement mixture. Chemical admixtures are used to give the concrete particular characteristics such as a change in colour, to ensure it doesn’t corrode around metal bars, and to reduce the number of air bubbles. Mineral admixtures are added to the concrete mix to improve its properties or replace cement. Water
Water is combined with the mix to ensure it flows more freely. The more slump required in the concrete, the more water should be added. Each project requires a different grade of concrete, so it is custom designed to suit a project’s needs. The planned use of the concrete helps the customer and concrete producer determine the measurement of substances, the strength of the mixture and the content of air in the mixture. If aiming for high-quality concrete, using less water in the mixture helps. Air bubbles can take up to 8-10% of the mixture, so it is important to understand the requirement of the concrete so that this can be reduced if required. Surprisingly,
cement typically makes up only 10-15% of the mix, with water at 15-20% and admixtures contributing a massive 60-75%. The mixing begins with some water, before adding admixture aggregate and cement into the mix. Within the UAE, concrete is predominantly produced in concrete batching plants, which are in convenient areas for easy distribution to construction sites. The mix is then transferred into the truck-mounted rotating mixers which we see on our roads daily. The concrete mix should be used within a short amount of time from mixing to final use. It is usually recommended that the concrete be deposited onto the job-site within 90 minutes. This is to avoid losing the slump in the mixture. Elsewhere around the world, mobile volumetric batching plants are now being used to mix ingredients on-site. They are mounted on a lorry chassis and therefore can provide a smaller batch of concrete which can be custom-made on-site. This means that all ingredients (cement, water, aggregates and admixtures) are transported to the site, where this mobile plant mixes them into concrete. At present, these types of batching plants are not used in the UAE, as typically the number of units are still too big to accommodate mobile plants. Building projects are usually so large in the UAE that they need a centralised batching plant to be able to produce the high quantity of concrete required.
CIFA’s technology and innovation is by your side whenever concrete is used. With a specific focus on your safety and our environment. CIFA, your jobsite partner. CIFA S.p.A. Via Stati Uniti d’America, 26 • 20030 Senago (Milano) - Italy • tel. +39.02.990131 www.cifa.com
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In Profile
“We have a big list of neW developments and We’re alWays enthusiastic to implement the latest practices in the World, to be innovative. this is a neverending procedure for cic, as We believe very much in development” Big Project ME speaks to Bashar Abou-Mayaleh, managing director of HPBS, HBBS and Emirates Beton, to find out what life is like at the helm of three concrete giants and what his plans are for the companies 4 Concrete Report 2017
In Profile
Concrete Report 2017 5
In Profile
i
f you think that the gloomy economic cloud that has hung over the GCC construction industry for the last couple of years has resulted in downbeat forecasts and conservative speculation for a firm involved in the concrete industry, Bashar Abou-Mayaleh is quick to correct you. The managing director of Hard Precast Building Systems, Hard Block Factory and Emirates Beton, Abou-Mayaleh cheerfully tells Big Project ME that, contrary to assumptions, his group of companies – all under the Al Shafar Group banner – are doing quite well, thank you very much. While it’s certainly true that the concrete industry has felt the pinch of the post-2014 oil prices slump, Abou-Mayaleh says a well-thought-out strategy and a clear vision for the companies have resulted in sustained success that he expects to continue over the coming years. “2012 to 2013 were very slow years for us, but with our strong belief in Dubai’s policies and in HH Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum’s vision, we took a chance and began the biggest ever expansion of our factory,” he relates. “We were rewarded with one of our biggest projects in 2014. CityWalk was originally fully designed as a cast in-situ project, and then we got the second and third phases of it, and we changed the design to precast solutions. It was really challenging with the unique architectural design 6 Concrete Report 2017
strength of a vision Bashar Abou-Mayaleh says that faith in Dubai’s policies and Sheikh Mohammed’s vision for the city gave him the strength to invest and expand the company despite the downturn.
of the project, as there was no similarity between the buildings, and this is always a big challenge for precast. But it soon became very clear that phases two and three were done much faster than the first phase, which was done in a conventional manner.” This success helped lay the foundation for the continued success of HPBS, establishing its reputation as a precaster that provides a total engineering service, starting from value engineering, all the way through to production and erection. “Starting from 2014, we are more than satisfied with our business. But it is a strong belief that I have, that every generation must prepare the way for the next,” he asserts. “When we took over the management of Emirates Beton, along with Hard Precast and Hard Block, it became a huge concrete industry set-up, which we call Concrete Industries
“The number one reason for our success story is the culture and the values – these people are the sons of this environment. We trust them very much, and we know they are motivated and will add a lot to these companies”
Complex, or CIC for short.” “The takeover took place in December 2015, and our results in 2016 were much better than even we expected or planned for. We believe very much in delegation, and there was a need that came from our enlarged structure. So we appointed four general managers – one for each company, and one for the corporate office. The corporate office acts in such a way that all the central departments for the three companies work under it,” Abou-Mayaleh explains. “We have a big list of new developments and we’re always enthusiastic to implement the latest practices in the world, to be innovative. This is a never-ending procedure for CIC, as we believe very much in development.” This stance is backed up by Abou-Mayaleh’s support of his GMs. Not only does he provide them with the necessary backing at board level, but he is also keen to showcase their achievements. It comes as no surprise to learn that they have all come up from within the companies and have grown within the environment he has created within his organisations. “They believe in our values, which is very important. The number one reason for our success story is the culture and the values – these people are the sons of this environment. We trust them very much, and we know they are motivated and will add a lot to these companies,” he says, displaying an almost paternal pride. Perhaps this culture of nurture and growth is the reason the CIC continues to do well in an economic climate that has most of its competitors feeling the pinch. Abou-Mayaleh points out that it’s not a coincidence that since taking over Emirates Beton, the ready-mix
In Profile
manufacturer has become one of the best customer satisfaction providers in the industry. “All the professional, big contractors are very interested in working with us. In this industry, it’s always very difficult to deal with the daily planning part of the job – the scheduling, the rescheduling, the rebooking, the cancellations. This is a very big issue, and Emirates Beton now has a great team of planning engineers spread throughout their projects to
ensure that the early planning is done with the suppliers. “The results have been more than satisfactory for most of our customers. In fact, in 2016 we didn’t suffer except for one point – precast, where we had some challenges. For the block and ready-mix industries, since there is demand, we have no problems. Even if there’s an increase in costs, we come to good agreements with our customers. They understand that our prices will also increase with our costs.
“However, in the precast, we’ve had some challenges, unfortunately. The last few years have shown that the industry couldn’t adapt or adjust to all the increases that happened within the industry. Now all the extra costs come on our shoulders,” he explains. Coupled with the introduction of new structural restrictions from Dubai Municipality, the use of precast is not always feasible for certain projects, compared to conventional
building methods. Despite this, Abou-Mayaleh remains upbeat, pointing out that their 2017 order book is completely full, and he insists that this is a trend he expects to see continue, far beyond even Expo 2020. “You might be surprised if I tell you that, in our group, we’re very optimistic about the boom continuing after the Expo. This is simply because Dubai began planning 15 years ago, for the next 30 years. If you look at the map of Dubai and see the
“You might be surprised if I tell you that, in our group, we’re very optimistic about the boom continuing after the Expo. This is simply because Dubai began planning 15 years ago, for the next 30 years” biggest expansion HPBS underwent the biggest expansion of its factory in its history, despite 2012 and 2013 being very slow years for the precast manufacturer.
Concrete Report 2017 7
In Profile
bouncing back The takeover of Emirates Beton took place in December 2015, and results in 2016 soon saw an upswing.
“All of these kinds of concrete mixes are very sustainable. Our R&D lab and quality control department are working constantly. We’re trying to make a lot of trials and we’re connected to several other parties, including big chemical suppliers and research centres out there” ongoing major projects, then you’ll realise that these projects will have to continue and they have to match all kinds of growth, including population growth. “If you look at Mohammed Bin Rashid City, Dubai Creek Harbour and so on, they are huge projects. MBR is equal to Bur
Dubai and Deira combined! If you look at the area from Jebel Ali to Dubai South, including the Al Maktoum Airport, DWC and the residential area in that, this plan needs another 10 years at least [to come to fruition],” he continues, underlying his optimism for the market.
automated production HPBS was the first precast manufacturer in the region to automate its production line, Abou-Mayaleh says.
8 Concrete Report 2017
Much as he approaches the growth of individuals within his company, Abou-Mayaleh says he also insists that the companies keep up with the latest technological advancements and developments from around the world. While he remains unconvinced about the suitability
of 3D printing for the large-scale concrete industry at present, he acknowledges that the future of the industry is tied to how they apply technology to their production lines and projects. “We have been in direct contact with international universities and researchers, and while the 3D application in the precast sector is still at a very early stage for faster production, ASGC as a group is very interested to see all the possible applications for the technology. However, our partners are working very hard with us and we also conduct trials and experiments, and I’m sure that within the next 10 to 15 years, there will be something that we can’t even imagine at this moment.” He’s quick to point out that HPBS was the first precast manufacturer to automate its production line. “HPBS successfully implemented these production lines. They were customised by us, we didn’t import anything ready-made, we customised
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In Profile
the production process and manufactured the production lines with our partners in Germany and Finland. We were the first precaster to automate our production. “We are very progressive and we believe in continuous development. Of course, we have some more advanced mechanisms within this factory, but we want to reactivate them in such a way that it will be more effective for our production. We are working on these two or three areas – the plotters, the vibration stations and the concrete distributors. We want them to be more effective in our daily use. The most important part to remember is that you can’t survive without IT or smart solutions anymore.” This is best exemplified by the fact that the companies use advanced software to monitor each activity on the factory floors, using it to track production work through to erection. In fact, they also use their own in-house developed software (designed to work under the Oracle umbrella) to monitor how many manhours are spent on each element or application. “This software is very specialised in our nature of work. They are focused on analysing everything in this factory, and the output will be a huge set of statistics that will be analysed. We’ll get huge benefits from this, as we’ll be able to establish new benchmarks and objectives.” Finally, talk turns to sustainability, a particularly popular buzzword in the construction and concrete industries at the moment, given the emphasis put on it by the Dubai Government this year. However, Abou-Mayaleh insists he has been a long-term advocate 10 Concrete Report 2017
sustainable impact Bashar Abou-Mayaleh says that precast has longterm sustainability benefits, including cutting down on emissions and wastage from having thousands of workers on a construction project site.
“We are very progressive and we believe in continuous development. Of course, we have some more advanced mechanisms, but we want to reactivate them in such a way that it will be more effective for our production”
for sustainability and has always looked to work with authorities to improve and surpass standards and regulations. “This factory has been made in such a way that we’re recycling some of our materials, while sometimes we’re also using recycled materials as raw materials, starting with GBBS, fly ash, recycled water and so on. We are using these effectively, and we have many types of concrete mix designs that are very sustainable, where we’ve reduced the percentage of cement drastically and it’s replaced by waste material. “All of these kinds of concrete mixes are very sustainable. Our R&D lab and quality control department are working constantly. We’re trying to make a lot of trials and we’re connected to several other parties, including big chemical suppliers and research centres out there.”
In addition, one reason he’s a major advocate for precast solutions in the construction industry is the amount of labour it would save. Not only would it cut costs, but having fewer workers on-site would in turn mean a smaller carbon footprint for the project. “In the UAE, you have around four million workers here, with at least 50% working in construction, half of whom are unskilled workers. Can you imagine the number of labour accommodation, air conditioning, transport systems and drainage systems they must use? “If you calculate all these extra workers and the costs they incur, then precast is indirectly saving a lot of money by being a full system provider,” he concludes, radiating confidence that his group of companies will continue to flourish, no matter the challenges ahead.
In Profile
THE TAllEST PrEcAST TowEr in THE rEgion HPBS has built the tallest fully precast tower in the region, located in the heart of Dubailand. Executed under ASGC supervision, this commercial and residential building is the first of its kind to use precast and pre-stressed beams, column shuttering, precast upstand, hollow core slabs, stairs and walls, all the way from its three basement floors to the ground, mezzanine and four parking floors, and up to the 32nd floor, 171 metres above the ground. The total built-up area is 110,330sqm. The total number of elements are 5,600.
of the concrete wall around the column? All precast beams need to have a temporary support until the final connection is cast. Therefore, concrete columns receive the concrete inside to provide temporary support for the beams. Otherwise, the beams would need a concrete bracket form, which may not be architecturally accepted.
Structural system The shear wall and core wall are cast in place components. Precast column or semi-precast columns. Precast form beams, pre-stressed or reinforced depending on the design. Precast pre-stressed hollow-core slabs are widely used to cover the whole spans of large flooring areas. Structural reinforced toppings are cast in place above the hollow core slab.
why were the beams pre-stressed? According to beam design, it is advantageous to have pre-stressed tendons as they allow a much lower concentration of steel reinforcement between the beams and columns.
what is the purpose
why were form beams used on the project? Form beams provide numerous advantages, including that they weigh less and provide a very strong connection between the beams and columns.
was scaffolding needed on the project? As the precast beams were pre-stressed, no scaffolding was required during the installation process. Only propping jacks under the beams were necessary. Concrete Report 2017 11
Case Study
Building at height Vida residence
Lightweight concrete slab manufacturer Cobiax showcases the technology it used to build Emaar’s Vida Residence in Dubai Project Name: Vida Residence Project Area: 100,273sqm Location: Downtown Dubai Building Owner: Emaar Properties PJSC Authority: Dubai Municipality Principal Consultant: NORR Architects & Engineers Contractor: Al-Basti & Muktha LLC Third Party: Salama Structural Engineers Project Management: Arcadis Cost Consultant: Omnium Cobiax Middle East and Cobiax Emirates (KEW Enterprises) implemented the first Cobiax slab of the Vida Residence Downtown Dubai Project. Engineers representing all parties involved were present during the first slab concrete pouring.
The 66-storey building was redesigned using the Cobiax Slab System jointly by the consultant, the third party and the Cobiax Middle East technical team. Thanks to the significant optimisation in the slab thicknesses and the structure’s overall weight, EMAAR could add up to two additional floors to the building;
12 Concrete Report 2017
it chose to add one. Therefore, the building became 67 floors. Cobiax slab thicknesses of 25-35cm for spans up to 9.5m were 1-2cm less than the original PT slabs’ thicknesses and 18% less than their weight. The main achievements of using Cobiax Slab System on this project, in the slabs only: 1. 2,170m3 concrete saving 2. 5,425t weight reduction 3. 456t CO2 emission reduction 4. Money saving 5. Adding one additional floor 6. Quick and easy installation and site work compared to any slab system 7. Working with Cobiax is very flexible. Partial slab work is possible, as the contractor didn’t wait for the scaffolding and decking work to be finished. He proceeded with bottom steel mesh works in the ready areas and directly installed Cobiax on ready meshes. Once the Cobiax was installed, they proceeded with MEP works and then the top steel mesh, making progress faster than any systems that require continuity.
adding to the height Thanks to the significant optimisation in the slab thickness and the structure’s overall weight, two additional floors could be added to the building.
Case Study
allowing for redesign The 66-storey building was redesigned using the Cobiax Slab System.
slim and strong Cobiax slab thicknesses of 25-35cm for spans up to 9.5m were 1-2cm less than the original PT slabs’ thicknesses and 18% less than their weight.
Working flexible The contractor did not have to wait for the whole scaffolding and decking work to be completed. Once bottom steel meshes were installed, the Cobiax system was able to be directly installed.
Concrete Report 2017 13
Concreting
Practices for Hot Weather Concreting
Michael Tholen, managing director of Engineering and Professional Development at ACI, takes on the topic of hot weather concreting What are the ACI building code requirements for placing concrete in a tropical climate? Some say we should specify a maximum permissible concrete temperature of 90°F (32°C). Others say a temperature higher than 90°F (32°C) is allowable if the concrete contains a set-retarding admixture.
ACI 301-16 “Specifications for Structural Concrete” and ACI 305.1-14 “Specification for Hot Weather Concreting” limit the maximum concrete temperature to 95°F (35°C) at the time of discharge. This limit is for general types of hot weather construction such as pavements, bridges and buildings, not mass concrete. Hot weather concreting is defined by ACI as “one or a combination of the following conditions that tends to impair the quality of freshly mixed or hardened concrete by accelerating the rate of
14 Concrete Report 2017
“Although the adverse effects of hot weather can never be fully alleviated, proper practices can help minimise the impact by protecting the concrete from early water evaporation from the mixture”
moisture loss and rate of cement hydration, or otherwise causing detrimental results: high ambient temperature; high concrete temperature; low relative humidity; and high wind speed”. Various adverse effects on the properties and serviceability of concrete are brought on by hot weather. Just one of those is the effect on strength – concrete mixed, placed and cured at elevated temperatures normally develops higher early strengths than concrete produced and cured at lower temperatures. Although the adverse effects of hot weather can never be fully alleviated, proper practices can help minimise the impact by protecting the concrete from early water evaporation from the mixture. Potential deficiencies to concrete in the hardened state can include decreased strengths resulting from higher water demand,
and decreased durability resulting from cracking. Typical hot weather concrete evaporation protection measures include fogging, evaporation retarders, wet burlap, wind breaks and protection of quality control specimens. ACI University offers several on-demand courses covering the topic of hot weather concrete. A recently released course highlights the best practices and examples from projects where pre-cooling measures, moisture controls, mixture adjustments and admixture technologies have been implemented to reduce adverse effects to the concrete under hot drying conditions. Case studies from large infrastructure projects are included to describe different costeffective ways to improve constructability of field operations in hot weather. Add to your knowledge by signing up for “Hot Weather Concrete – Best
Practices and Lessons Learned” by visiting www.ACIUniversity.com. The ACI Guide to Hot Weather Concreting (305R-10) defines hot weather, discusses potential problems and presents practices intended to minimise them. These practices include selecting materials and proportions, precooling ingredients, and batching. Other topics discussed include length of haul, consideration of concrete temperature as placed, facilities for handling concrete at the site and, during the early curing period, placing and curing techniques as well as appropriate testing and inspection procedures in hot weather conditions. Hot weather concreting can be a challenge – to minimise the disadvantages, and make your next hot weather concreting project a success, use ACI’s resources. Visit www.concrete.org for more information.
Concrete Machinery
With the Gulf in Mind
Big Project ME speaks to Wajih Eit, head of area – MENA for CIFA, about how the Italian company is heavily invested in developing products specifically for the Gulf market
How has the first half of 2017 been for CIFA? What are your thoughts on 2016?
The first half of 2017 for CIFA in the MENA region has been perfectly in line with 2016’s sales results, despite some extra challenges this year such as the block of imports in Algeria and the currency fluctuation in Egypt. That was thanks to the aggressive business development plan we put in place three years ago, where different countries in the region are now covered by a top-class distribution network. 2016 was a very tough year for everyone in the region due to the oil price drop and political situation, and CIFA, like all other players, was affected and suffered a drop in volumes. Despite that, our performance was very
16 Concrete Report 2017
positive in terms of market share, keeping the same positive trend of the past three years. CIFA has introduced a series of products specifically for the Middle East market. What has been the reaction, and why was that decision made?
Actually, CIFA’s development plan in MENA also includes the launch of a dedicated product range. We believe that each region has its own characteristics and even the machines should be designed accordingly. As we know, in the Middle East generally we have very tough climate conditions and difficult roads, especially outside the main cities, so we started with HD (heavy duty) transit mixers four years ago, achieving outstanding results in terms of units sold (over 1,500) and reliability, thanks to the
“One of CIFA’s main advantages is in product development, where each year we are investing more than 2% of our turnover into R&D, adding to an internal certified testing centre that no other competitor has”
highest technical standards used. This included having a reinforced structure, special drum material and thickness, double rollers, drum anti-rebound system, and so on. Today, we can proudly claim that our HD mixer is absolutely the best in the market! CIFA has also developed the first plug-in hybrid truck mixer in the concrete industry. How important is that going to be for the Middle East market, and what has been the reaction?
The ENERGYA plug-in hybrid mixer is one of CIFA’s registered trademarks (we have 50 patent families and 12 registered trademarks) and is already a strong reality working in Europe’s main city centres, such as Paris and London. Less pollution, less fuel consumption and less noise are some of the main advantages
Concrete Machinery
of the ENERGYA. These are very important themes in Europe. They are not yet in the Middle East, but the plans to reach European standards are already in place, as we can note also from the main EXPO 2020 themes, so we are expecting to start supplying our plug-in hybrid mixer into the GCC in the next few years, having accumulated experience and feedback in this new technology. What are some of the other products in your pipeline? Are you continuing to develop specifically for the Middle East market?
One of CIFA’s main advantages is in product development, where each year we are investing more than 2% of our turnover into R&D, adding to an internal certified testing centre that no other competitor has. We call it the TEC (Testing European Centre) and we’ll definitely continue to develop new products where needed. As for products specifically dedicated to the Middle East, aside from the above-mentioned HD mixers, we have already launched different products such as CIFA model K42L and K55L truck-mounted concrete pumps, while others will be revealed soon!
MIxInG It GrEEn As part of efforts to reduce its environmental footprint, CIFA has unveiled a new product in its concrete mixer line-up: the plug-in hybrid truck mixer from its ENERGYA series. It is available in two models, E8 and E9, and is much quieter than a traditional mixer, while also using up to 30% less fuel. In a conventional truck mixer, drum movement is generated by a hydraulic system. In the hybrid mixer, on the other hand, the drum is rotated by an electric induction motor powered by a lithium-ion battery. The batteries can be charged either from the power grid or through a generator powered by a diesel engine on the truck. This allows the truck mixer to be fully operational even when the batteries are dead
or the truck is switched off. Thus, during loading operations in the plant and when discharging at the work-site, the truck’s diesel engine can be turned off, and the drum can be powered by the electric motor connected to the battery. During transport, the diesel engine recharges the electric battery if necessary, ensuring that the truck mixer can operate autonomously. During braking in a standard truck, the kinetic power of motion is lost. But the ENERGYA has a brake energy recovery system, which puts part of that energy inside the batteries to be used later in making the drum turn. Being able to operate even when the engine is switched off particularly comes into play when noise is an issue, such as in city centres.
visions launched by the local governments, which are willing to keep investing and developing their infrastructure. We strongly believe that investing in our product development, following the market’s needs and having a strong dealer network covering all countries with a high level of after-sales are the keys to success in any market situation. You recently introduced the world’s highest truck-mounted concrete pump. What are the plans for that model in the Middle East?
Another patented technology in CIFA is the introduction of what we call the CARBOTECH series, where some boom sections are completely made of carbon fibre! This new technology allowed CIFA to introduce the world’s highest truck-mounted concrete pump (80m and 101m). After succeeding in Europe and China, our plan is to start to have this very special product working on key projects in the Middle East. investing in product development Wajih Eit says that CIFA will continue to spend heavily on product development as it will allow the manufacturer to keep ahead of market demands.
What are your views on the GCC construction market?
The GCC construction market is always very interesting, with big projects already assigned (Expo 2020 Dubai, the new airport in Kuwait, the 2022 World Cup in Qatar and so on) and others in the process to be assigned soon. The main difficulties are in the Saudi market, which is also very normal due to the big size of the market itself. Regarding the future, we believe it’ll be very positive in the GCC thanks to the different
Concrete Report 2017 17
Advertorial
Forming an innovative Future
Doka reveals how it is pushing the boundaries of construction innovation
Widely recognised as an industry that has failed to keep up with its peers in terms of innovation, construction is one of the major sectors highlighted by organisations including the World Economic Forum that is “ripe for and capable of transformation”.
Doka may have always prioritised innovation as a central core of its business, but it wasn’t until 1990 that the Austrian formwork giant established its own research and development facility from its headquarters in Amstetten, thereby providing a physical manifestation for its various new products, systems and ideas. Focusing on a variety of performance metrics, Doka’s R&D engineers used a methodology of listening to feedback from its field around the world in order to understand where practical changes could be made to either enhance safety, increase efficiency or save clients’ money. As a result, the department has yielded a constant stream of innovative products widely used in day-to-day operations, including the Frami Xlife system for forming walls, columns and foundations and its electricpowered table lifting system, which enables the vertical repositioning of table forms without the use of a crane. Other innovations launched by Doka include Concremote – a concrete construction
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Listening to feedback Doka’s R&D engineers used a methodology of listening to feedback from its field around the world in order to understand where practical changes could be made to enhance safety and increase efficiency.
methodology providing concrete intelligence. Concremote combines estimation and scheduling with performance tracking and control with an internet-connected sensor solution that measures the compressive strength gain of fresh concrete. It’s an integrated system providing actual information on concrete performance to support decisions for subsequent construction work. Most recently, Doka Ventures, a sister company of the Doka Group, has announced its partnership with Contour Crafting Corporation for the launch of its mobile industrial 3D construction printers, a significant technology which will reduce the construction time of buildings to just days or even hours, helping to meet the increasing demand for socially acceptable accommodation and infrastructure. “The construction markets of the Middle East and Africa both have an extensive range of fascinating projects which are well-suited for the latest innovations, and are subsequently helping to advance our industry. Thanks to our dedicated R&D department, we are constantly understanding how our clients interact with our technology, and use this data to make our products and systems more effective,” added Peter Vogel, Doka Middle East and Africa director.
Concrete Mixers
Mixed to order
Global manufacturers of the transit mixer, a vital part of the construction landscape in the region, are adapting their products to local requirements while also offering the latest innovations to customers in the Middle East
i
f you live in one of the six countries that make up the GCC, probably the most ubiquitous of all construction machinery and related equipment that you will see on the roads is not the crane or the dump truck, the excavator or the skid-steer, but the humble transit mixer. Whether it is the boom times of not so long ago or the leaner present economic scenario, the GCC countries never stop building. And this keeps the wheels and barrels of transit mixers in the region turning as they rush from ready-mix concrete plants to job-sites with their cargo of the ready-to-pour stuff that the skyscrapers, bridges and flyovers of the region are made of. The importance of the transit 20 Concrete Report 2017
mixer to the construction process cannot be overstated. Without this piece of equipment, the furious pace of construction that countries like the UAE and Qatar are used to seeing would slow down considerably, if not stop altogether. For it is the transit mixer that every project relies upon to deliver concrete – that very basic and all-important substance no construction can do without – from the production plant to the structure being built. Imagine if there was no transit mixer. The voluminous quantities of concrete that modern buildings consume would then have to be prepared on-site, as was done, perilously slowly, almost an epoch ago. At best, every project would need its own concrete plant built adjacent to it onsite – which is surely a financial and logistical impossibility. Now that we have established the importance of the transit mixer – not that it needed establishing – let us look into what the equipment is all about. Transit mixers are special
concrete transport trucks made to transport and mix concrete up to the construction site. The truck’s mixing barrel maintains the material’s liquid state through agitation, or turning of the drum, until delivery. The interior of the drum on a concrete mixing truck is fitted with a spiral blade. In one rotational direction, the mixer is ‘charged’ when the concrete is pushed deeper into the drum. This is the direction the drum is rotated while the concrete is being transported to the building site. At the site, the drum disgorges its liquid contents when the blade rotates in the other direction, with the Archimedes’ screw-type arrangement ‘discharging’, or forcing the concrete out of the drum. Today’s modern in-transit mixer sits on a truck chassis built by almost any heavy vehicle manufacturer, such as Scania, Volvo, Mercedes-Benz, Iveco, Man, Maz, Quon or Renault. Manufacturing the mixer drum is a specialist undertaking, done
Concrete Mixers
Concrete Report 2017 21
Concrete Mixers
by companies that produce the structure and assemble it on the truck chassis. One such specialist is Spanish transit mixer maker Gicalla, which uses mainly Iveco chassis for its vehicles. Speaking about Gicalla’s mixer products and their advantages, Marc Vaello from the company’s marketing department says: “Our mixers offer great stability through optimum weight distribution. We adjust the machine or the vehicle such that operation and power are improved. To avoid excessive twisting of the truck frame, the joints of the machine with the frame are screwless.” This results in increased braking efficiency, greater road adherence and less wear on wheels and brakes, he adds. “We have the lowest chassis height in the market and this provides maximum grip and stability, keeping the centre of
“The transit mixers work on average 18 hours per day and return low fuel consumption figures along with long life for their parts. Our engineers and technicians are also trained to ensure optimal vehicle performance”
gravity among the lowest in the market. Our easels are designed to reduce twisting of the truck frame through cylindrical parts. With our technological advances and patents, we offer maximum exclusivity and quality, even when adapting our frames to different manufacturers.”
Adapting solutions Making a great product and making a great product for the uniquely harsh Middle East conditions are two different things, however. But Gicalla has the answer. “We are able to adapt our solution to each market, meeting the demand of both client and market,” Vaello adds. “For example, for the Middle East we have increased the thicknesses of the bottle or mixer to adapt to the extreme environmental conditions. Another solution we have for the Middle East market Adapting to the market Gicalla has customised its products to deal with the conditions found in the Middle East.
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is to install a combined or dual cooling mechanism, with part of the cooling duties taken over by the water tank and part by the external radiator cooled by forced air from an electric fan.” Another adaptation for the region is what Gicalla calls the Double Cross of San Andrés – a double crosshead installed in the frame supporting the mixer drum. “With this we obtain greater rigidity of the structure of the tandem, avoiding cracks and excess torsions,” Vaello explains. “It comes standard with options such as cases in the hoppers for both loading and unloading, a tool box and a flushing device both at the top of the machine and the bottom.” With a desire to push the boundaries of its capabilities further, the Spanish company is also developing newer products for the future. Vaello says Gicalla is working on a technical plastic water tank and hopper for loading and unloading. “This is the way forward, where the future of the sector is lighter equipment with electric or hydraulic capabilities. We have also developed the GH1, a lighter concrete mixer with thickness reduced to 500 on the Brinell scale, while retaining the necessary robustness.” Swearing by Gicalla’s mixers is Arab Contractors. The Egyptian construction company owns 111 transit mixers in its fleet with capacities from six to 10 cubic metres. It has 60 units of mixers with the Iveco-Gicalla combination, which are the new 2015-16 Iveco models. “We are one of the largest customers for Gicalla and Iveco in the region and all our trucks are working at high efficiencies,” says Osama Kamal Mahmoud, equipment sector head at Arab Contractors. “The transit mixers work on average 18 hours per day and return low fuel consumption
Concrete Mixers
Future demand There is a demand in the market for transit mixers, thanks to the many construction and road projects taking place across the region.
“The future is lighter equipment with electric or hydraulic capabilities. We have developed the GH1, a lighter concrete mixer with thickness reduced to 500 on the Brinell scale, while retaining the necessary robustness” figures along with long life for their parts. Our engineers and technicians are also trained by the respective equipment manufacturers to ensure optimal vehicle performance.” Speaking about future demand for transit mixers, he adds: “There is a demand in the market due to many construction and road projects in Egypt. Arab Contractors is participating in big projects, such as New Cairo, as well as many road projects. We will be looking to expand our fleet in the future based on new projects coming to us, and the GicallaIveco combine with the same configuration as our recent transit mixers is what we will go for.”
Middle East model Another transit mixer manufacturer at the vanguard of the sector is Cifa. The Italian specialist installs mixers on all
truck brands its customers choose, but according to Diego Bertati, area manager, Middle East, heavyduty trucks such as the Astra range are preferable for the Middle East market. It has recently introduced a model aimed specifically at the Middle East market. “Earlier we made specific customisation to adapt our products to the Middle East, but we took a significant step forward recently by introducing a whole series of products, the HD – Heavy Duty, specifically for the Middle East countries,” says Bertati. “Harsh environments, high temperatures and bumpy desert tracks are home for these mixers. Specific solutions were developed, such as wider drum rollers, drum anti-rebound systems, increased chassis beams resistance, oversized heat exchangers and so on. The HD series has just been enlarged with the HD15, the only
truck mixer with 15 cubic metres of nominal capacity that can be installed on a four-axle truck.” Cifa has also developed the first plug-in hybrid truck mixer in the concrete industry, the ENERGYA. This mixer is able to keep the drum rotating when the truck engine is turned off, using batteries and an electric motor. “We’ve experienced up to 30% of reduction in fuel consumption, lower CO2 emissions, with the benefit of a significant noise reduction that is good for cities or closed work-sites such as tunnels,” explains Bertati. “The ENERGYA is already working successfully in many European countries but is not yet mainstream. We hope to be the pioneers in bringing new sustainability in the concrete mixers industry.” Meanwhile, at Express Heavy Equipment Trading and Leasing in Dubai, the dealer of
concrete mixers from Belarusian truck brand MAZ, general manager Romieo Amarose says: “For current and upcoming construction projects in the UAE market within the next five to seven years, the supply and demand of heavy construction vehicles such as concrete mixers has to be equalised with the introduction of more economical and mid-price products.” MAZ, one of the largest heavy-duty truck manufacturers in Europe, has introduced its range of 9-12cbm concrete mixers which are suitable for the demand in the UAE market with their value propositions, he adds. Fully backed up with after-sales support from the Express group with its eight mobile workshops and its 100,000sqft service facility in Dubai Investments Park, MAZ hopes to push 100 to 150 transit mixers per year by 2017. Concrete Report 2017 23
In Profile
The Golden Touch Big Project ME interviews E R Menon, CEO and partner at Golden ReadyMix, about how the company is back from the brink and ready to take the construction industry by storm
Back in business Since taking over Golden Ready-Mix in October 2015, ER Menon and his team have overseen a rapid increase in business for the ready-mix supplier.
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Back in 2007, optimism in the Dubai construction market was at peak levels, with massive projects underway across the city and new ones being announced almost every day. It was in this environment that a group of investors came together to launch a ready-mix company that would be their springboard into Dubai’s construction industry.
Focusing on the highend market, these investors brought in the most modern and technologically advanced
plants, equipment and machinery, along with a quarry and testing lab. However, despite the best intentions, even the most wellthought through plans and strategies can be waylaid by circumstances beyond anyone’s control. As such, despite the newly launched company doing a good amount of business in 2008 and 2009, it found itself caught out by the collapse of the market, leaving it with severe issues. Following a period of considerable struggle,
In Profile
the company was finally put up for sale in 2013, which is when E R Menon and his team come into the picture for Golden Ready-Mix. “They were up for sale since 2013/2014 and we bought them in October 2015. Back then, the company was hardly doing any volumes. They had sufficient capacity, but the business was not there. They were doing about 12,000 cubic metres per month as a yearly average for 2015,” Menon tells Big Project ME during
an interview at his office at the Golden Ready-Mix factory. “After we took over the company in 2015, we turned it around despite only operating for only three months, and we came to a breakeven situation by the end of 2016.” Having done well in 2016, Menon asserts that 2017 has continued the upward trend for the company, insisting the market is there for firms like his. “There are cashflow issues, but having said that, my team knows the market and we’ve been here for a long time, so we know who to deal with and who not to deal with – and how to collect our money. I have hardly written off any money in my previous companies, so we’ve got a good record for collecting our money.” Having spent his entire career in the construction industry, Menon has developed a specialisation in ready-mix concrete, precast solutions and material testing, among many others. He was previously managing director and business partner at Emirates Beton, prior to taking on his current role as CEO and partner at Golden Ready-Mix. With more than 30 years of experience, Menon is considered something of a pioneer in the field of ready-mix concrete, with experience in the field of concrete mix designs, production and supply, and pumping operations for highprofile projects such as Burj Khalifa, Burj Al Arab and Emirates Towers. “We are technically very sound. The Burj Khalifa is a standout example. I personally have done the mixes for that project. We did the pumping from the ground level to the top. When I say ‘we’, I’m talking about the group of people – we were working for Unimix at the time, so as a company, Unimix has the credit, but I don’t think there’s anyone still there in the operations who was involved in the Burj Khalifa
“In the 18 months since we bought this company, we have got three new branches coming up – one in Al Quoz that is under construction, one in Sharjah, at the Hamriyah Free Zone which is also under construction, and there’s one to start in Dubai Industrial City”
project. So we have this expertise in high-strength, high-performance concrete and we have unparalleled experience in high-rise pumping,” he proclaims confidently. Menon goes on to explain that the new iteration of the company will focus on large and quality projects, while also keeping a balance between high-profile projects, such as the Tower in Dubai Creek Harbour (which the company has prequalified for), and more necessary infrastructure projects such as the sewage treatment plant in Jebel Ali that it is working on for Besix. “We can perform where anybody else in the market cannot, I can openly challenge this to any competitor in the market,” Menon asserts. “Any complex job in terms of pumping or concrete quality, we will be able to perform. We have done several difficult jobs in the market where others have failed. That’s one reason why we’ve come up so fast in this short span of time.” “In the 18 months since we bought this company, we have got three new branches coming up – one in Al Quoz that is under construction, one in Sharjah in Hamriyah Free Zone which is also under construction, and there’s one to start in Dubai Industrial City. We also have acquired a quarry and a crusher, it’s called Golden Rock and Aggregate, which is operational, and we’ve acquired a precast concrete factory called Precast Concrete Products (PCP), which is operating out of Dubai Industries Park. “This year, we’ll move into the corporate sector as Golden ReadyMix alone. We’re currently placed in the second level of companies in terms of volume. We’ve come from the grave, the not-even-zero level, so we’re doing relatively well.” Although Menon says the company saw an increase of 200% in terms of volume in 2016, and a further 50% increase in 2017 on
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In Profile
Planning for improvement Menon says that once the company hits a certain volume of production, he intends to focus on improving service, rather than chasing more volume.
top of that, he insists there is no chance of getting carried away. “I won’t go into reckless expansion. I have a certain figure in mind, and once we reach there – and we hope to be there within four or five months – then we will focus on the price. Instead of going after more volume, we’re going to try and improve and give better service for a better price.” This approach is particularly close to his heart, having seen certain unnamed competitors approach the market in a manner that makes him uneasy. “Right now, there is one company in the market that is leading by far when it comes to volume, but they’re doing that by selling at very low prices. We should look at it like a business. Here at Golden Ready-Mix, we don’t operate on commissions based on volume. We’re focused on what benefit we get as a business. We are focused on providing our clients with quality work, with no compromises or cutting of corners. “The big challenge is educating the people operating in the readymix industry. I honestly feel that we in the industry lack some bones, that we don’t have the courage to stand up when we should. Certain jobs
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are being priced below cost, or there are very low mark-ups on material costs, where a company would lose money. How are they surviving, and why do they do it? I have no clue. It’s not a mature market, I would say. People are running behind volumes and that could lead to trouble later,” he explains. “We need to educate our fellow players in the market, to get them to stand up and say that we have this cost and it has to be absorbed by whoever is building the project. There’s a tendency to cut corners here and
there, and this should stop.” He goes on to explain that Golden Ready-Mix doesn’t offer fixed prices, in contrast to many of its peers in the market, and says problems often arise when a contractor is finalising a project with a client and finalises for a lump-sum price, with not many variations allowed. Given the fluctuations in raw material prices, the contractor must take a risk and make certain allowances. “As suppliers, we should either stop giving fixed prices at all, or we should consider a
Funding research and development In addition to expanding its services, Golden Ready-Mix also has a research and development lab that looks to improve the performance and efficiency of its admixtures and aggregates.
margin for allowing that risk. This sometimes doesn’t happen, and this is where we have an issue. “At Golden Ready-Mix, if someone wants fixed prices, then we talk back to back with other cement companies and raw material suppliers. If they agree, only then do we provide that facility to the contractor. If they don’t, and if the contractor still wants a fixed price, then we keep a margin or provision for it. That way, it’s taken care of to a certain extent.” Despite all this, he concedes that at the end of the day, it is still a business and there will always be some risks involved. As he brings the interview to a close, Menon points out that when a market is affected in general, for whatever reason, then running a business like his will always be a challenge. “I cannot predict what will happen here, and we are nobody to talk about the larger picture that goes on behind the scenes, but as far as Dubai is concerned, we believe that this is one of the safest places in the region, with a progressive attitude. Looking at what has been planned for the next five to ten years, unless something very critical happens, the market will continue to perform,” he predicts confidently.
EXPERIENCE, EXPERTICE, EXCELLENCE.
PCP Technology FZCo
Technopark P.O Box: 393849, Dubai U.A.E Tel : 043399386
PCP Technology FZCo Technopark P.O Box: 393849 Tel : 043399386
3D-Printing Technology
improved ways Thanks to advanced robotics and a modern understanding of concrete mixtures, structures can be built in improved ways.
Does ConCrete Have a Future in ConstruCtion? Cazza, a Dubai-based 3D-printing start-up, predicts that concrete will continue to play a key role in construction, despite the evolution of technology around it
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3D-Printing Technology
The good news is that the future of concrete is, well, concrete. While our technologies are advancing at an unprecedented rate, that doesn’t mean the positive qualities of traditional building materials are suddenly irrelevant. In the case of concrete in particular, it’s still without a doubt one of the most versatile, cost-effective and proven building materials in our arsenal.
Rather than fundamentally changing the materials themselves, the role of future building technologies will be to augment and transform those materials in new ways. At Cazza, we’ve seen that future literally form before our eyes, written in 3D-printed concrete at the cutting edge of the field. Going Green
A central theme in that future is sustainability. We’re becoming more and more conscious of wastage and the environmental impact of human activity, and that’s reflected in the ongoing trend for construction technology to become greener every passing year. This is also one of the key reasons that additive manufacturing in construction is such an exciting technology. Thanks to advanced robotics and a modern understanding of concrete mixtures, we can build structures in drastically improved ways. In pure sustainability terms, 3D printing technologies allow us to use less than half of the concrete mass traditional building methods demand. Although concrete is a very affordable material, it still has significant absolute costs in
terms of resource usage. Slashing the amount of concrete by more than half for the same result is one of the most drastic sustainability developments in the industry. Stronger, Better, Faster
The advantages of combining 3D printing and concrete don’t stop there. The actual construction process of a 3D-printed concrete structure is much faster than traditional construction methods – in some cases as much as 76% faster! It’s pretty self-evident that this has a positive domino effect on the entire construction chain. It means building more structure over the same period of time, and other stakeholders in the project spending less time waiting before moving in to install electrical systems or plumbing, to name but two benefits. Concrete itself is also likely to become an even better material. It’s stood the test of time for much of recorded human history, but there’s still room for improvement. Disposable embedded smart sensors are already in use to precisely report when new concrete has cured properly, but going ahead, smart sensors mixed into concrete could report all sorts of important information about the state of the material over its lifetime. If you can build faster and with less material, then clearly there are also significant savings to be had. In general, this construction method costs just over a third less compared to traditional building methods.
Safety First
Another strong advantage is that 3D printing keeps human workers further away from the concrete itself. Portland cement, a key component in concrete, has quite a few well-documented health hazards associated with it. So in general, minimising human contact with raw building materials is a good thing. This new approach to building with concrete also has another related advantage: it widens the scope of environments in which one can safely build. The management of heat-related risks in hot parts of the world such as the Middle East is a constant concern in the industry. Using an automated robotic system to construct structures in harsh conditions means fewer people need to perform tough physical labour under a relentless sun. New Twists on Old Favourites
Finally, additive manufacturing and robotic construction automation also mean we can push traditional materials to entirely new places. Architectural design has been a consistently innovative art and science, but armed with a new generation of construction systems, we’ll be able to make structures that were simply infeasible outside the wild imagination of a designer. So while the cities of the future may still be made of materials we all know well, the Cazza team believes in the power of 3D printing technology to eliminate the barrier between the imagination of a designer and the limits of reality.
“The actual construction process of a 3D-printed concrete structure is much faster than traditional construction methods – in some cases as much as 76% faster!”
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Concrete Chemicals
Mandatory switch Since April 2015, Dubai Municipality has made it mandatory to switch to green concrete. GCP has worked with its customers to develop optimised new mixes that meet the municipality’s specifications.
The RighT STuff
Big Project ME speaks to the experts at GCP Applied Technologies to find out how their construction chemicals are helping improve the performance and efficiency of concrete in the Gulf
How do you work with your customers to resolve specific challenges or issues unique to this part of the world (heat, humidity, dust, etc)? Alexander Grosskord: Constant
change and new technical requirements in as fast-moving a market as the Middle East requires GCP to quickly respond with new product development and solutions, to avoid any delays in concrete production while meeting concrete performance requirements under tough conditions. The relationship between our sales team and customers, and the given trust of their technical managers, ensures close
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cooperation with our technical service team. As an example, each year when the temperature starts increasing with the start of the hot summer in the Middle East, temperatures can reach more than 50oC, which has a major impact on concrete performance. Because of high temperatures and combined unpredictable traffic conditions to reach the job-sites, GCP offers more powerful slump retaining admixtures to guarantee flowable concrete for up to four hours, to meet the technical requirements. Our local R&D centre in Dubai has all the technical experience and equipment to react quickly to provide products and solutions to address our customers’
requirements promptly. With our global R&D centre in Cambridge in the US, we further leverage technical expertise for ongoing materials research. Are you finding greater uptake for your products with the push towards sustainability in the UAE?
Due to the wide and long vision of the government in UAE, sustainability is becoming a more and more important topic. Since April 2015, Dubai Municipality has made it mandatory to switch to green concrete to make its ever-expanding built-up areas healthier and more sustainable. Fly ash and ground granulated blast furnace slag is replacing
to a certain extent ordinary Portland cement, to reduce CO2 and other toxic gases. To meet the sustainability requirements, often mix design optimisations and new admixture products are required. GCP has successfully worked with our customers to develop the optimised mixes and new products, such as Concera for control flow concrete and Clarena for aggregate management, have been introduced to ensure the concrete technical performance targets are met. How do your products help reduce energy usage and lower CO2 emissions?
GCP has many products with
Concrete Chemicals
a sustainable impact on the construction environment. As an example, we recently introduced our newest products for aggregate management. Designed with ready mix and aggregate producers in mind, the Clarena portfolio helps mitigate the negative effects of poor quality aggregates on concrete performance. Dr Lawrence Kuo: Clays can be particularly harmful to concrete mixes by absorbing large amounts of water and admixture, which leads to poor workability, reductions in strength, and increased plastic and drying shrinkage. Ultimately, this increases the cost of concrete production. With the diminishing availability of high quality aggregates, the use of lower quality unconventional alternatives has been on the rise. This has resulted in the production of concrete with increased process variability and higher production costs. Pung Chan: We know it’s important for ready mix and aggregate producers to continuously provide consistent product performance. The clay mitigating agents in the Clarena family of products not only remove production variability, but can also provide materials flexibility and cost savings. We are excited to offer our customers these innovative technologies for material, operational and productivity management. Clarena water reducing admixtures ensure better workability and finishability by creating a smooth flowing concrete with improved placement properties. They are ideal for use within a wide range of concrete slumps where superior finishing characteristics are desired – particularly in commercial and residential flatwork, and formed concrete applications. We are aware that concrete producers face quality control
challenges, resulting from the variable quality of aggregates. We developed the Clarena admixtures to provide our customers with materials flexibility and remove variations in production. We are enabling them to save on material costs, while improving concrete performance. For aggregate producers, Clarena additives deliver greater efficiency and less waste compared to mechanical or equipment solutions. Not only do our Clarena additives reduce waste and extend quarry reserves, they also help quarry owners enhance yield and productivity. Aggregate producers can now convert waste into revenue and improve profitability. GCP understands that aggregate issues vary by region, which is why the Clarena portfolio offers regional customisation to address various material deficiencies. How do your admixtures produce better results and reduce water usage, while also improving strength and long-term performance?
GCP’s new Concera admixtures enable the production of control flow concrete, a new category of highly flowable segregationresistant concrete using conventional mix designs. With
Laith haboubi Concera admixtures allow contractors to complete projects faster, while reducing labour costs and even skill requirements to place and finish.
“Our local R&D centre in Dubai has all the technical experience and equipment to react quickly to provide products and solutions to address our customers’ requirements promptly” Concera, ready mix producers can consistently make highly workable quality concrete using simple conventional mix designs at the same water/ cement ratios, without fears of segregation during placement. Control flow concrete with Concera is suitable for use in all applications that can take advantage of a high-flow, nonsegregating concrete mixture. Fast discharge, easy pumping
Pung Chan The clay mitigating agents in the Clarena family of products not only remove production variability, but also provide materials flexibility and cost savings.
and placing, and high response to minimal vibration make control flow concrete ideal for use in decks, walls, columns, floors, beams, pilings and footers. Concrete produced with Concera admixtures exhibits consistent quality and excellent flow retention, without retardation. This controllable and reproducible performance could reduce quality control costs for the concrete producer, providing easier construction for the contractor and, importantly, potential programme timeline savings. Laith Haboubi: The technology engineered into the Concera admixtures allows contractors to complete projects faster, while reducing labour costs and even skill level requirements to place and finish. Our industry partners are excited to take advantage of the new Concera admixture technology to enhance quality and performance, and improve project profitability. The patent-pending Concera admixtures impart conventional mix designs with unconventional performance. Customers use Concera admixtures for control flow concrete to enable quality construction.
Alexander grosskord The relationship between GCP’s sales team and customers, and the trust of their technical managers, ensures close cooperation.
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Last Word
Cementing Sustainable Infrastructure
Amer Arafat, technical manager at Dubai Carbon, tackles the issue of lowering energy emissions during concrete production Concrete is the most widely used building material in the world, and with the global construction boom its usage has risen manifold. For example, in China alone over 6.5 billion metric tonnes of cement were used from 2011 through 2013. Between 2006 and 2050, the worldwide production of cement is expected to increase to between 3.7 and 4.4 billion metric tonnes a year. Taking these figures into consideration and keeping in mind its durability and strength, among many other benefits, it doesn’t seem that concrete will go away anytime soon.
However, the production of cement is an energyintensive process. A huge amount of energy is required to ignite the kilns and heat up the limestone for calcination, one of the cement manufacturing steps. As a result, the amount of CO2 produced during the manufacturing process is quite high. It is estimated that cement production accounts for
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The amount of CO2 produced during the manufacturing process is quite high. It is estimated that cement production accounts for about 5% of total humangenerated CO2 emissions annually”
about 5% of total humangenerated CO2 emissions annually. Given the large carbon footprint of this process and the increasing demand, reducing the environmental impact of cement manufacturing is more necessary than ever. The first way to curb the emissions of a cement manufacturing plant is to increase energy efficiency and modernise the manufacturing process. Many cement plants were built a long time ago and still use outdated technologies. Therefore, it is worth investing in upgrading such plants with modern equipment and advanced control systems. Another approach is to substitute fossil fuels with other energy sources. For example, industrial waste, sewage sludge, biomass and used tyres can replace fossil fuels in the kilns. In this way, not only is emissions reduction achieved by using alternative fuels, but safe dump disposal is also fulfilled for hazardous
materials that would otherwise be landfilled. Waste heat recovery in cement plants is becoming a popular approach as well. The recovered heat can be used either for heating purposes or for electric power co-generation. Usually, recovering heat for heating purposes is more efficient than power generation. However, there must be a heat consumer on-site or not far from the cement plant. If that is not the case, then generating electricity from heat is preferable. The generated electricity can either be used in the plant itself or given back to the grid. Another way to reduce the carbon footprint of the concrete industry is through recycling concrete, which reduces both emissions and the cost of transport. Recycling concrete is not a complicated process, as it is mainly about breaking and crushing it into the desired size and quality. The recycled concrete is
often used as aggregate in a sub-base layer, which also saves the energy of processing and transporting new aggregates, while also preserving resources. This all could soon change, as a team of researchers at École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) in Switzerland is working on developing a greener cement with the potential to reduce the carbon footprint by 40%. The new product, called LC3 (limestone calcined clay cement), is made mainly of materials that are abundant and widely available all over the world – calcined clay and ground limestone. Mixing them creates cement that is stronger than normal cement and not as porous. Compared to other building materials, concrete is resourceefficient and requires little processing, but when it comes to sustainability, there is always room for improvement.
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