Cemex brings global innovators for 2016 Experts’ Forum
Cemex Holdings Philippines presented its customers and partners in the construction industry with innovations that can support their nation-building capacity at its 2nd Experts Forum held recently at the Shangri-La Mactan Resort & Spa in Cebu.
With the theme, “Fast Forward: Build the Future Now,” the forum gathered Cemex’s global experts to discuss the technologies that have been revolutionizing the building industry.
“Cemex has been consistently investing in new technologies. Today, we bring you to the heart of our groundbreaking research and development efforts,” said Paul Vincent Arcenas, Cemex Holdings Philippines vice president for strategic planning and marketing, as he welcomed over 200 participants which included representatives from DMCI,AXEIA, DEECON, Subdivision and Housing Developers Association (SHDA), and Concrete Masters, Inc. (CMI), to name a few.
Pedro Palomino, president of CEMEX Holdings Philippines, underscored the importance of innovation and collaboration in creating world-class building solutions that are nonetheless faster, safer, and cheaper.
“Technological innovation is a Cemex trait. Innovation has developed engineering and business solutions that set us as the leader in the building materials industry. This knowhow and our research capability is something we would like to share with all of you, as our valued partners,” he said.
For Cemex, building a better future is also about building a community of experts. Dr. Davide Zampini, Cemex Research Group AG (CRG) head, explained how the company is utilizing research and development (R&D) by design — offering solutions that are unique according to the evolving market needs and at the same, helping customers act in sustainable ways.
“We realized that creating great products, great innovations, are not enough. We need to have an emotional contact, an emotional intimacy with our customers so we may understand their challenges for us to be able to design our research,” Zampini explained.
The company’s innovative global brands that serve the different construction needs of today were introduced by Alexandre Guerini, Cemex product development and industrialization manager.
Promptis, for one, enables construction of pavements and roads that can be opened to traffic within 24 hours or even less — making it ideal for heavily used national roads. The product has already been certified by the Department of Public Works and Highways through Department Order (D.O.) 61 Series of 2016 for use in public road works. Promptis can also be applied in housing construction.
Insularis works for thermal insulation, which allows customers to achieve important energy savings, improved quality of life, and more comfortable structures for any climactic condition.
The Hidratium has self-curing properties that help customers attain the maximum performance of the concrete while doing away with the extra investment of time and money for maintenance.
Moreover, Cemex’s Resilia can replace steel reinforcements in concrete but nonetheless makes for a product output that has hyper strength and hyper ductility. Aside from homes and buildings, it can be used in creating furniture as well due to its flexibility.
Steve Crompton, national technical director, Cemex United Kingdom, talked about the company’s paving solutions in the UK, which calls for a more durable alternative to asphalt.
The Roller Compacted Concrete (RCC) Paving Solution, he said, proves to be cost effective, resilient, and has a lower CO2 footprint compared to the asphalt.
“The Roller Compacted Concrete Paving Solution allows for lower initial costs and requires less maintenance. It can also lower fuel consumption of vehicles,” he explained. Another solution for turning rural roads into concrete pavements is the Soil Solidification Technology.
Places prone to heavy rainfall and flooding can benefit from the product called Pervia, which is a permeable concrete used in paving and housing development. Pervia manages water permeation for draining solutions but nonetheless is still able to carry heavier loads and higher velocity traffic. The concrete has good abrasion resistance and can be contoured, which makes it ideal for making decorative structures and sidewalk decorations as well.
Engineer Jorge Camilo Diaz Garcia, product development manager of CRG LatinAmerica, tackled Colombia’s housing situation as a case study that showed the continuing need for housing and building solutions.
“In Colombia, around 60 percent of the population wants to live in their own homes. The huge demands for homes account to around 145,000 every year, but only around 100,000 new homes are usually delivered,” he said.
Cemex actively supports the government and the developers’ construction and technology needs for new homes. Some of the company’s key drivers for housing in Colombia are Promptis and Hidratium.
Aside from construction, Enrique Terrado, green building specialist at Cemex Global Corporate Sustainability, emphasized the equal importance of building resilient and sustainable cities.
“Sustainability is transparency. Transparency should be part of concrete solutions for a sustainable future,” he asserted.
One of the possible enablers of green buildings in the Philippines is Cemex’s ecoperating seal, which calls for infrastructures to undergo a rigorous internal process that measures its environmental or social impact. One of the ways to do this is through building solutions that abides by this scheme — from using concrete products that have low CO2 footprint, to services such as paperless invoicing, to construction solutions like concrete pavements with smart LED lighting.
“The buildings in the Philippines go by what is required by national standards but can’t reach international certification. Urban development is also one of the concrete solutions, with road rehabilitation programs, social housing program, and solid urban waste valorization. Cemex is looking forward to partnering with more key organizations to help create more resilient cities, and explore new ways of collaboration within the construction value chain,” Terrado added.
Zampini, in his presentation, “Trends of Progress,” further emphasized the need for innovative and sustainable products and services especially in the context of population growth and rapid urbanization.
“Theoretically, one new city must be formed for one million people in every five days between the present and 2050, as there will be nine billion people in 2050,” Zampini noted, citing the United Nations. Due to the limited space, living spaces should grow vertically, which are even taller than the mega-tall buildings of today, which measure up to 600 meters or higher. “There will be certain requirements that will need unique construction solutions. Moreover, two points are important: health and safety are top priorities in Cemex, as well as social responsibility. Becoming a good corporate neighbor and supporting nation-building is ingrained in how we do business,” shared Zampini.
After the forum, the participants experienced the innovative products firsthand through a product exhibition and live sampling held at the Shangri-La Mactan Marquee.
Cemex Holdings Philippines’ subsidiaries Apo Cement Corporation and Solid Cement Corporation produce and market cement and other building materials in the country. These cement manufacturing subsidiaries carry the well-established cement brandsAPO and Rizal.
For inquiries, visit www.cemexholdingsphilippines.com or like and follow Cemex Philippines on Facebook and Instagram.