Following a welcome from Mapei's UK's senior management team, the site was officially opened by Mapei CEO's Veronica & Marco Squinzi. The event included celebrity and keynote presentations from guest speakers – Charlie Luxton and Jasen Gauld – as well as the launch of the Cube System; Mapei's solution for low carbon concrete.
Mapei's second site in the UK, the new 3200m2 facility in Speke provides a UK manufacturing facility for Mapei admixtures, along with a warehousing facility, research and development laboratories and offices. During its official opening, celebrity speaker Charlie Luxton - Founder of architectural practice, Charlie Luxton Design, Public Speaker & Broadcaster – and keynote speaker, Jasen Gauld - National Concrete Solutions and Product Development Director at Aggregate Industries UK – both addressed guests on sustainability in the industry. This was followed by a launch presentation on Mapei Cube – a complete portfolio of solutions as a contribution to reducing the environmental impact of the production and use of concrete.
Following a buffet lunch, key personnel from Mapei's admixtures team conducted tours of the three brand new on-site laboratories.
"Mapei UK was founded in 1989, in Middlesbrough," explains Veronica Squinzi, Mapei CEO, "Today, also thanks to the local production capacity, we are market leader in products for the installation of ceramic and stone materials. Consistent with our internationalisation strategy, we want to continue to strengthen our presence in this country by seizing every opportunity that allows us to grow responsibly."
"With this new plant dedicated to the production of concrete admixtures, we will also become more competitive in the infrastructure sector where we are already present with important projects, such as the Thames Tideway Tunnel," adds Marco Squinzi, CEO of Mapei. "We will thus introduce, also in the United Kingdom, our innovative solutions that can help the concrete industry to maintain high quality standards, reducing the climate impact both in the construction of large works and in residential building."
"We were delighted to welcome our guests to the new facility at Speke. The facility has expanded and strengthened Mapei's presence in the UK and enabled faster output with a lower carbon footprint. And now this is enhanced further by the launch of Mapei Cube, which actively helps the industry maintain its high standards whilst reducing climatic impact," commented Julian Pritchard, Mapei UK Commercial Director Building Products.
"Our Speke site and new innovations, including Mapei Cube, demonstrate Mapei Group's commitment to the UK market - and to building a present designed for future generations," added Phil Breakspear, Mapei UK Managing Director.
Products manufactured at the new site will include admixtures from Mapei's Dynamon, Chronos, Vibromix and Idrocrete ranges. Mapei's wide range of admixtures for concrete includes precast solutions, fibre reinforcement, air-entraining agents, water reducers, retarders, accelerators, superplasticisers, corrosion inhibitors, shrinkage reducers, viscosity-modifying agents and masonry products.
