The new plant in Doris Road, Birmingham, will allow Cemex to better target a key urban market with its array of asphalt solutions.
Products being produced on-site include RUBBERMIX ASPHALT (RMA), which incorporates crumb rubber granules taken from used tyres into the mix, helping to offset the environmental impact of highway maintenance activity through the circular economy, and VIALOW, Cemex’s low-temperature reduced-carbon asphalt which comes with the option to offset residual CO2 to make it a CarbonNeutral product. Further trials are underway on other more sustainable asphalt products that prioritise circularity.
The new Birmingham site will operate as a Local Asphalt plant, providing a dedicated service for customers that require small tonnage collections and deliveries, stocking everyday essentials such as tools and equipment needed to provide a first-class service.
Further investment has been made into the wider Cemex UK asphalt business, installing multiple new bitumen tanks at Cemex’s Stourton, Preston and Dove Holes plants. These tanks have a higher capacity than those previously in place, enabling an increased production speed, mix options, and a more flexible supply. Additionally, the new tanks are more energy efficient, helping Cemex to run a more sustainable operation, in line with its dedicated climate action strategy, Future in Action.
The site upgrades are the latest stage of Cemex’s plan to replace all of the bitumen tanks at its UK asphalt locations with newer, more efficient models.
Scott Jones, director of Asphalt for Cemex UK, said: “We are making a considerable investment into our asphalt portfolio with the opening of our new Birmingham location and development programme at our existing sites, but this is indicative of the continued success of our asphalt business and our commitment to this product line. Cemex hopes that these investments will improve the efficiency of our UK asphalt operations and enhance product delivery for customers while better serving key metro markets.”
Cemex was recently recognised by the Mineral Products Association for its bitumen system management, winning a Health & Safety award at the ceremony earlier this year.
Asphalt is a key part of Cemex’s Urbanisation Solutions product portfolio, constantly innovating to provide customers with a broad range of more sustainable solutions to help meet the challenges of modern urbanisation.
