New CEMEX mortar plant opens for business

Building materials provider CEMEX UK has commissioned a new £6 million dry silo mortar plant at Braintree in Essex, from which factory-made mortars are delivered dry to construction sites. It is one of the most environmentally efficient plants of its type in the country and will serve construction customers in the London, South East and East Anglia markets. Vice President for Readymix and Mortars, Chris Leese, explains:

“Braintree has been in the planning for several years, and though the building and housing market is going through a tough time, the customers that are still active in the market are demanding sustainable and up-to-date products and services.

“The new plant is purpose built, and therefore provides guaranteed strength and controlled air content, and will provide high quality and consistent mortars. It is also well positioned to meet the growing demand we expect to see in the South East in the coming years.

“From Braintree we can also produce mortar as well as a range of masonry products, such as plaster, render, cementitious and flowing screeds. Our investment demonstrates our long-term commitment to the UK construction industry.”

The plant employs a fast mixing action of up to 70 tonnes an hour and sustainable production processes, which include and a drying process that re-circulates waste heat and water, which is then reused in the aggregate washing process; thus saving valuable fossil fuels and scarce water resources.

CEMEX’s two other dry mortar plants, at Dove Holes in Derbyshire and Bletchley in Buckinghamshire, are supplied with similar coloured sand as Braintree, to ensure a consistent colour of the natural mortar for CEMEX customers nationwide. CEMEX Mortars accurately monitors the addition of pigments to produce a range of colours, and offers strength-based mortars to complement the surrounding brickwork or material. More than 1,000 tonnes of material can be stored at the new Braintree site, thus providing an innovative and efficient solution to mortar delivery, particularly to larger sites.

With guaranteed next day replenishment and instant availability, dry silo mortar delivers maximum productivity. A dedicated CEMEX dry silo team can support with silo placement and specification, and there is no need for mixing areas on site, as all the material is contained in the silo.

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Notes to editors: For further information and pictures contact Elizabeth Young t. 01932 583214 e. Elizabeth.young@ext.cemex.com CEMEX is a global building materials company and leading supplier of cement, ready-mixed concrete and aggregates. In the UK, CEMEX also has a significant share of the asphalt, concrete block and mortar markets. The company has a national supply network in the UK with over 500 locations, to ensure that quality building materials is available to customers locally. For more information, see www.CEMEX.co.uk or www.CEMEX.com