News

Consumers of cement and ready mixed concrete have warned that the Government's Green Deal initiative to makes homes more energy efficient is in danger of failing at the first hurdle unless it provides a range of additional incentives to encourage householders to take it up.

Consumers of cement and ready mixed concrete have warned that the Government's Green Deal initiative to makes homes more energy efficient is in danger of failing at the first hurdle unless it provides a range of additional incentives to encourage householders to take it up.

The warning from the Federation of Master Builders (FMB) comes in response to the Government's Green Deal consultation, which closed this month.
 
Brian Berry, Director of External Affairs at the FMB said that with rising energy bills there is an urgent need to improve the energy efficiency of the UK's housing stock.

However, householders will need to be convinced of the value of retrofitting their home, particularly when the price is having a new charge attached to their electricity bill. The quickest and easiest way to create consumer demand would be to reduce VAT on Green Deal improvements or reduce Stamp Duty.
 
Another concern is how local building companies will be able to access Green Deal given that few, if any, will become recognized Green Deal Providers because of the onerous conditions attached to providing the finance packages.
 
Berry added that the FMB wants the Green Deal to be a success but it won't be unless the Government considers the need to introduce fiscal incentives for homeowners, creates a level playing field for local building companies and ensures that training courses are quickly approved to accredit local builders.

An organisation representing many suppliers of cement and ready mixed concrete has announced the appointment of a new Chief Executive.

An organisation representing many suppliers of cement and ready mixed concrete has announced the appointment of a new Chief Executive.

Dr Diana Montgomery, who is currently the Deputy Chief Executive at the Chemical Industries Association, will take over from Michael Ankers at the Construction Products Association (CPA) when he retires in April.

Montgomery graduated from Oxford University with a chemistry degree and was subsequently awarded a Doctor of Philosophy for her work on Environment and Waste Resources at the Imperial College, London.

Before joining the CIA in 2006 she was Group Head of Environment at Centrica, and prior to that worked with the Automobile Association and Johnson Wax.

Commenting on the appointment, the Association's Chairman, Bill Bolsover, said he was delighted that the CPA has been able to appoint such a strong candidate.

Diana brings a wealth of relevant experience to the role and the Association was looking forward to her leading the organisation and taking forward the strategic development programme it developed last year, he said.

On her appointment, Montgomery said she was delighted to have the opportunity to lead the CPA and relished the prospect of representing the construction products community at a time of great economic challenge and opportunity.

Its members have a vital role to play in leading and sustaining the country's economic recovery and helping the government to deliver its low carbon strategy, she added.

The construction industry, including consumers and suppliers of cement, ready mixed concrete and other aggregates products will likely welcome news that one of the UK's largest infrastructure projects ha been given the green light.

The construction industry, including consumers and suppliers of cement, ready mixed concrete and other aggregates products will likely welcome news that one of the UK's largest infrastructure projects ha been given the green light.

The government has approved plans for a £33 billion high speed rail network that is expected to create thousands of construction jobs and provide a regeneration boost for several areas of the country.

When complete, the first phase of the HS2 scheme will provide a high speed rail link between London and Birmingham before the line is extended to Manchester and Leeds.

According to the British Chambers of Commerce, which represents a wide range of businesses including many constructions firms and users of cement and ready mixed concrete, the plan would be welcomed by businesses up and down the country.

However, the plans still face opposition from critics who dispute projected benefits of up to £47bn, and describe the scheme as a white elephant.

Announcing the plans, Transport Secretary Justine Greening said she had agreed to a new railway revolution in Britain.

It would provide a modern, reliable and fast service between major cities and international gateways befitting the 21st Century whilst promoting Britain's economic and social prosperity, she said.

Suppliers and consumers of cement and ready mixed concrete will be interested in the results of a new survey that shows manufacturers in the construction industry are benefiting from increased export activity.

Suppliers and consumers of cement and ready mix concrete will be interested in the results of a new survey that shows manufacturers in the construction industry are benefiting from increased export activity.

The Construction Products Association's latest State of Trade Survey shows that manufacturers, particularly on the light side, have seen exports off-set the subdued level of construction activity in the domestic market.

In total, 34% of light side and 17% of heavy side manufacturers recorded growth in overseas sales during the past year and a further 55% and 71% respectively maintained export levels in a competitive global marketplace.

Commenting on the figures, CPA senior economist, Kelly Forrest said it is encouraging to see that exports are growing strongly, especially considering that export growth is a fundamental part of the government's economic strategy.

Furthermore, construction product manufacturers have invested heavily in developing trade links beyond the Eurozone and, in the last quarter of 2011, 35% of light side manufacturers with export links sold products into the Asian market, a very high proportion by historical standards.

Future prospects for the UK industry, however, remain very uncertain as cuts to public sector capital budgets impact on the ground and weak economic growth constrains the private sector recovery, Forrest added.

The increase in VAT to 20% is forcing an increasing number of building firms to cut jobs.

The increase in VAT to 20% is forcing an increasing number of building firms to cut jobs.

According to the latest State of Trade Survey from the Federation of Master Builders (FMB) more than one in five small building firms are being forced to lay off staff as a direct result of last year's increase.

In addition, the organisation that represents many consumers of cement and ready mixed concrete says that more than half of these small businesses report falling workloads as a consequence of the VAT hike.

Commenting on the figures, Brian Berry, Director of External Affairs at the FMB, said the organization warned the Government that raising the rate of VAT to 20% would suppress demand for building work and cost jobs.
 
Berry went on to claim that a reduction in the rate of VAT on just the labour element of domestic repair, maintenance and improvement works could cost as little as £161 million but generate a total stimulus effect of £1.7 billion. It could also create 34,400 jobs by the end of 2012.
 
Such a cut could also release £374 million of public money to refurbish over 20,000 units of social housing stock and help meet the Government's energy efficiency objectives.

Now the FMB is leading a Cut the VAT Campaign to support economic growth and further information is available by visiting www.cutthevat.co.uk.

Researchers in the US have developed a novel way to create a new form of carbon neutral cement by studying the formation of coral reefs.

Researchers in the US have developed a novel way to create a new form of carbon neutral cement by studying the formation of coral reefs.

Producers and consumers of cement and ready mixed concrete will be interested to learn that a team from Stanford University has been inspired by the way coral takes in minerals and CO2 and then secretes calcium carbonate to build its hard exoskeleton.

After studying this construction process, scientist Brent Constanz has developed a way to capture CO2 and dissolve it in seawater to form calcium carbonate, which has properties suitable for use in construction and could replace more traditional cements.

This new technology could significantly reduce the environmental impact of construction by capturing and sequestering CO2 emissions while creating a durable building material.

The skeleton of coral is made up of calcium carbonate, which can be easily synthesized by dissolving CO2 in seawater to form carbonate and then mixing it with calcium to form a solid. This technology is an amazing example of biomimicry that represents a big win for the environment.

Alongside the development of new technologies and alternative construction materials, producers of cement and ready mixed concrete are involved in a wide range of initiatives to reduce the industry's impact on the environment.