| Dear Sir or Madam,
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| When I in my private environment, far removed from our industry – out myself as a specialist editor for an internationally distributed media brand that deals with precast concrete elements – I regularly experience astonishment as to how a mixture of aggregate, cement and water can provide material for exciting editorial reports. When I then mention that our print and e-paper editions are published monthly, and that we provide our readers with important online news almost daily, I often look into amazed, sometimes almost confused faces. Then I start to explain: I talk about an industrial sector that is essential to our construction industry, which is currently undergoing exciting changes and doing everything it can to find solutions to the major challenges of our time. If someone would ask me today what is exciting about concrete components, I would probably tell them about my trip to Switzerland a few weeks ago. I had the privilege of being present when the White Tower of Mulegns was inaugurated. Tor Alva is the tallest 3D-printed building in the world. The tower was designed for the Origen Cultural Foundation in collaboration with ETH Zurich. What impresses me most about this project is the merging of art and research. The symbiosis of artistic expression, digital research, and contemporary architecture has resulted in a unique structure. Research results provide a substantial contribution to the sustainable transformation of the construction industry. You can find out more about this further down in this newsletter.
Yours Karla Knitter
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| | Since 1987, OGS has supported manufacturers in the building materials sector with tailored ERP solutions and hands-on consulting. OGSiD combines deep industry knowledge with smart, modular technology – scalable, efficient, and future-ready. As a reliable partner, we guide precast producers through successful digital transformation. With OGS, your digitalization project becomes a success.
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Figure: Vollert
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| | | Vollert has been shaping the future – for 100 years | | Vollert celebrates its 100th anniversary in 2025 - and continues to shape the future. The theme of the anniversary year is ‚Empowering Tomorrow‘ and the heavy-duty experts have no shortage of ideas and new concepts for automating a wide range of industries. With new technological approaches, concepts and ideas, the longestablished company Vollert sees itself time and again as a trendsetter in the industry and always has the future challenges of its customers in mind ...
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Figure: Oxerra
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| | | Interview: Oxerra | | Following the successful acquisition of Venator Pigments by Cathay, Oxerra has emerged as a truly global supplier of inorganic pigments – with deep European roots and a strong focus on innovation. BFT Editor-in-chief Silvio Schade spoke with Terence Yu (CEO & Founder) and Anna Li (Chairperson) about joining two pigment powerhouses, building a resilient worldwide network, and shaping the future of colour in construction ...
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Figure: Kirchdorfer Group
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| | | MABA tubbing segments for Vienna’s largest canal project | | MABA Fertigteilindustrie GmbH, a company of the Kirchdorfer Concrete Solutions Group, began production of 43,000 reinforced-concrete segments for the 8.6-km Wiental River Canal. The 270-million euro project will improve the water quality of the Wiental River and relieve the canal network in heavy rain events – this is of particular relevance in view of the latest flooding events ...
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Figure: Progress
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| | | Sustainable modernization in Belgium | | With its sustainable technology and strategic investments, E. Victor Meyer demonstrates how innovation and efficiency can go hand in hand in the construction sector. The use of state-of-the-art machines from Echo Precast Engineering, a company of the Progress Group, strengthens the Meyer market position, while at the same time reducing its CO2 footprint – a model for the entire industrial sector ...
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Figure: Master Builders Solutions
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| | | The correct use of concrete release agents | | Architectural concrete is enjoying increasing popularity in the architectural design of buildings. Concrete release agents are available for this purpose, which, in addition to ordinary formwork stripping, enable the creation of visually high-quality concrete surfaces. This article explains the function, types, application and significance of concrete release agents.Concrete is a fundamental building material in the construction industry, and its ease of processing, as well as its strength, durability, versatility and individual designs make it an indispensable part of modern construction. In the manufacture of concrete products, it is crucial that the products can be easily removed from the molds, without causing damage such as ...
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Figure: BFT International
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| | | Jasto Baustoffwerke opts for automation for highest quality in color in collaboration with H. Scholz | |
At Jasto Baustoffwerke, a comprehensive modernization project, implemented in 2016, gave rise to the commissioning of a new color metering system of H. Scholz, that convinces by its performance and mechanical features. Karla Knitter and Kristin Hanneforth of BFT International visited the factory site and summarized the most impressive aspects of this cooperation.
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Figure: BFT International
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| | | A milestone in 3D concrete printing:The White Tower of Mulegns | | Tor Alva (“The White Tower”) is the tallest 3D-printed building in the world. This tower was designed for the Origen cultural foundation in collaboration with ETH Zurich and has recently been inaugurated in the village of Mulegns in the Swiss Alps. Our deputy editor-in-chief, Karla Knitter, attended the opening ceremony and is currently drafting a detailed project report to be published in the forthcoming edition of our „Beton Bauteile” yearbook 2026. This article provides an abstract focusing on innovative 3D printing.
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| | Suggest your project involving precast concrete products for an exclusive report published in the BFT magazine, free of charge | |
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| You have completed a construction project with precast concrete products successfully and now, you intend to present this project to your customer base, prospective customers and partners in the BFT trade magazine? Then, send us an email shortly describing the project. Or just call us. If the project is of particular interest to our readers, our editors would even like to pay you a visit for preparing an exclusive coverage for the BFT magazine in close coordination with you. Our service in this regard is free of charge.
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| | | Silvio Schade | |
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| | | | Karla Knitter | |
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