| Dear Sir or Madam,
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| Three years ago, dear readers, we launched our new “Green Challenge” column, which recognizes the special efforts of companies, associations, and research institutes in the area of sustainability. Including this issue, we have now covered the topic 16 times in the magazine, and the list of participants is equally impressive. We began with seven articles, including a profile of the Swiss company Neustark, which has brought a solution for the permanent storage of biogenic CO₂ in recycled mineral waste – such as demolition concrete – to market readiness, as well as a report on the Weber concrete plant in Ippesheim, which is breaking new ground through the use of energy-saving thermo-concrete mats. This was followed by another highlight: the high-performance ultrasonic premixing plant developed by Sonocrete (Cottbus), which can reduce CO₂ emissions in concrete production by up to 30%. Just at the beginning of June, I visited Oliment GmbH in Rötha near Leipzig on the occasion of the groundbreaking ceremony for an experimental building that is to be constructed using the CO₂-neutral binder Oliment instead of cement. The significance of this new development was evident not least from the large number of visitors from the worlds of politics, business, and science, including Saxony’s Minister President Michael Kretschmer. You can read more about this in the latest issue of BFT. We hope you enjoy this newsletter.
Yours, Silvio Schade
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Figure: Progress
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| | | Innovation in precast concrete production | | FP McCann is expanding the use of automation and digitalisation in its precast concrete production. The UK-based manufacturer relies on machinery and software solutions from Progress Group at several production sites to improve efficiency, reinforcement processing and production ...
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Figure: BFT International
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| | | Groundbreaking with CO₂-neutral binder | | “Our main goal is to establish a CO₂-neutral binder for concrete applications in the construction industry.” With this clear objective, Dr. Frank Bellmann, the company’s founder with a scientific background at the Bauhaus University Weimar, describes the mission of Oliment GmbH. The young company from Rötha near Leipzig aims to make a significant ...
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Figure: Conae/Markus Esselmark
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| | | Technically Sophisticated Façade Design | | Rising on a former shipyard site in the heart of Gothenburg, the Karlatornet is Scandinavia’s tallest building. The 246-meter-high skyscraper has 74 floors and captivates with its dynamic, slightly twisted silhouette, which lends the structure an elegant sense of movement. The facade was constructed using ...
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Figure: Oxerra
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| | | Why colored ready-mix concrete is anuntapped market opportunity | | Gray is timeless, but often it’s simply a matter of habit. While in the Benelux countries, the use of color pigments to enhance the appearance of traffic areas and concrete components has long been part of the streetscape, colored ready-mix concrete remains a niche product in Germany. For concrete plants, this is precisely where there is enormous potential for differentiation. The market’s hesitation in Germany stems from a classic ...
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| | Mitigation potential through rapid construction using prefabricated components | |
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| The extent to which infrastructure projects impact our climate depends not only on the structure itself. Research conducted at Kiel University of Applied Sciences shows that traffic diversions during construction on heavily trafficked roads can trigger significant additional greenhouse gas emissions. This article analyzes emission drivers in bridge construction and discusses the potential of rapid prefabricated and ...
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Figure: Masa
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| | | Understanding vibrations, identifying patterns, optimizing processes | | Precise compaction is crucial for the quality of concrete products. Masa Amplitude Monitoring checks and analyzes the vibration behavior of the vibrating table on the Block & Paver Making Machine, thereby helping to identify sources of error and improve production processes. At the SLG Plant Managers’ Conference 2026, Markus Feix (Masa GmbH) provided in-depth insights ...
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Figure: Berding Beton/Meyer-Polycrete
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| | | Polymer concrete pipes for Magdeburg’s infrastructure | | The construction of the second north-south connection for the Magdeburg Public Transport Authority (MVB) tram system is scheduled to be completed in 2028 and will significantly reduce travel times on the new north-south route. The company Meyer-Polycrete from Stendal was commissioned to supply the required dragon-profile pipes. It is a major project that ...
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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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