A new plant and an innovative system launched on the British market

Mapei UK inaugurates a new production facility for concrete admixtures in Speke and launches the CUBE SYSTEM in the UK

The new Mapei UK plant in Speke, near Liverpool, bears witness to the Group’s desire to grow in this country. The opening ceremony also focused on the launch of the CUBE SYSTEM in the UK and highlighted the system's ability to maintain high concrete performance with reduced environmental impact.

On 17^th April, in the presence of numerous professionals from the construction sector and the top management of the Mapei Group, a new concrete admixtures plant was inaugurated in Speke, near Liverpool, in the United Kingdom. A 3,200 m² facility which, in addition to the areas dedicated to production, includes offices, a warehouse and Research & Development laboratories.

The new Mapei UK plant is a 3,200 m² facility in Speke which, in addition to the areas dedicated to manufcaturing concrete admixtures, includes offices, a warehouse and Research & Development laboratories.

This is Mapei Group's second production facility in the UK, following the headquarters opened in 2005 in Halesowen, in the West Midlands, and dedicated primarily to the production of paste and cement adhesives for installing ceramic and stone materials, levelling compounds, mortars and waterproofing materials. This structure has enabled Mapei UK, the Group's British subsidiary founded in 1989, to become a market leader in the ceramic and stone installation materials sector and a major supplier of solutions for bonding resilient and textile materials and wood flooring.

A continuous growth that of Mapei UK, also in terms of turnover and human resources (today it boasts 360 employees), which is destined to continue thanks to the Group's internationalization strategy, to its continuous investments to promote proximity to British customers, to Mapei's knowledge of the specific needs of the local market and, last but not least, to the company's ability to offer innovative and sustainable solutions.

And it was precisely these strengths, innovation and sustainability, that characterized the activities on the opening day of the Speke plant. It was a day of celebration but also a great educational opportunity for all those present, because many of the speeches and presentations focused on the need to increase the sustainability of concrete and the concrete solutions to achieve this goal.

MAPECUBE SYSTEM: a complete offer for low-carbon concrete

In the late morning of 17^th April, customers, employees, suppliers and other professionals from the construction industry arrived at the Speke plant, where they were welcomed by Philip Breakspear, General Manager of Mapei UK. Shortly afterwards, the ribbon cutting ceremony was held, attended by Veronica Squinzi and Marco Squinzi, CEOs of the Mapei Group, Philip Breakspear, and Julian Pritchard, Building Products Commercial Director at Mapei UK, together with the famous television presenter Charlie Luxton, founder of the architectural firm Charlie Luxton Design.

The ribbon cutting ceremony at the Mapei UK plant was attended by Veronica Squinzi and Marco Squinzi, Philip Breakspear, Julian Pritchard and Mapei UK team.

Luxton himself then moderated the speeches that took place inside the plant. Veronica and Marco Squinzi briefly retraced the history of Mapei in the UK and underlined the Group's determination to continue to grow in this country, by taking advantage of the opportunities in the infrastructure sector, having already contributed to important local projects such as the Thames Tideway Tunnel in London or the Elizabeth Line, a London railway and underground system that includes both underground sections and surface lines.

The famous television presenter Charlie Luxton, founder of the architectural firm Charlie Luxton Design, moderated the speeches held at the opening ceremony.

Why a plant dedicated to concrete admixtures?

"The Mapei Concrete Admixtures line was born in 1992 with the patenting of the first acrylic-based superplasticiser in Europe," explained Marco Squinzi. "Today, thanks to technological innovations and the constant development of new products, we are able to offer admixtures for all kinds of projects, from large infrastructure sites to residential units. At Mapei, we are committed to improving the sustainability of the construction sector: this is why we developed the CUBE system."

Marco and Veronica Squinzi, CEOs of the Mapei Group, underlined the Group's commitment to grow in the UK and enhance the concrete industry's sustainability.

It was then the turn of Jasen Gauld, National Concrete Solutions and Product Development Director of the concrete producer Aggregate Industries (Holcim Group), who explained the importance of teamwork between the various players in the supply chain to promote sustainability in the construction industry and achieve concrete results: a need that is increasingly felt in the concrete industry, which is responsible for a not inconsiderable portion of global CO₂ emissions (around 8%).

Jasen Gauld, National Concrete Solutions and Product Development Director of the concrete producer Aggregate Industries (Holcim Group), called for strong teamwork between the players in the supply chain to promote sustainability in the concrete industry.

Concrete help comes from Mapei: CUBE SYSTEM is an integrated approach that helps to maintain high performance standards in concrete mixtures with a low clinker content, thus allowing a reduced environmental impact. Illustrating its features and benefits was Giorgio Ferrari, R&D Group Leader for High Performance Sustainable Solutions at Mapei Group. From his presentation, introduced by Charlie Luxton, it emerged how CUBE SYSTEM is a valid tool for overcoming the difficulties linked to the use, in the production of concrete, of cements with low clinker content and aggregates of varying quality. Mapei's integrated offer includes the supply of new-generation superplasticisers (DYNAMON CUBE) and strength enhancers (MAPECUBE), but also quality control of the mixtures and calculation of the environmental impact thanks to a tool (Concrete CO₂Calculator) which Mapei makes available to its customers.

Giorgio Ferrari, R&D Group Leader for High Performance Sustainable Solutions at Mapei Group, illustrated the advantages of the CUBE SYSTEM.

WHAT THEY HAD TO SAY

"Mapei UK was founded in 1989, in Middlesbrough. Today it is the market leader in products for the installation of ceramic and stone materials. In line with our internationalization strategy, we want to continue to strengthen our presence in this country, taking every opportunity to grow responsibly" - Veronica Squinzi, CEO of the Mapei Group.

"The new Speke plant and the innovative solutions we offer to the local market demonstrate the Mapei Group's commitment to the UK market," - Philip Breakspear, General Manager of Mapei UK.

"The Speke plant has strengthened Mapei's presence in the UK and enabled faster manufacturing processes with reduced environmental impact. This is not just a plant: it is a steppingstone into the future." - Julian Pritchard, Building Products Commercial Director, Mapei UK.

"The UK is traditionally regarded as one of the leading and most 'prestigious' markets in Europe and overseas. It is characterized by a strong demand for innovative and sustainable solutions, which is why we believe Mapei has a lot to offer in this country." - Cameron Bellman, Corporate Line Director, Concrete Admixtures, Mapei Group.

"CUBE SYSTEM, launched two years ago in Italy, is now gaining increasing attention and success worldwide. In addition to a wide range of admixtures to maintain the high performance of concrete, we also provide manufacturers with innovative tools such as the CO₂ Concrete Calculator, which allows them to calculate the CO₂ emissions of mixtures." - Gianluca Bianchin, Corporate Product Manager, Admixtures for Low Carbon Concrete, Mapei Group.

"The concrete industry is constantly evolving, and we are looking for high-performance concrete: our products try to bridge the gap between old materials quality and what the engineers want the concrete to do” - Ian Ellis, Head of Technical - Admixtures Mapei UK.

Mapei welcomes the Concrete Industry to New Speke Site

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#sustainability

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Admixtures for concrete