US: A court in Savannah, Georgia, has sentenced Evans Concrete and four executives for conspiring to fix prices, rig bids and allocate jobs in the local ready-mix concrete business between 2010 until 2016. Foreign Affairs News has reported that Evans Concrete will pay a US$2.7m fine, while alleged co-conspirator Argos USA will pay a US$20m criminal penalty under a deferred prosecution agreement. Of the four individuals, three will serve combined prison sentences of 72 months and pay a total US$210,000 in fines and one received a year’s probation.

The Justice Department’s Antitrust Division said "The Antitrust Division and its law enforcement partners will hold accountable those who seek to exploit the critical need for these materials to harm consumers."

US: Cement mixer truck driver Allard Tigchelar, from Cemex USA’s Prescott, Arizona, ready-mix concrete plant, won gold representing his company at the National Mixer Driver Championship 2024 at the National Ready Mixed Concrete Association’s ConcreteWorks concrete conference in Aurora, Colorado, on 12 – 13 October 2024. Concrete Products News has reported that the championship pitted drivers against one another in an eight-challenge truck driving course designed to test vehicle handling skills. This was followed by vehicle inspection and an exam for drivers. Florida-based Maschmeyer Concrete driver Damion Wynter came second and Illinois-based Ozinga Ready Mix Concrete driver Garret Lytle came third.

Allard Tigchelar claimed US$6000 in prize money from the Truck Mixer Manufacturers Bureau. Wynter won US$3000 and Lytle US$1500.

Czech Republic: Austria-based Wienerberger has successfully acquired concrete paving products company Betonarna Lesonice for an undisclosed sum. Betonarna Lesonice’s auxiliary product lines include acoustic insulation.

Wienerberger CEO Heimo Scheuch said “The acquisition of Betonarna Lesonice puts us in an excellent position to meet the demand for concrete paving solutions in infrastructure and residential construction in the Czech Republic. While boosting local value-creation, this acquisition also aligns with our sustainability goals by reducing transport distances to cut emissions. It further supports the circular economy, as the solutions incorporate a high percentage of recycled materials. All these factors are integral to our value-accretive growth strategy, which has been furthered by this step.”

UK: Graphene-enhanced concrete admixture developer Concretene has raised €3.5m in an investment round led by technology venture capital (VC) firm Molten Ventures. Fellow VC LocalGlobe supplied additional funding. Concretene says that the finances will support scale-up and product certification of its liquid admixture. The product increases various performance metrics of concrete, while reducing cement requirements, according to the developer. It derives its graphene from industrial by-products from the energy sector.

Concretene chief operating officer Mike Harrison said "We’re delighted to welcome Molten Ventures to join with us and LocalGlobe on our mission to decarbonise concrete. We also want to thank LocalGlobe for their enthusiasm and support in getting Concretene off the ground. Our team in Manchester has a unique combination of expertise and experience across construction and nanomaterial science, which will enable us to deliver our next stage of development and earn industry confidence and certification.”

George Chalmers, head of climate at Molten Ventures, said "Concretene has made tremendous strides in getting its technology out of the lab and into meaningful real-world projects and applications. Its solution, viable today, is poised to make a meaningful impact in reducing emissions in one of the hardest to abate sectors. We are delighted to support Concretene’s world-class team of scientists and operators in scaling its solution across the industry.”