Wagners concrete technology goes global

WAGNERS enters into global partnership with $11 billion Indian conglomerate to create an international market for its environmentally friendly concrete.

UPDATE: WAGNERS has entered into a global partnership with an $11 billion Indian conglomerate to create an international market for its environmentally friendly concrete.

Wagners and the JSW Group's JSW Cement signed a Memorandum of Understanding yesterday to enter into a joint venture agreement by the end of the year, which will take Wagners Earth Friendly Concrete technology into India.  

Wagers director Joe Wagner said they hoped to penetrate the Indian market and utilise the by-product the JSW Group produced from its steel and power production.

"It's another great milestone, the work that has been put into the EFC technology in the last nine to 10 years is huge and it's great to see a company wanting to embrace that technology in their country," he said.

Mr Wagner explained their concrete had an 80-90 per cent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions and structural benefits such as low shrinkage, high flexural and tensile strength, low heat and far greater durability compared to other concrete.

"The environmental problems that India has and the availability of the by-product in India allows the technology to offer a real commercial benefit."

He said they had been working on this partnership for the past six months and were currently in the process of taking the concrete to more countries.

JSW Cement managing director Parth Jindal said it was a historic step for their company that gave them a great competitive advantage.

"Because JSW has the ability to leverage the by-products that we produce, and with the Wagners technology, we will be able to come out with a product that has the potential to really disrupt the Indian concrete space," Mr Jindal said.

JSW is the largest producer of steel in India and the third largest producer of power.

"This really could be a game changer and I'm actually really glad that we've found the Wagners before anyone else did," Mr Jindal said.

"We have done a lot of joint ventures with international organisations, but this is the first time we are doing it with an Australian company."  

SOLID START: ( From left ) JSW Cement managing director Parth Jindal and Wagners Earth Friendly Concrete director Joe Wagner sign a business agreement. Friday Oct 21, 2016. Picture: Nev Madsen

EARLIER: TOOWOOMBA-based construction materials and infrastructure business Wagners has struck a watershed agreement that will create a huge international market for its award-winning Earth Friendly Concrete technology.

A Memorandum of Understanding will be signed today between Wagners and the $11billion Indian conglomerate, JSW Group's - JSW Cement.

Wagners Earth Friendly Concrete director Joe Wagner said the MOU was a ground-breaking step towards an imminent joint venture between the two family-owned companies to produce EFC geopolymer concrete in India.

He said the joint venture would introduce the EFC technology into a marketplace, which produces more than 500 million m3 of concrete a year - by 2017.

"This is a very exciting opportunity for us to partner with a company who has a similar attitude towards construction materials with carbon footprint reduction and is one of the country's top cement producers," Mr Wagner said.

"JSW Cement is one of the leading brands in India and the joint venture will mean India can use our technology to recycle JSW's steel and power production by-products."

Wagners EFC geopolymer concrete is used as a low carbon alternative to conventional concrete, with the product containing no Portland cement, resulting in a significant reduction in greenhouse gas emissions.

Mr Wagner said in addition to an 80-90 per cent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, EFC had structural benefits such as low shrinkage, higher flexural and tensile strength, low heat and far greater durability compared to that of the normal Portland-based concretes.

The JSW Group is one of the leading conglomerates in India, with a presence in the United States, South America and Africa.

The JSW group is a part of the O.P. Jindal Group with strong businesses in steel, energy, infrastructure, cement, ventures and sports. It has more than 40,000 employees.

More than 50,000 cubic metres of EFC has been used in the construction of the heavy duty aircraft pavements that form the taxiway, apron and turning node areas as well as other civil and building works throughout the Brisbane West Wellcamp Airport precinct.

Originally published as Wagners concrete technology goes global