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Butra HeidelbergCement (BHC) Sdn Bhd, the only cement producer in Brunei Darussalam, has expanded on their product line under the Brunei Cement brand with the launch of the 52.5 Brunei Cement. BHC managing director Marcelino Ugarte together with Pg Anak Haji Ja’afar Ibni Al-Marhum Pg Pemancha Pg Anak Haji Mohd Alam, BHC Board of Directors, and Kevin Gluskie, the Chief Executive Officer of Asia Pacific HeidelbergCement Group launched the new cement product yesterday. Among those who attended the event were His Excellency Peter Wolff, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Federal Republic of Germany to Brunei Darussalam, YB Ong Tiong Oh and various prominent key figures of the local construction industry.
The 52.5 Brunei Cement – a combination of clinker, gypsum and slag – is a breakthrough product innovation from the production team of BHC Sdn Bhd and reinforces the company’s strong commitment in building an avenue for sustainable construction in the country. Slag is a byproduct of steel production, and its addition as an ingredient reduces the amount of Carbon Dioxide emitted during cement production. The addition of slag in the 52.5 Brunei Cement also increases the durability of the cement produced, which makes for a more sustainable building by enhancing the performance of concrete structures and limiting the amount of repairs needed in concrete maintenance.
Brunei Cement is readily available nationwide in more than 80% of the hardware retail outlets in Brunei Darussalam. The addition of the 52.5 to the Brunei Cement brand will provide customers with cement that offers a variety of concrete application advantages. With the addition of slag, the 52.5 Brunei Cement has superior technical properties compared to other regular cement.
In his welcome speech, the managing director of BHC, Marcelino Ugarte iterated “We are grateful to His Majesty’s Government for its support and cooperation in helping us thrive and flourish as the only local cement producing company since 1996. We are committed to bring forth more innovative products in the future. The market is changing and the demand for more quality product to support the local construction industry is growing. Therefore we believe the launch of the new 52.5 Brunei Cement is timely and will bring positive effects to the construction landscape and beyond”.
The new cement improves concrete’s characteristics; improving its workability and cohesiveness, lowering heat of hydration therefore reducing surface cracks, increasing later strength, corrosion and sulphate resistant properties, as well as lowering the alkali content. These characteristics lead to concrete that will provide greater protection of embedded steel and ideal for coastal constructions. The low alkali content also eliminates the risk of alkali-aggregate reaction and reduces the environmental impact of concrete mixture with cement.
“Slag Cement is used internationally because it exhibits good durability, long term strength and high resistance to chloride penetration. The excellent properties make this the preferred choice of cement for large infrastructure projects and projects exposed to seawater environment. Using this cement will also reduce CO2 generation by reducing the amount of clinker incorporation thus helping the environment.” explained Terence Ong, the Technical Director and Head of HeidelbergCement Technology Centre, during his presentation.
This cement has already been used in major constructions around the world such as the New 7 World Trade Centre in New York City and the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge M25 in London. BHC Sdn Bhd is the first cement company to develop and introduce the new 52.5 with slag in Brunei Darussalam.
The wide range of benefits obtained from the 52.5 Brunei Cement will appeal to all segments of the local market – from large real estates and infrastructure projects to individual home owners. BHC Sdn Bhd is therefore proud to introduce the 52.5 Brunei Cement to Brunei Darussalam, a product that enhances strength, durability and sustainability. |
