DAVAO CITY – A building solutions provider officially relaunched their road infrastructure cement here on Thursday, July 4.
HOLCIM Philippines SVP for Retail Sales Albert Leoveras (left), SVP for Infrastructure and Industrial Sales Ram Maganti, and Chief Sustainability Officer Samuel Manlos Jr. relaunch road infrastructure cement Solido on Thursday, July 4, in a hotel in Davao City. (Ivy Tejano)
Holcim Senior Vice President for Infrastructure and Industrial Sales Ram Maganti said Solido has a lower environmental impact than the ordinary portland cement (OPC).
Maganti said the company used around 70 percent clinker instead of 90 percent in Solido, which means the amount of carbon dioxide emitted during the work process is reduced without compromising the overall performance. He added that they also refrain from using coal.
“We have the original cement, the OPC, but we offer our customers an option. The proposition is progress. It is about building things in a new way with the same result while reducing carbon dioxide,” Maganti said, adding that Solido still makes the concrete more robust and durable.
Maganti said Solido, first introduced in Davao in 2018, has become a solid alternative to an OPC for road-building, given its performance advantages. With such a cement product, Holcim is aiding its partners' in achieving high-quality project outcomes, he added.
Holcim Philippines President and Chief Executive Office Horia Adrian assured that the new Solido is aligned with their commitment to creating significant value for their customers through an innovative building solution that enables them to deliver high-quality projects.
Adrian said the company improved the product to achieve the early strength needed for the road projects. He added that Solido exceeds the construction industry’s 28-day compressive strength standards and continues to grow stronger than OPC.
“We are confident that our partners will find the improved Solido the superior option for building road infrastructures in the country. Its formulation is enhanced to emit less heat when hydrated to prevent thermal cracks that erode a concrete structure’s durability,” Adrian said.
Adrian emphasized Solido's unique attributes, which makes it ideal for mass concrete pours where the rate of temperature rises and the maximum temperature achieved is controlled to reduce the risk of thermal cracking.
Holcim Chief Sustainability Officer Samuel Manlosa Jr. said the Solido is more environmentally friendly than OPC, as it is produced with a lower carbon footprint and uses fewer virgin natural resources.
“It has always been part of the company’s ongoing efforts to offer low-carbon building solutions to promote sustainable construction. We took it upon ourselves to look at the market that could benefit from using a better product than the existing one,” Manlosa said.
Since 2018, Holcim Philippines has cut its carbon footprint by over 20 percent by using more blended cement types, substituting coal with approved waste as alternative fuels and materials, and improving operational efficiency.
“About being environmentally friendly, we continue to push for a lower environmental footprint for our products, and we can guarantee you that Solido is very competitive in reducing carbon footprint,” Manlosa said.
Maganti said the company’s carbon footprint reduction program is aligned with Holcim’s net zero direction and the country’s nationally determined contributions. He added that they encouraged everyone to use Solido, though OPC is still in the market, for the betterment of the country.
Holcim Senior Vice President for Retail Sales Albert Leoveras said Holcim Philippines is working with key stakeholders to encourage the consumption of low-carbon products to help reduce the footprint of the built environment.
Leoveras assured that the product has a reasonable price and it would be best to focus more on the value and long durability the Solido can create rather than the cost.