CEMEX building materials technology development and application projects are part of the global R&D collaboration network, headed by CEMEX Research Center, based in Switzerland.)
In Philippine infrastructure development, construction innovations are fundamental in supporting the country’s growing cities and developing rural areas. Roads that are completed efficiently allow people to go about their daily tasks, and improve productivity, health, and quality of life.
As part of its vision to revolutionize the way people live, work, and pave the way towards present and future progress, building solutions leader, CEMEX Philippines, introduced the groundbreaking Promptis concrete solution in response to the call to build better roads that can be passable for vehicles after only one day.
Promptis has innovative rapid hardening qualities that, when mixed with concrete, achieves its maximum strength in as low as 3% the amount of time prescribed for conventional methods.
As road projects are foremost in its endeavours for nation-building, the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) certified Promptis in 2016 as the first admixture technology that is approved for use in any one-day concrete application in public road works.
With Promptis, the DPWH and its contractors are provided a cost efficient alternative in completing road projects. Consequently, commuters, workers, businesses, families and communities become better connected as well after only one day of road construction, rehabilitation, and repair.
The DPWH expressed its confidence for Promptis after successful trials were completed for national road projects such as in Limay, Bataan, Ayala Bridge in Manila, EDSA Taft, Commonwealth Avenue, and EDSA Ortigas going to Boni Avenue.
After two years of testing and evaluation, it has been proven that areas where Promptis was poured pass DPWH standards for flexural strength despite being opened to heavy traffic in less than one day of curing.
DPWH sees Promptis as a practical solution that will allow the agency to complete construction projects that are crucial to sustaining the country’s strong economic progress. Through Promptis, the agency can complete road projects, maintain quality while minimizing road closures that affect regular commuters. In addition to roads and pavements, Promptis can also be used in vertical applications such as pre-cast elements and high rise buildings.
CEMEX Philippines sees the DPWH accreditation as an opportunity to present more efficient and sustainable building solutions that will improve infrastructure development in countries where it operates.
Aside from Promptis, the company’s other technological innovations are specifically designed to address relevant needs as well. In the recently concluded CEMEX Experts’ Forum: Fast Forward, Build the Future Now which was held in Mactan, Cebu, the company showcased Hidratium, which has self-curing properties and requires less maintenance, Resilia that can replace steel reinforcements without compromising on providing hyper strength and ductility, Pervia for flood management, and Roller Compacted Concrete (RCC) that combines the strength and durability of concrete with ease of construction.
The launch was followed by the “Fast Forward: Promptis One-Day Concrete and Advanced Paving Solutions Workshop” that was jointly held by the DPWH and CEMEX Philippines at the CEMEX Terminal at Manila Port Harbour.
Promptis’ quick drying properties and RCC’s paving efficiency were demonstrated on a property in need of repair. The participants of the concrete laying activity, which include DPWH’s technical teams, ready-mix companies, developers, and contractors, learned about the technologies’ versatility and capabilities.
The demonstration was followed by a forum where CEMEX experts further discussed the admixtures’ properties and easy application methods. After a span of only a few hours, the participants were led back to the concrete laying demonstration site and witnessed the rapid hardening quality and optimal results delivered by the technologies after a pick-up truck drove over the freshly paved road.
With technological innovation as a key CEMEX thrust, the company continuously takes on the challenge of providing high quality solutions that put its customers at the heart of its efforts. CEMEX Philippines’ partnership with the DPWH positions Promptis as one of the technologies at the forefront of building better roads—and this is part of the company’s commitment to offer technologies that can cope with the present and foreseeable needs of the future, and support building public infrastructures that help drive nation-building. ADVT