HOLCIM Philippines Inc. reintroduced its innovative road infrastructure cement Solido on July 4 in Davao City, further improving the product to develop the early strength required for road projects.
Aside from its enhanced durability, the road cement Solido also exceeded the construction industry’s compressive strength standards for the 28-day mark and continues to grow stronger as an alternative to original Portland cement (OPC) for road building given its performance advantages.
During their press briefing on July 4, Albert Leoveras, Holcim Philippines Retail Sales’ senior vice president, said they are looking into expanding their product reach into the rural areas of Mindanao.
“We are actually looking into expanding our partners and providing this product across everyone in the region. So hindi lang siya dito sa urban areas, including rural areas, our products are made available. We have two plants that can service the requirements for everyone else in Mindanao,” Leoveras said.
Holcim PH’s chief sustainability officer Samuel Manlosa also highlighted how their products provide sustainable opportunities and solutions for their partners.
“We strongly believe that the construction industry in the Philippines can become better in the way we build. We are very antiquated in our building practices in the country, buildings that do not require high carbon emissions cement,” Manlosa said.
Manlosa said Solido’s formulation now emits less heat when hydrated to prevent thermal cracks that erode a concrete structure’s durability, making it ideal for mass concrete pours where the rate of temperature rise and the maximum temperature achieved must be controlled to reduce the risk of thermal cracking.
First introduced in Davao in 2018, Solido has become a strong alternative to ordinary Portland cement (OPC) for road building given its performance advantages.
Ram Maganti, Holcim PH’s Infrastructure and Industrial Sales senior vice president, said Solido is also encouraging their customers to utilize construction materials that promote sustainability.
“What we are offering is the same result and lower carbon dioxide, which is what Solido is. We also offer various options to our customers as we don’t want to pull off OPC all of a sudden,” Maganti said.
Since 2018, Holcim Philippines has reduced its carbon footprint by more than 20% by producing more blended cement, replacing coal with qualified wastes as alternative fuels and raw materials, and improving the efficiency of operations.
“Solido is also better for the environment than OPC since it is produced with a lower carbon footprint and virgin natural resources,” the statement reads.
The company’s carbon footprint reduction program is aligned with the Holcim Group’s net zero direction and the country’s Nationally Determined Contributions.
Holcim Philippines also works with key stakeholders to encourage the consumption of low-carbon products to help reduce the footprint of the built environment.
