Cemex considers industrialized construction and 3D printing as its priorities related to the construction of the future.In particular, the company focuses on off-site industrialized, modular and prefabricated construction.This type of construction uses standardized techniques and processes in production plants to manufacture components that are then assembled at the construction site.Cemex also considers advanced construction materials; 3D printing; robotics; and machine-assisted applications to be of paramount importance.Headquartered in Mexico, the company is a leading multinational in the building materials industry.

Cemex

Advanced materials offer superior characteristics in terms of strength, durability, sustainability, energy efficiency, and other properties compared to traditional materials. Examples of these include ultra-high-performance concrete and composite materials such as fiber cement.Another of Cemex’s strategic focuses is on smart cities and smart buildings.These buildings are equipped with energy-saving equipment for the efficient operation of all components and systems in a building, including lighting; monitoring; safety and security; emergency systems; heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems; and parking. The concept of smart buildings has gained momentum due to the increasing adoption of IoT solutions and services and the growing deployment of IoT sensors.

3D printing

A major development in Cemex’s admixture research and development efforts has been the development of the D.fab family of admixtures for 3D printing of ready-mix concrete, a true first. With D.fab technology, it is possible to adopt locally sourced materials, instead of bagged and highly specific, as well as very expensive, mortar products, to produce real 3D printed construction concrete at one-sixth the price of mortars. Cemex and its 3D Printing partner COBOD, manufacturers of multifunctional construction robots based on 3D printing technology, have seen a very significant adoption of D.fab technology in 2023, where 55% of projects were printed by COBOD. 

Cemex: approach

The company has among its priorities cons future outlook the following:

• Green Building-Capture, utilization and storage of CO2.
• Water savings and new energy sources. 
• Productivity Improvement-Project design, specification and budgeting.
• Sustainable materials.
• Circular economy.
• Construction Supply Chain-Materials, resource procurement and markets.
• Waste management and recycling.