One of Wales’ premier manufactures, Concrete Canvas Ltd. celebrated 10 years of design and manufacture in August, since the original concept to create a ‘building in a bag’ – an inflatable concrete shelter that needs only water and air for construction, that can be deployed in war zones or refugee camps and be useable 24 hours later. Needing first to actually invent CC in order to make the idea work, it was the material itself that ended up being the more commercially viable product, and the company has recently been recognised by the Wales Quality Centre with the 2014 Innovation Award.
CC is produced in roll format and is exported to over 40 countries worldwide for use in a variety of applications, from ditch lining to slope protection. It is ideal for challenging and remote environments, such as those in the mining sector. It also has significantly reduced shipment costs and logistics, with installation being around 10 times faster than conventional concrete.
Currently, 80% of sales come from exports, with shipments made to Thailand, Australia, Russia, Japan and Malaysia in the first 10 days of July alone. The products are used in the mining and petrochemical sectors, as well as in a wide range of civil infrastructure projects for road and rail. There are a wide range of applications in the recycling industry. Business continues to grow rapidly at around 90% per annum, a fact recognised by the Sunday Times Fast Track 100 league table where the company was ranked 16th fastest growing company in the UK, 2nd fastest growing manufacturing company in the UK and fastest growing company in Wales.
Concrete Canvas continues to expand. This is most recently demonstrated by signing a distribution agreement with PT Multiagung Setiajaya (MAS) that will be worth £850 000 over the next 3 years.
Edited from various sources by Rebecca Bowden