Tarmac plan to make more of mortar
TARMAC are to invest more than £20 million over five years in the strategic development of their national mortar business. In the first phase of this investment, the company has expanded its dry silo mortar (DSM) business with the creation of a fifth DSM plant at Colchester Quarry, and construction of another plant south of the Thames is expected to start next year.
Darren Waters, Tarmac’s mortar director, commented: ‘We believe the scale and pace of our plans to expand our dry silo mortar business, which includes the construction of two new plants, will change the shape of the UK market.
‘We have noted in recent years that just as demand for dry silo mortar has grown, so demand for ready-to-use products has increased. Developers continue to use both products, preferring to use ready-to-use mortar when building first starts on site, before water and power supplies are in place, or during the final stages of the build when space on site is limited. For this reason, we are choosing to invest in both areas of our mortar production and distribution business.’
Tarmac say they plan to create new DSM plants close to existing sand reserves, ensuring both a regular feed supply and that reserves are in place to meet increased production capacity in the future. Each dry silo mortar plant will be capable of producing between 400 and 800 tonnes a day, or 100,000 to 200,000 tonnes per annum.
In addition to the construction of the new dry silo mortar plants, Tarmac’s five-year plan includes investment in a further 250 mobile silo units so supplies of dry silo mortar can be stored at building sites. Three traditional mortar plants will also be completely rebuilt.
The move to grow Tarmac’s presence in the UK mortar market represents a significant step for the business, which following its recent restructuring is seeking to capitalize on evolving market opportunities and reinforce its product and service offering.
‘Tarmac have a long and established presence in the mortar market, as a traditional provider of ready-to-use product. While much has been done in the last decade to develop our offering to include dry silo mortar, we are now ready and equipped to accelerate our move into this market place,’ said Mr Waters.
