Concrete Canvas Celebrate 10 Years of Design and Manufacture

22 December, 2015

First published in the December 2015 issue of Quarry Management as Success Built on Innovation

Award-winning Concrete Canvas celebrate 10 years of design and manufacture

Innovation is the foundation for the success for Concrete Canvas Ltd, who this year celebrated 10 years of design and manufacture. During this time, the South Wales-based company has won a series of awards, most recently being recognized by the Wales Quality Centre with the 2014 Innovation Award.

Company founders William Crawford and Peter Brewin invented Concrete Canvas (CC) while studying at the Royal College of Art in London. Their original concept was 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 24h later. The pair had to invent CC to make their Concrete Canvas shelters idea work, but it turned out that the material itself was the more commercially viable product.

Today, CC is produced in roll formats and exported to more than 40 countries worldwide. It is used for a variety of applications such as slope protection and ditch and bund lining. CC is also well suited to challenging and remote environments, such as those found in the mining sector, where the fabric has been used to line drainage channels and create vent walls.

Shipment costs and logistics are significantly reduced as one pallet of CC can cover the same square metreage as two ready-mixed concrete trucks, with installation being around 10 times faster than conventional concrete. Also, CC reaches 80% of its 28-day strength in just 24h, significantly reducing time on site, track closures or the length of time vital infrastructure has to be taken offline.

The first Concrete Canvas production facility was in Northampton, where the pair worked on the initial designs and concept before moving to South Wales in 2007. Wales was chosen due to the start-up support available from the Welsh Government, as well as the availability of a skilled workforce and a good plant location. Concrete Canvas now employ more than 30 people, with further expansion planned.

Currently, 80% of the company’s sales come from exports, with shipments made to Thailand, Australia, Russia, Japan and Malaysia in the first 10 days of July this year 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 is also a wide range of applications in the recycling industry.

Concrete Canvas say business is continuing to grow rapidly at around 90% per annum, a fact recognized by The Sunday Times Fast Track 100 league table, where the firm was ranked 16th fastest-growing company in the UK, second fastest-growing manufacturing company in the UK and fastest-growing company in Wales. The firm’s continuing expansion was most recently demonstrated by the signing of a distribution agreement with Indonesian mining equipment suppliers PT Multiagung Setiajaya (MAS), which will be worth £850,000 over the next three years.

Lloyds Bank have worked with Concrete Canvas since 2009, providing financial guidance and support. The company’s rapid growth created specific financial needs and Concrete Canvas say the bank’s ability to respond rapidly was vital to their success. Also, as a sponsor of the Wales Quality Centre and the 2014 Awards, Lloyds Bank nominated Concrete Canvas for the Innovation Award.

Explaining the significance of winning the award, William Crawford said: ‘Awards give credibility to and awareness of what we are doing, and it is fantastic for our team to be recognized for their hard work. We wish to thank Lloyds Bank for the nomination and the Wales Quality Centre for recognizing the innovation our company prides itself on.

‘Both Peter and I are passionate about innovation and creating unique and revolutionary products that are changing the construction industry. We continue to commit to research and development with approximately 20% of our turnover reinvested annually. This is a very exciting time for the company.’

For more information visit: www.concretecanvas.com