Concrete services, supplies and equipment covering nearly 180 product groups are appearing at the 2016 UK Concrete Show at Birmingham’s NEC this month.
Here’s a snapshot of what’s coming up

According to Paul Shelley, the Concrete Show’s sales director, this year’s show has built on the success of last year’s to deliver “a complete showcase of just about everything to do with concrete”.

The range of products on show includes admixtures, batching plants, BIM software, cement storage, reinforcement, concrete repair, diamond drilling and cutting, formwork and floor sealing products, pumps, polishing equipment, precast products and truck mixers.

Many of the biggest names in concrete are exhibiting, according to the organisers, plus over 35 completely new exhibitors from countries as far afield as China, Sweden, Turkey and the UAE.

Here’s a flavour of some of the products and services on show:

Manchester-based Burnus is exhibiting its range of steel and glass reinforcing fibres, together with other reinforcement products including rebar and rebar tying systems.

Swedish hydrodemolition specialist Aquajet Systems is showing what it claims is the world’s smallest hydrodemolition robot. The company also has details of its new water treatment unit which it plans to launch this year.

Huntsman, a worldwide supplier of concrete colouring systems based on Teesside, recently acquired US company Rockwood and now offers a much wider range of pigments, many of which are on display at the show.

UK specialist Fibre Technologies International is focusing on its high-zirconia, alkali-resistant, glass reinforcing fibre products. It is also displaying examples of other products including acrylic polymers, rheology modifiers and rubber moulds designed for making glass-reinforced concrete elements.

OMAG, a medium-sized, employee-owned company from Germany, is exhibiting its range of mixing and batching plants designed specifically for the precast and concrete block industry.

Northumberland-based Advance Group is giving live demonstrations of concrete polishing throughout the show. The company also specialises in the repair and refurbishment of industrial floors, slip resistance testing and anti-slip treatments for concrete slabs and other hard surfaces.

Two Chinese exhibitors – Wuhan Laser Diamond and Xiamen Murat Tool – are exhibiting for the first time. As its name implies, Wuhan manufactures a range of laser-welded diamond cutting tools and diamond wire for use with a wide range of concrete cutting and drilling equipment.

Xiamen specialises in the production of tools and accessories for polishing and grinding machines, including polishing pads and cutting and grinding wheels.

US manufacturer Construction Forms has been producing concrete pumping systems and accessories for over 40 years. The company is represented at the show by Cwmbran-based Conforms Europe.

Turkish firm HAZ Metal AS is also represented by its UK arm – Haz International. Located in Iskenderun, in the southern part of Turkey, HAZ designs and manufactures fixing systems for façade cladding, with products such as anchors, framing channels, cast-in channels, support and restraint brackets and anchor bolts.

Swedish manufacturer Combiform and its UK distributor Floor Levelling Systems are introducing the Combiform Floor Levelling System, which fulfils the functions of a form system, screed rail, dowel bar holder and construction joint.

Among the concrete pumping companies present at the show is Reilly Concrete Pumping which offers a service in Scotland and northern England from depots in Cumbria, Aberdeen, Bathgate, Thirsk, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Leeds, Manchester, Scarborough and Stoke-on-Trent.

Since its launch in 1984, Rentajet has become one of the UK’s best-known water jetting specialists. The company is exhibiting a range of services including hydrodemolition and abrasive water jet cold cutting.

Watco UK is appearing at the UK Concrete Show with a wide range of epoxy resin coatings, concrete repair materials and anti-slip products for floors, steps and ramps.

Bridgend Extrusion produces the K-Form cast-in 100% recycled uPVC shuttering system. With an integral joint system and a removable top strip, K-Form’s easy-to-use concrete shuttering system is designed specially for the road construction sector.

Italian exhibitor MCF Systems is displaying examples from its range of planetary, single-shaft and twin-shaft mixers, along with fixed, semi-mobile and mobile batching plants. Accessories including conveyor belts of all sizes and types, cement silos, truck mixers and concrete pumps.

• The UK Concrete Show takes place in Hall 5 at the National Exhibition Centre, Birmingham, on Wednesday 17th and Thursday 18th February.