Swiss building materials company Holcim is advancing its sustainability strategy in the German cement market and positioning itself as a provider of CO₂-reduced products. However, while the cement industry itself ranks among the most emission-intensive sectors, the changed material requirements have direct impacts on the entire construction value chain – including manufacturers of hydraulic excavators, wheel loaders and compaction equipment.
Low-CO₂ cements: Different formulations, different compaction properties
Holcim's strategy is based on modified cement formulations in which the clinker content – the most energy-intensive element in cement production – is replaced by alternative binders such as fly ash, blast furnace slag or calcined clays. While this substitution significantly reduces CO₂ emissions in production, it also changes the material properties in the fresh and hardened state. For compaction processes on the construction site, this means: modified binders can lead to different setting and hardening times, which in turn requires adapted compaction regimes.
Compaction equipment such as compaction rollers or plate compactors must offer more flexible operating parameters in the future. Manufacturers such as BOMAG and HAMM face the task of adapting their machine technology to the changing rheological properties of these new building materials. This becomes particularly relevant for subgrade stabilization and layer work in road construction, as CO₂-reduced cement types could in future also be used in unbound base courses and stabilization layers.
Material handling: When cement becomes lighter but more demanding
The modified formulations also affect the handling and transport of cement on construction sites. While clinker has high density, alternative binders are often more voluminous with lower specific weight. This leads to higher material volumes for identical quantities in tons. For wheel loaders and telescopic loaders that move building materials, this means: larger bucket volumes are needed, but at the same time machine control must be able to respond to changed load distributions.
Manufacturers such as Liebherr, Caterpillar and Volvo Construction Equipment must adapt their loader concepts so that bucket geometries and payload capacities can be flexibly combined. Particularly with fine materials – such as fly ash or blast furnace slag powder – dust generation increases. This requires improved cabin air systems and possibly additional dust binding systems on the attachment.
Hydraulic systems under continuous load
Modified material parameters can also place higher demands on the hydraulic systems of excavators and loaders. If binders hydrate faster or harden more heterogeneously, processes such as mixing, distributing and compacting become more time-critical. This means: hydraulic drives must be more precisely controllable. Moreover, new mixing methods – for example in soil stabilization – could require the use of special attachments that introduce material in fine doses. Manufacturers of attachments such as Wacker Neuson or Wirtgen Group could respond here with adapted mixing and installation equipment.
Recycling offensive: Increased use of crushing and screening technology
Parallel to CO₂ reduction in cement production, Holcim is expanding the circular economy. Recycled aggregates are to be increasingly used in concretes in the future. This in turn shifts demand towards mobile and stationary crushing plants and screening plants. Companies such as Kleemann, Sandvik and Metso benefit from the fact that demolition material is processed rather than landfilled.
For excavator operators, this means: the use of demolition excavators with specialized tools such as sorting grabs, pulverizers or hydraulic shears will increase. Material handling and pre-sorting on construction sites also become increasingly important – with direct effects on machine utilization and required technical equipment. Those who want to operate in the urban demolition and recycling market in the future must invest in flexibly deployable carrier equipment and high-quality attachments.
Transport logistics: Shorter delivery routes, decentralized production
Holcim's sustainability strategy also includes decentralization of production. Low-CO₂ cements are increasingly being manufactured in regional plants to shorten transport distances. This has consequences for logistics on the construction site: smaller batches, more frequent deliveries and tighter time windows require more efficient material handling. Wheel loaders with fast loading cycles and telematics integration become key factors to minimize downtime.
Dumpers and articulated dump trucks could also be increasingly involved in internal transport in the future if materials are transported directly from decentralized mixing plants to installation sites. Manufacturers such as Volvo CE already have electric dumpers in serial production – a technological advantage if relying on emission-free construction site logistics. However, the availability of charging infrastructure becomes a limiting factor for broad market penetration.
Machine control and documentation: Quality assurance goes digital
The changed material parameters of CO₂-low cements require close quality control on the construction site. This particularly affects compaction work. Systems such as quality control compaction using integrated sensors in rollers are increasingly becoming standard. Manufacturers such as BOMAG with the BOMAP system or HAMM with HCQ measurement technology rely on real-time monitoring of compaction performance.
GPS machine control and BIM integration are also becoming more important when structures are built with new materials. Digital documentation of installation parameters, compaction degrees and material batches becomes a prerequisite for warranty and liability. For construction contractors, this means: investments in digital machine equipment are no longer optional but business-critical.
Technological pressure: OEMs must respond
Holcim's push in sustainability is not an isolated case but part of a broad industry trend. Other major building material manufacturers are following suit, and policy is also tightening regulatory requirements for CO₂ emissions in construction. For construction machinery manufacturers, this means: requirements for material processing, energy efficiency and digital integration are increasing in parallel. Those unable to adapt their machines to new building materials and processes will lose market share.
Major OEMs such as Caterpillar, Komatsu or Liebherr have a technological advantage here through their research and development capabilities. Smaller manufacturers need to think about cooperations with building material producers or research institutions to help shape development. The close integration of building material science and machine technology will determine competitiveness in the future.
Conclusion: Green cement as a driver for machine technology
Holcim's strategy to transform the German cement market through sustainability is more than a marketing claim. It concretely changes the requirements for construction machinery, attachments and compaction technology. For construction contractors, this means: those who opt for sustainable building materials must also invest in adapted machine technology. For manufacturers, it means: product development must be more closely integrated with building material manufacturers to maintain market relevance. The green transformation of the construction industry is not a distant future scenario – it is already happening today and measurably shifting technological priorities in the construction machinery industry.
Further information on the effects of sustainable building materials on machine technology can be found in the articles Holcim's sustainability strategy: What changes for excavators, wheel loaders and crushing plants?, Green cement from Holcim: How CO₂ reduction changes compaction and transport logistics and Kleemann sustainability: How concrete is the green turnaround in crushing and screening plants?.
