COMPANY FOCUS: TARMAC CEMENTING EFFICIENCY
Oliver Stanley visited Tarmac’s Tunstead cement plant in Buxton to learn more about the production of its construction materials
F
ounded in 1903, construction materials producer Tarmac has operated under various different parent company names. However, whether that’s Holcim, Tarmac or Lafarge, the Blue Circle brand has always been an iconic part of the brand’s cement offering. Tarmac’s combined operation at Tunstead is one of the largest in the UK, with a mix of quarrying, cement and lime manufacturing, and building material production all taking place at the site.
The quarry was established in the 1920s and, as the largest supplier of lime and lime-based products within the UK, is of national strategic importance.
Tarmac head of commercial, Paul Lees, explains: “The site processes millions of tons of cement for projects across the country. With no kilns in the South East where there is a lot of construction activity Tunstead can service that area via rail, with both packed and bulk product.”
The Tunstead site is the largest site within Tarmac and CRH, and serves as a key part of Tarmac’s network, which includes a number of different sites positioned across the UK. Lees continues: “When transporting bulk products like cement, we really have to consider how to optimize the movements around the network. The last thing we want to do is transport something from Scotland down to the South East. So, we really spend a lot of time thinking about how do we optimise those movements. We want the lowest cost to serve, but also we want to choose the least carbon intensive solution for us.
“Starting from the north, the Dunbar Quarry is our only cement manufacturing kiln in Scotland. We also have a rail connection within that site to connect it to our wider network. At the centre of the map, sit Tunstead and Barnstone, both with kilns, and down into the South West, towards the bottom end of Wales, we have Aberthaw, which features two packing lines, for paper and plastic, and also has a kiln.
18
“Then we have what we call our new plants, which produce things like mortars and concrete. The majority of our Postcrete cement is produced at Tunstead, and then we have a secondary site at our Barnstone plant.” Efficiency in operation is a core asset of the company’s practices, and the Tunstead site is run with that in mind.
Lees says; “When we talk about production efficiency, everyone talks about whether we use fuel, gas or electric, using bonemeal and other waste products down in the kiln, making use of a secondary product which is better than high carbon intensity products, but it’s also about using whatever you use more efficiently. In our crusher for example, we prioritise optimisation and organise constant drops so that crusher can run continuously during each shift, which avoids the spike in fuel consumption that comes from starting and stopping heavy machinery.” Tarmac has also announced the rollout of new 80% recycled plastic packaging across a large portion of its Blue Circle & Ready-to-use range.
The transition follows a comprehensive 15- month development programme, delivered in partnership with long-term packaging supplier RKW Group, including extensive on-site trials at Tunstead. More than half a million bags were tested to ensure the upgraded packaging maintains the same strength, durability and performance standards customers expect. “When EPR came in, which was a tax on packaging which ends up in a domestic waste stream, it hit us all in the pocket. EPR has made us look at the type of package we’ve been using. We don’t want to be using virgin packaging, we have to look at increasing the recycled content of our packaging. So, we’re currently using around 50%, and are doing trials to get up to 80% recycled material,” he says.
Around 80% of Tarmac’ bagged products, including Mastercrete and Postcrete, incorporate this upgrade.
Importantly, Lees adds, the new bags have no impact on product quality and have already been supplied to customers since Q2 last
year as part of a phased introduction designed to eliminate waste and maximise efficiency from trial materials.
All new Mastercrete and Postcrete packaging entering the supply chain will now clearly display “80% Recycled” on the bag.
“A lot of people ask why we don’t just get rid of the plastic bags, believing paper packaging is better,” Lees says. “The reality is that inside of the paper, there’s a plastic sleeve for waterproofing, which means you can’t easily recycle it. Plastic packaging can simply be washed and recycled.”
“The other thing that our research tells us is that a plastic bag can be stored outside, so for a merchant, that’s great because inside space is precious. They want all the high value goods in that area. Putting cement outside, as it is a fast moving product, frees them up a lot of space. If we used paper packaging, we would see around 20% of the material sent out being damaged or not fit for sale. And, if you’re damaging that amount of material, you end up having to make more, which means more carbon into the atmosphere. So, in a way, it’s the not so obvious things that make plastic more suitable.” The new packaging is currently being rolled out across all of Tarmac’s Blue Circle Packed Cement and Ready-to-use operations, with all new incoming stock moving to the 80% recycled specification as part of the company’s continued drive to make its operations as sustainable as possible. BMJ
www.buildersmerchantsjournal.net August 2026
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40
