Internationally Acclaimed Concrete Cloth And ‘Building-In-A-Bag’ Launched In SA

Durban, November 1, 2010 – Concrete Canvas UK, manufacturers of the ground breaking material technology, Concrete Cloth and the revolutionary Concrete Canvas Shelter “Building-in-a-Bag” have appointed an agent in South Africa that will service the entire African continent.

Inventors William Crawford and Peter Brewin, co-owners of Concrete Canvas UK, initially developed Concrete Cloth for the rapidly deployable Concrete Canvas Shelter, a ‘building in a bag’ that requires only water and air for construction. The Concrete Cloth, which hardens on hydration to form a durable, waterproof and fire retardant concrete layer, together with Concrete Canvas Shelters have won 13 internationally acclaimed awards since inception in 2005. Of particular interest is that Concrete Canvas walked away with the inaugural Saatchi and Saatchi Award in 2009, beating well-known contender’s Wikipedia.

According to Durban based entrepreneur, Greg Neil, owner and appointed agent for Concrete Canvas South Africa, “Concrete Cloth has revolutionised the civil, mining and construction sectors and is currently being used around the world for not only Concrete Canvas Shelters but also for a number of other applications.”

He explains that the applications for these industries are vast and include;

1. Civil: binding layers in foundations, rapid roadways, ditch lining, roofing, asbestos containment and even DIY applications
2.  Military: sandbag defences, gabions, helicopter dust suppression surfaces
3. Mining: drainage, vent walls, blocking walls, pipe protection

Neil first came across the flexible, cement-impregnated fabric on the Discovery Channel more than a year ago. He immediately saw the potential in the South African market and sought to secure the rights.

Although Concrete Cloth has already been granted a British and American Standards Certification, Concrete Canvas SA is currently in the process of acquiring the South African Bureau of Standards (SABS) Certification as well.

Concrete Cloth is a unique patented product and this is the first time it has been made available to the South African (and African) market. Neil says, “Since there is no product like it, it is often compared to conventional concrete. And, whilst Concrete Cloth has the same capabilities that normal concrete does, the technical, strength, environmental and time-saving aspects overshadow that of traditional concrete. In fact, in some cases Concrete Cloth is not just the better alternative to concrete, but the better solution.”

Neil says there are stark differences between Concrete Cloth and conventional concrete beginning with the quality and ending in the timesaving and user-friendliness. He states the differences below:

In addition, this revolutionary product has twice the as abrasion resistance  as normal concrete and you really need only add water! Currently, Concrete Cloth costs slightly more than traditional concrete however the time-saving, strength and labour costs make this product a first class alternative. “In fact” Neil says, “we are currently looking at erecting a local manufacturing plant in order to bring down the cost of the product to the end user. In addition, we hope that through this manufacturing plant we will be able to do our ‘bit’ to boost both the local economy and in turn assist with job creation.”

For more information on Concrete Cloth, go to www.concretecanvassa.co.za or contact Greg Neil on 083 325 9001.

Press Release disseminated on behalf of:                         

Concrete Canvas South Africa

Greg Neil

Tel: 083 325 9001

Email: greg.neil@concretecanvas.co.za

Press Release disseminated by:

Samantha Watt

Public Relations Consultant

Tel: 072 320 6769