How Pan-United is laying the foundations for the future of concrete
From lower-carbon materials to AI-powered operations, the company has transformed itself from a ready-mix concrete producer into an innovation-led business.
Pan-United Corporation, one of the top five concrete suppliers in Asia, is at the forefront of the industry's shift towards sustainability and innovation. The company, which has transformed itself from a ready-mix concrete producer to an innovation-led business, is addressing the need to reduce concrete's carbon footprint through advancements in materials and technology.
At The Skywaters' raft foundation mass pour last year, Pan-United delivered a truckload of concrete every two minutes for 35 hours non-stop. The project utilized specialized grades, including Pan-United's proprietary PanU Super Hi-Strength concrete, which reduces the amount of concrete needed and, consequently, the foundation's carbon footprint.
CEO Ken Loh explained that the company recognized early on that staying relevant required looking beyond conventional ready-mix concrete. Product innovation began in 2001 with research into reducing cement use in concrete, with Pan-United later developing specialized grades like PanU Super Hi-Strength concrete. These grades use less concrete and contribute to reducing the carbon footprint of building and infrastructure projects.
The company began digitizing its operations in 2014 to manage the increasing complexity of its business. AiR Digital, an operations platform that evolved from an in-house solution, now supports a growing customer base across the concrete and logistics sectors in Asia. By solving its own operational challenges, Pan-United created a technology business that can support a wider customer base.
Pan-United's approach to innovation has been to treat concrete as an engineered material rather than a commodity. This perspective allows for designing concrete mixes to achieve specific structural, durability, and sustainability outcomes tailored to each project. The company's low-carbon concrete solutions can now match or exceed the performance of conventional concrete, as demonstrated by PanU CMC+, which uses carbon capture and utilization technology to mineralize captured carbon dioxide within concrete, reducing cement consumption while improving strength.
To further demonstrate the performance of its low-carbon concrete solutions, Pan-United has developed PanU Hi-Albedo, designed to mitigate the urban heat island effect. This specialized concrete reduces surface temperatures on roads, walkways, and cycling paths, ultimately lowering outdoor ambient temperatures.
In 2022, Pan-United became the first concrete company in Asia to offer on-demand Environmental Product Declarations, providing customers with independently verified data for material selection and sustainability reporting.
Innovation at Pan-United is driven by a commitment to technically proven, commercially viable, and trusted technologies. The company invests in innovation to create long-term value, communicate its strategy clearly to investors, and respond to the growing demand for low-carbon construction materials. Looking ahead, Pan-United believes that challenges such as labor shortages and climate change will also present opportunities as developers and industry stakeholders increasingly prioritize sustainability.
Written by urgent.news from Channel News Asia's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
