Ashtech International, manufacturer and supplier of fly ash in the Middle East and India, recently opened a new terminal at Al Ghail Industrial Park in Ras Al Khaimah as part of a strategic move to facilitate bulk supplies.

The Mumbai-headquartered company said similar terminals would be set up in other Gulf states.
Ashtech has eight strategically located processing and distribution facilities along the east and west coasts of India and has been supplying fly ash to the region for almost five years now. In 2006, it set up an office and warehouse facility in the UAE to provide direct service and support to its customers in the region.
“The new terminal in Ras Al Khaimah makes us the first company in the UAE to supply fly ash in bulk,” says Robin De Beer, manager UAE, Ashtech International.
“We have been selling our product in jumbo bags until now and this is a very important move as customers can be supplied in bulk tankers. This eliminates the need for bags storage and handling, wastage and additional manpower,” he says.
As a group, Ashtech markets approximately 900,000 tonnes of fly ash per year and has captured 70 per cent of the market share in the Middle East, according to Ebrahim Seedat, manager, Middle East.
“The use of fly ash to improve the technical properties of concrete has become a standard, particularly in hot and aggressive environments like the one in the Middle East. “Consultants and engineers alike have recognised this with the result that our fly ash has been used on some of the most prominent structures in the Middle East, including Burj Dubai, where we were an approved supplier.”
Ashtech has also tied up exclusively with Ras Al Khaimah Cement Company and supplies fly ash for the manufacture of Powercrete cement.
“One of the key benefits of fly ash,” De Beer says, “is that the product is today one of the greatest energy-saving resources and, as a recycled material, it creates significant benefits for the environment as harmful carbon dioxide emissions or greenhouse gases are reduced when fly ash is blended with cement or used as a cement enhancer in concrete applications. For every tonne of cement replaced by fly ash, there is a significant amount of energy saved and a marked improvement in the environmental footprint of the concrete.”
Concrete containing fly ash can be used in almost every application where Portland cement is used. It is particularly advantageous for use in mass concrete sections, high-performance readymix and precast concretes, self-compacting concrete, marine environment concrete, chloride and sulphate-bearing environments, tunnelling and pumped concrete.
“Conventionally, people have been replacing only 30 per cent cement with fly ash but with the new developments in admixture technology we can boost these levels up to 70 per cent while offering the same benefits,” said Seedat.
Ashtech only markets fly ash complying to BS EN 450 Class S, which is the most stringent international specification for the product, he added.