Lafarge Malaysia yesterday launched its Construction Development Laboratory (CDL) – the sixth facility of its type to be opened by the group worldwide and the first in southeast Asia.
 
Bradley Mulroney, president and CEO of Lafarge Malaysia said that the company is committed to contributing towards sustainable construction by providing the construction industry in Malaysia with solutions that can help promote construction efficiency. "The CDL will enable us to test, adapt and tailor innovative solutions developed by the group's Research Centre. This will accelerate the development and delivery of offerings to better meet local construction needs."
 
Lafarge Group dedicates more than MYR500m (US$155.5m) annually to R&D. The research is undertaken in Lafarge's Centre of Research located in Lyon, France, which has more than 200 employees and a portfolio of more than 1000 patents.
 
In addition, Lafarge expects to host experts from Lyon on a regular basis, who will be instrumental in the company's plan for technology transfer to Malaysia.
 
The CDL will also serve as a collaboration hub for Lafarge to work closely with its stakeholders to further understand the industry's local needs and challenges. Architects, developers, engineers and others can come together to participate in the development and testing of new ideas and solutions.
The CDL houses three labs: a cement, a concrete and an aggregates lab, with state-of-the-art testing equipment for quality control and assurance of its products. It also has an open testing space for prototypes and demonstrations of new systems and structures.
 
The opening of the CDL is the latest of a number of initiatives by Lafarge to contribute towards its ambition to build better cities. Last year, Lafarge signed a MoU with the Construction Industry Development Board of Malaysia (CIDB) to provide training and development to construction personnel to raise construction standards. This was followed by the opening of its state-of-the-art, enclosed, ready-mixed concrete plant on Jalan Chan Sow Lin in March 2014. It is the only plant in Malaysia that has the facility to reclaim concrete and is aimed at raising standards of concrete production, "particularly in terms of quality, customisation and environmental protection," according to the company.