Innovation in the industry of construction with Grupo NOV

News date: 19 June 2020

Some of the more innovative products include B.Lumen which is a photoluminescent concrete, BetDren®, a draining concrete, developed by Lenobetão, or SVPlas, new generation vertical road signs, developed by Ecopaint.

Grupo NOV, a business group active in seven main sectors - Environment & Energy, Automobiles, Communication, Engineering & Construction, Real Estate, Industry and Tourism - and with an international presence in more than a dozen markets, created in 2016 the GDI (Office of Development and Innovation) to enhance innovation across all activities, with privileged partnerships with various higher education entities and institutions.

Among the most innovative sectors Grupo NOV Indústria, which includes companies such as Lenobetão, Lena Agregados, Ecopaint, Viamarca and Equimetra, and several innovative and patented products have already been presented.

Lenobetão, a company dedicated to the manufacture and supply of ready-mixed concrete in the construction area, has been strongly investing in requalification works which have assumed themselves to be relevant in the development of the economic sustainability of construction at national level.

To this end, the company has sought to remain at the forefront of several innovative products. One such example is the photoluminescent concrete, called B. Lumen, which was developed by Lenobetão through the incorporation of Lumintech aggregates. It is a product that consists of unique concrete floors by incorporating aggregates with photoluminescent properties of high aesthetic value. Its photoluminescent properties allow the emission of light in the absence of light sources, in other words, during the day the pavement has the appearance of ordinary concrete and at night it manifests light emission based on the pattern and colors of the incorporated photoluminescent aggregates.

Currently, Lenobetão is executing a work using this product in the Fátima area, with C25 / 30 X0 CL0.4 D06 S3 concrete in which basalt aggregates are used in the composition. The concrete is applied in an area with low light so that the aggregate can highlight its properties. After the application of the concrete, particles of photoluminescent aggregate were applied, then the concrete was rebuilt, deactivated, and subsequently washed.

This environmentally friendly solution adds shine to concrete surfaces in the dark. During the day, the particles absorb UV radiation and then at night release that energy in the form of light.

In addition to this product, Lenobetão proposes other innovative products such as BetDren®, a registered product which consists of draining or porous concrete with a high permeability, that allows it to have a great water drainage capacity, especially recommended for floors, fields tennis courts, sidewalks, bike paths, gardens or outdoor arrangements, decoration spaces in normal or colored color.

Another of the most innovative companies of Grupo NOV Indústria is Ecopaint, owner of the Profitinta and Roadpaint brands. This company has been certified in IDI - Research, Development and Innovation since 2018, and currently has several innovative products developed or under development. With special emphasis on the SVPlas signs which are new generation vertical road signs that stand out for their innovative features, such as photoluminescence and for responding to the challenges inherent in maintaining signs in coastal areas and in high regions. These signs do not suffer corrosion, are resistant to acidic, saline, humid and cold environments. They are light weight and highly flexible, offering clear security benefits.

Grupo NOV currently has more than 33 innovative projects developed in cooperation, 16 of which have already been completed in the various business areas to whom it is dedicated; six of these projects are products already implemented in the national market.