THE INVISIBLE INDUSTRY. The industrial goods industry operates more or less invisibly. That is a shame because it is so incredibly multi-faceted. The industry manufactures products of essential importance and the logistics, due to the sheer dimensions involved, are an exciting project in itself. A shining example of this is the aerated concrete block YTONG – a brand that has a concrete meaning in everyone's mind – not just those in the construction industry.
ALWAYS INNOVATIVE. YTONG was already an ecological construction material before this term even existed. The material is natural, the resource inexhaustible, economical, light, insulating and long-lasting. The energy-efficient production takes place within a closed cycle. The precise processing results in hardly any waste, and the packaging is absolute genius in its simplicity. YTONG was invented in Sweden in the 1920s, and at that time it was called Yxhults ånghärdade gasbetong – steam hardened gas concrete. The production of the material was similar to baking a cake: You take quartz sand, limestone, cement, all of which have been ground to be as fine as flour, and a pinch of aluminium salt as a raising agent which swells the mass with small bubbles. Once the material has set, the semi-solid blocks are exactly cut to size and are then hardened under steam at 190°C.
WORLDWIDE, YTONG IS IMMEDIATELY RECOGNIZED AT CONSTRUCTION SITES.
WHAT COLOUR IS AERATED CONCRETE? Correct: Bright yellow. The aerated concrete wall blocks have probably also become a synonym for this construction material because of its packaging – brand management and branding are also worth it even in the industrial goods sector! The blocks have been packaged in their signal-yellow packaging since 1967. Thanks to recycling and the return of the yellow film packaging and PE/PP plastic, XELLA was able to reduce its carbon footprint by 444 tonnes in 2013 – which according to the German environmental organisation "Schutzgemeinschaft deutscher Wald", corresponds to the weight of 6,094 apple trees.
