UKCS 2026: A Look Back – Part One | Big kit, live demos & standout launches

A busy, business-focused show

The UK Concrete Show returned to the NEC, Birmingham on 25 to 26 March, bringing together more than 200 brands and a broad cross-section of the UK concrete supply chain.

Across two days, the exhibition floor remained consistently busy, with strong engagement from contractors, producers and specifiers focused on equipment investment, material performance and operational efficiency. Organisers reported continued year-on-year growth in exhibitor numbers, contributing to increased choice and sustained visitor traffic across both days.

The show combined large-scale equipment, emerging materials and digital technologies with a seminar programme centred on delivery, performance and standardisation. Across the exhibition floor, the emphasis remained firmly on practical solutions designed to deliver measurable improvements on site.

Richard Bradbury, Event Director, reflected:

"The continued growth of The UK Concrete Show reflects its importance to the industry, bringing together high-quality visitors to discover practical innovations, explore emerging technologies and make informed investment decisions."

This focus on practical performance was most visible in the scale and range of plant and equipment on display.

 

Big kit and heavy equipment

Large-scale plant and equipment formed a central part of the exhibition, with manufacturers focusing on productivity, reliability and ease of operation across batching, mixing and concrete delivery.

Mobile batching and mixing systems featured strongly. Ahead of its UK launch, Kimera presented the G740 mobile gravimetric mixer, while Poggi showcased compact mobile batching solutions for constrained sites. Bay-Lynx highlighted its Crewmix volumetric system for on-demand batching with reduced waste, and Volumech demonstrated its Accu-Pour platform, integrating scheduling, dispatch, tracking and invoicing into a single operational system.

 

 

Truck mixers and transport solutions were equally well represented. McPhee Mixers focused on drum design and build quality, Utranazz promoted its lightweight IMER 9m³ Superlight truck mixer, and Nugent Coachworks introduced its new M-Series mixers with revised drum geometry and improved operator controls.

Batching technology remained another major theme. Liebherr showcased modular batching plants with integrated material handling and storage systems, while Danfords highlighted concrete batching solutions centred on weighing accuracy, system integration and plant control.

 

 

Self-service concrete production also attracted considerable attention. Armcon demonstrated its mobile and static batching plants, including the Terex ProAll L8025 volumetric mixer, designed to provide flexible, on-demand production while reducing waste.

"This has been a great show, with plenty of opportunities to meet new and existing customers while showcasing a product suited to a wide range of UK applications," said area sales manager Demi Keyte.

Elsewhere at the show, fibo Intercon showcased its fibo Collect self-service batching system with integrated washout, alongside fibo Loop, its closed-loop water recycling system that separates aggregates and fines for reuse in the batching process. The company also highlighted the growth of fibo Collect, expanding from its first UK and Ireland sites three years ago to 21 operational locations. Co-founder Alex Atkinson said interest is growing beyond builders' merchants to ready-mix producers and sand and gravel operators, driven by demand for greater measurement accuracy, sustainability and CO₂ monitoring.

 

 

Making its first appearance at UKCS as a manufacturer, Beton2Go showcased its self-service concrete dispensing systems, designed for automated, customer-operated concrete sales and collection. Owner and managing director Lukas Massfeller reported strong engagement throughout the show, with visitors attracted by both pre-show social media activity and live demonstrations. He said the company was "really happy about the quality of visitors", while highlighting features including a height-adjustable conveyor belt and modular design to improve operational flexibility.

Supporting equipment and site systems were equally prominent. Kelly Tanks demonstrated closed-loop concrete washout and water treatment, while suppliers across the show highlighted integrated batching, storage and material handling systems designed to improve accuracy, reduce waste and increase production control. Live demonstrations reinforced the growing integration of plant equipment with digital control platforms. ConSpare also showcased Dura Board, a wear-resistant lining for concrete and quarrying applications, with marketing manager David Moore describing The UK Concrete Show as "perfect for us" thanks to its strong visitor quality and targeted audience.

 

 

Live Demo Zone makes strong debut

Building on the strong presence of equipment across the exhibition floor, the new Live Demo Zone gave visitors the opportunity to see many of these technologies operating under simulated site conditions.

Held twice daily, the sessions combined live demonstrations with technical commentary, allowing visitors to assess equipment performance, usability and practical applications.

Digitalisation and automation featured prominently. Command Alkon demonstrated its Batch AI system, designed to improve batching accuracy by learning from plant performance, reducing over- and under-dosing and improving material efficiency.

 

 

First-time exhibitor Cloud Cycle presented its in-transit monitoring platform, providing real-time tracking of slump, temperature and water additions to create a continuous digital quality record from plant to pour. The company also highlighted its new Flowmeter system, designed to accurately measure water additions in transit.

"Our platform acts as a 'brain on the truck' to provide operators with real-time insights throughout the delivery process," said sales lead Koo Passfield.

Founder and CEO Russell Elfenbein added that the technology helps producers "reduce cost, waste and carbon emissions", describing The UK Concrete Show as "the place to be" because of its mix of producers, suppliers and end users.

Battery-powered equipment also attracted attention. DeWalt demonstrated its POWERSHIFT cordless range for demanding concrete applications, while TechQuip showcased a battery-powered walk-behind power trowel featuring app-based battery monitoring and zero-emission operation for enclosed working environments.

Elsewhere, Best-Chem demonstrated CreteAway+, designed to remove hardened concrete residues without aggressive mechanical methods or harsh acids, while Moxie Shield presented waterproofing and vapour-proofing products for concrete and masonry.

Concrete Wetcast Machinery demonstrated the Mantis Bema 1000 ULV spraying system for wetcast mould preparation, while YB Fixings and Kyocera Fastening Solutions showcased automated rebar tying and cutting systems designed to improve productivity and reduce manual handling.

The Live Demo Zone reinforced the show's focus on practical performance and was widely recognised as one of the standout additions for 2026.

 

 

New Product Hub highlights innovation

 

 

The New Product Hub returned with an expanded line-up of technologies spanning production, materials and site operations, attracting strong visitor engagement throughout the event.

Low-carbon materials featured prominently. Material Evolution presented MevoCem, an ultra-low carbon cement produced using a heat-free process, alongside MevoXL, while LKAB Minerals showcased calcined clay produced from reclaimed brick waste as a locally sourced supplementary cementitious material.

 

 

Digital production technologies also featured strongly. Volumech's Accu-Pour platform, which secured more than 22% of visitor votes to win the 2026 New Product Award, integrates quoting, scheduling, dispatch, resource allocation and job tracking into a single web and mobile platform. Command Alkon's Cloud Batch and Batch AI systems complemented this approach by using cloud-based control and machine learning to improve batching accuracy while reducing variability and waste.

The visitor voting reflected wider industry priorities, with LKAB Minerals' calcined clay named runner-up and Bay-Lynx's Crewmix volumetric system taking third place.

 

 

Quality monitoring technologies continued the digital theme. Giatec introduced SmartRock Pro, a self-calibrating sensor that tracks strength development in real time, enabling earlier decisions on formwork striking and programme progression.

Operational efficiency remained another key focus. Conquip demonstrated a compact concrete washout unit providing closed-loop water collection, filtration and reuse for smaller sites. Midlands and North regional manager Magnus Muir said the company's first appearance at the UK Concrete Show had generated strong engagement from both existing customers and new contacts.

Progress Group introduced its SPI 3D concrete printer for formwork-free precast production, while MudMixer used its debut appearance to launch its UK and European continuous mixer. Vice president of market development Marc Gilmour described the visitor response as "fantastic", saying the lightweight electric system offers greater consistency, significantly reduces manual handling and can operate up to 70% faster than a traditional barrel mixer in some applications.

Across the Hub, exhibitors demonstrated technologies designed to integrate with existing workflows, improve operational performance and support lower-carbon concrete production.

Commenting on the success of the feature, Richard Bradbury, Event Director, said:

"We were delighted to see record interest in the New Product Hub, reflecting the industry's commitment to innovation and reinforcing The UK Concrete Show as the premier platform for launching new products."

 

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This is the first in our three-part look back at The UK Concrete Show 2026. In Part Two we'll look at the technical themes that shaped this year's event, from sustainability and digitalisation to the seminar programme and innovations in materials and production.