A new hose system for Spanish manufacturer Grupo Puma uses pressurized air to transport cement mortars in a fluid-like state.

Use of bonding substances and rendering in building construction is rooted deep in the past: the Assyrians and Babylonians used clay, the Egyptians used lime and gypsum cement, and the Greeks and Romans used water-resistant cement mortars. It was not until the Industrial Revolution in the early 19th century that Joseph Aspdin developed Portland cement. This was the forerunner of the cement and cement mortars that have become indispensable modern-day construction materials – so much so that 3.3 billion metric tons were produced globally in 2010.