Displaying items by tag: Holcim
Cement firms shift to lighter bags for worker health
04 April 2024Mexico: Members of the National Cement Chamber (Canacem) are set to reduce cement bag weights from 50kg to 25kg to comply with NOM-036, according to El Financiero, which aims to prevent and control musculoskeletal and ergonomic diseases in construction workers. The shift affects companies such as Cemex, Cementos Moctezuma, GCC, Cemento Cruz Azul, Cementos Fortaleza and Holcim.
The standard came into effect on 31 March 2024, but Cementos Moctezuma has already started transitioning to 25kg bags. José Barroso, CEO of Cementos Moctezuma, said "Since 2023, Cementos Moctezuma began the transition from 50kg to 25kg bags in all of its packaged product family.” He added "In Mexico, musculoskeletal disorders represent almost half of the occupational injuries, so we are already implementing changes in our plants to operate according to the new standard.”
Switzerland: Holcim has appointed Jelena Stamenkovski as Lead of Clinker Decarbonisation.
Stamenkovski has worked for Holcim Group since 2008. She originally held senior production roles at Holcim’s subsidiary in Serbia. In 2015 she took up group process roles based in Switzerland, becoming the company’s Cement Industrial Operating System Manager from 2017 to 2021. She later became the Group Process Expert - Plants of Tomorrow – Decarbonisation in 2023. Prior to working for Holcim she worked at Titan Cement’s Skopje plant in North Macedonia.
Stamenkovski holds undergraduate and master’s degrees in process engineering from Saints Cyril and Methodius University in Skopje.
Iraq: Lafarge Iraq has appointed Farah Qahttan as Country Customer Service Manager. She has worked for the subsidiary of Switzerland-based Holcim since 2013 in a range of positions, becoming the company’s Country Packaging Manager in 2022. Qahttan is a graduate in chemical engineering from the University of Baghdad.
UK: Capsol Technologies has been selected to conduct a study on its carbon capture technology at Aggregate Industries Cauldon cement plant in Staffordshire. Owned by the Holcim Group, the company’s plant will undergo a feasibility study by Capsol Technologies for its CapsolEoP® carbon capture system. The potential for carbon capture at this plant is 600,000t/yr of CO₂. The CO₂ captured will be stored geologically through the nearby MNZ Cluster or HyNet North West.
CCO Johan Jungholm said “CapsolEoP® provides a cost-efficient carbon capture solution for cement, and our solution can be run on electricity alone without expensive heat integration or external steam supply. It offers flexibility in the optimisation of the designs, allowing for high capture rates, high reliability and low energy consumption."
The contract includes supplier input for the feasibility study, and further pre-FEED engineering if Capsol's technology is selected. The UK Government's Industrial Energy Transformation Fund (IETF) is funding the study, with Petrofac as Aggregate Industries engineer. This study is part of Peak Cluster's objective to reduce over 3Mt/yr of CO₂ from cement, lime, and refuse facilities by 2030. Capsol Technologies is focusing on the cement industry, which accounts for about 8% of global CO₂ emissions.
Mexico: Holcim Mexico has appointed Jorge González Mateu as its chief financial officer (CFO). He previously worked as the Head of Controlling and the Deputy CFO for Holcim Mexico. González Mateu has worked for Holcim group since 2013 with similar financial roles for Holcim Ecuador, as well as other related positions for the group in Spain and Switzerland. Prior to this he worked for Tarmac in Spain.
Holcim initiates share buyback programme
20 March 2024Switzerland: Holcim launched a share buyback programme on 18 March 2023. The programme, totalling Euro1.03bn, will run until the end of 2024. Share cancellation is scheduled for approval at the group’s annual general meeting in May 2025. Holcim plans to finance the buyback from its existing cash reserves. It says that it remains committed to retaining a strong investment grade credit rating.
Holcim acquires Cand-Landi
20 March 2024Switzerland: After 128 years as a family-operated business in Grandson, Vaud, Cand-Landi will become a subsidiary of Holcim Group. This acquisition marks an expansion for Holcim in the areas of aggregate and concrete production, as well as landfill management.
The terms of the transaction, including the financial details, have not been disclosed. However, the Cand-Landi name will be kept after the acquisition.
Bamburi Cement completes divestment of Hima Cement
13 March 2024Uganda: Kenya-based Bamburi Cement has completed its US$84m sale of its subsidiary Hima Cement to a consortium comprising Sarrai Group and Rwimi Holding. The transaction completed in early March 2024 following regulatory and shareholder approval, according to the Business Daily newspaper. Bamburi Cement’s intention to sell Hima Cement was first announced in November 2023. Holcim held a 70% share and Cementia Holding held a 30% share in Hima Cement. Both companies have sold their full stakes to the new owners.
Holcim introduces ECOAsh in Western Canada
11 March 2024Canada: Holcim North America has introduced ECOAsh, a Type F fly ash reclaimed from landfills, within its Lafarge Western Canada operations. This innovation is part of Holcim's commitment to sustainable building materials and represents a significant stride in decarbonising the construction industry. As the shift away from coal-fired power plants continues, addressing challenges related to sourcing reliable fly ash supplies prompts the exploration of harvesting and beneficiating legacy landfilled ash as a viable replacement.
Toufic Tabbara, Regional Head of Holcim North America, said "As we continue to build to support growing population demands, the integration of circular building materials such as ECOAsh plays a crucial role in driving our portfolio towards a more sustainable future.”
Brad Kohl, President and CEO of Lafarge Western Canada, added "The transformation of landfill materials into high-value fly ash for sustainable building presents an exciting opportunity for our customers and us to build more with less and work towards a net-zero future.”
Holcim and Geocycle's new processing facility in Alberta will produce high-quality, specification-grade fly ash. The ECOAsh processing facility, commissioned in February 2024, will commence the production and distribution of products throughout Western Canada in the first quarter of 2024.
France: Fives Group has partnered with Holcim to decarbonise its cement production processes. Fives conducted successful hydrogen tests at the La Malle site in France, achieving over 50% hydrogen substitution in cement production. This result also enabled a significant increase in the use of alternative fuels while still maintaining cement quality. The group has also developed a digital model to tailor this process to each cement plant's unique requirements.