22 January 2019
Vicat completes purchase of majority stake in Ciplan 22 January 2019
Brazil: France’s Vicat Group has completed its purchase of a 65% stake in Cimento Planalto (Ciplan). The transaction was structured through a reserved capital increase of Euro295m. Proceeds will be used to settle Ciplan's existing debt. Ciplan operates a 3.2Mt/yr integrated plant at Sobradinho in Bahia near to Brasilia. It also runs nine ready-mixed concrete plants and five aggregates quarries.
Devki Group orders waste heat recovery unit from Sinoma Energy 22 January 2019
Kenya: Devki Group has ordered a waste heat recovery (WHR) unit from China’s Sinoma Energy for its Athi River plant as part of a US$250m package. The deal also includes supplying a power plant for the company’s steel plant in Kilifi, according to the Daily Nation newspaper. Both projects will be completed by late 2020.
Holcim Mexico to invest up to US$50m in 2019 22 January 2019
Mexico: Holcim Mexico plans to invest up to US$50m in 2019 as part of a project to improve plant efficiency and its Disensa distribution network. The subsidiary of LafargeHolcim said it wants to implement improvements at both its cement and ready-mix concrete plants, according to Reuters. It has a particular focus on reducing emissions. On the distribution side the building materials company said that its distribution business is a part of its long-term plan for Latin America.
Chinese cement producer to build plant in Sri Lanka 22 January 2019
Sri Lanka: An unnamed Chinese cement producer plans to build a new cement plant at the Hambantota Export Processing Zone. Deputy Minister of Development Strategies and International Trade Nalin Bandara said that this is the first time a Chinese cement company has entered the local market directly. Land allocation environment assessments for the project have been completed. The Chinese company will source 40% of raw material locally and this figure is intended to increase gradually. Production at the site is scheduled to start in May 2020.
SCG buys out logistics companies 22 January 2019
Thailand: SCG’s cement business is increasing its share to 100% from 50% in two companies in two logistics subsidiaries, Thai Prosperity Terminal (TPT) and Bangkok Interfreight Forwarding Company (BIFC). Both companies have a combined value of around US$4m. The transactions are expected to complete in the first quarter of 2019.
TPT provides commercial port operation management services for both import and export consisting of Phra Pradaeng Port and Map Ta Phut Port. BIFC provides water transportation services for containers and container moving services at the ports of TPT. Increasing its stake in the companies is expected to allow SCC to provide logistics services in the areas of port and freight forwarding and will enable it to use its own assets better and facilitate domestic port to port expansion.
UK: Hanson has completed a Euro1.25m upgrade to its Bellshill cement terminal in Glasgow, converting it into a dual product storage and distribution site. Improvements included new pipework and a new silo monitoring system. The site has three silos: two for cement powder, transported by rail from the company’s Ribblesdale cement plant in Lancashire, and one for the storage and distribution of ground granulated blastfurnace slag (GGBS), produced at the company’s Teesport site in Middlesbrough. The upgrade took 17 months to complete. Cement has been transported by rail to the Bellshill terminal since 2007.