Displaying items by tag: LafargeHolcim
Holcim Argentina has a new director of operations
12 September 2018Argentina: Carlos Casado has become the new Director of Operations at Holcim Argentina. He previously held positions for Holcim and LafargeHolcim in Europe, Asia and Latin America. He will be based in Córdoba and will control plants in Córdoba, Jujuy, Mendoza and Buenos Aires. Casado is an industrial engineer from the Polytechnic University of Valencia, Spain, who has 17 years of experience in the LafargeHolcim group.
LafargeHolcim snaps up Denver ready-mix producer
03 September 2018US: LafargeHolcim has acquired Metro Mix, LLC, a leading provider of ready-mix concrete in the Denver metropolitan area in Colorado. With Metro Mix, LafargeHolcim reports that it has further strengthened its position in the United States, where it is already present with operations in cement, ready-mix concrete, aggregates and asphalt.
Jan Jenisch, CEO of LafargeHolcim, said, “This is our fourth acquisition this year, in line with our Strategy 2022 - 'Building for Growth'. Metro Mix's operations are highly complementary to our existing footprint and will allow us to gain a larger share in a growing market with immediate commercial and operational synergies. I very much welcome all employees of Metro Mix to our company.”
Metro Mix operates two ready-mix concrete plants and reported net sales of around US$30m in 2017.
UK: Lafarge Cement is celebrating 50 years of production at its Cookstown plant in Northern Ireland. The plant opened in 1968 and today it employs almost 100 staff both in Cookstown and at a cement terminal in Belfast. Lafarge Cement was later acquired by Aggregate Industries in 2015 as part of the merger between Lafarge and Holcim that created LafargeHolcim.
“Fifty years is a significant milestone and follows the successful 60th anniversary celebrations that took place at our sister cement plant in Cauldon in 2017,” said plant manager Russell Larmour. “The success at Cookstown is testament to the many generations of people here in County Tyrone who have helped shape the business today. As we now look to the future, and many more years of production, we are committed to maintaining our position as a leading, sustainable business partner at the heart of the UK’s construction industry.”
Staff at Ash Grove Cement, Argos USA and Lehigh Hanson win 2018 John P Gleason, Jr Leadership Awards
30 August 2018US: Staff members from Ash Grove Cement, Argos USA and Lehigh Hanson have won awards at the Portland Cement Association’s (PCA) 2018 John P Gleason, Jr Leadership Awards. The awards recognise PCA members who have exhibited leadership in advancing industry programs and initiatives. The scheme is named after John ’Jay’ Gleason who served as PCA president from 1986 until his retirement in 2007.
Steve Minshall, Corporate Director, Safety and Health at Ash Grove Cement won the Business Continuity award. He has served on the PCA Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) Committee for two decades, where the PCA say he has proven to be a strong safety leader in implementing many programs and initiatives to reduce workplace injuries. He has led efforts to better partnership with regulatory agencies in pursuit of the common goal of safety. Finalists in this category were Brett Lindsay, Environmental & Energy Manager at Salt River Materials Group, and Steve Wilcox, Cement Technical Director at Argos USA.
Lori Tiefenthaler, Senior Director of Marketing at Lehigh Hanson won the Market Development award. As chair of the American Concrete Pavement Association (ACPA) in 2017, Tiefenthaler led efforts to better align the missions of allied cement and concrete associations, including an effort to launch PavementDesigner.org, which is a joint project between PCA, ACPA and National Ready Mixed Concrete Association. She has served on the executive board for the National Concrete Consortium, through which she has helped improve connections and outcomes for the cement and concrete industries with federal and state departments of transportation and academia. Finalists in this category were Bill Asselstine, Vice President Sustainability at St. Marys Cement/VCNA, and David Gray, Market Manager at GCC of America.
Gina Lotito, Vice President, Energy & Environmental, GCC of America won the Young Leaders award. She is an active member of the PCA Environment & Energy Committee, where she has been chair and vice chair of the Sustainable Manufacturing Subcommittee, and served on the Sustainable Development Committee. She has proven a leader in promoting the use of clean alternative fuels for cement production, and in federal advocacy efforts to lower regulatory barriers for using such fuels under the Non-Hazardous Secondary Materials Rule. Finalists in this category were Ed Griffith, Vice President Sales & Marketing, US at St. Marys Cement/VCNA and Adam Posly, Production Manager at LafargeHolcim US.
Lafarge Malaysia to install bag filters at cement plants
29 August 2018Malaysia: Lafarge Malaysia has allocated US$19.5m to spend on efficiency upgrades, including installing bag filters at its three plants. The project has started already with the commissioning of a new bag filter at its Kanthan plant for an investment of around US$5m. The upgrade to its Kanthan plant follows the installation of a vertical cement mill in 2016 at a cost of US$44m.
LafargeHolcim Ivory Coast launches Bélier SuperBric product
29 August 2018Ivory Coast: LafargeHolcim Ivory Coast has launched Bélier SuperBric. The 52.5N strength cement product is being marketed for its fast setting time, strength and economic advantages. The subsidiary of Switzerland’s LafargeHolcim is also using the product launch to promote its online sales platform, which offers delivery timing and tracking.
At the launch ceremony for the new product Felix Anoblé, the secretary of the state to the Minister of Commerce, Industry and Promotion of Small and Medium Sized Enterprises, said that local cement producers had invested US$130m on inreasing production capacity between 2015 and 2017. Production capacity rose to 7.2Mt/yr in 2018 from 2.9Mt/yr in 2015.
ACC appoints Ashish Prasad as Chief Marketing Officer and Head of New Products & Services
22 August 2018India: ACC has appointed Ashish Prasad as its Chief Marketing Officer and Head of New Products & Services. Based in Mumbai, he will also be a member of the company's executive committee. Prasad will lead the brand building and marketing efforts for ACC's cement and concrete businesses. He will be responsible for growing the portfolio through the introduction of new products and solutions, as well as the design and implementation of new services to strengthen ACC's presence as a complete solution provider in the building materials space.
Prasad holds over 20 years of experience in brand management, sales, strategy and business development at companies including Pidilite Industries, Aditya Birla Group, Asian Paints and the Coca-Cola Company. In his last role as the chief operating officer (COO) of the construction chemicals business at Pidilite Industries, he was responsible for developing and growth of Dr Fixit and Roff brands.
He is a science graduate from Delhi University and holds a management degree from the Indian Institute of Management in Ahmedabad.
UK: Aggregate Industries has signed a Euro3.3m deal with Siemens for technology and training services.
The agreement positions Siemens as Aggregate Industries’ preferred technology supplier across the company’s 330 UK sites. The partnership is intended to improve efficiency, make maintenance savings, and reduce the company’s carbon footprint. Siemens technology solutions include inverter drives, gearboxes, motors and control panels.
Siemens will also provide access to training and education facilities for all Aggregate Industries apprentices at Stephenson College in Coalville, Leicestershire. The focus on training will be supported regionally with Siemens supplying safety panels, which are to be utilised for staff training sessions across Aggregate Industries’ regional site network.
“This agreement positions Siemens as our preferred UK technology supplier, ensuring that we benefit from enhanced operational efficiencies over the long-term. This will deliver cost savings and improve system reliability. The technology solutions we will install will also help us reach our sustainability goals, as we seek to reduce the impact we have on the environment,” said Gerard Cantwell, Head of Procurement Europe at Aggregate Industries.
Scramble for LafargeHolcim’s Indonesian unit
17 August 2018Indonesia: The sale of LafargeHolcim's Indonesian unit has sparked the interest of several potential buyers in the region. Names in the ring include Japan's Taiheiyo Cement, Malaysia’s YTL Corp and Indonesia’s PT Semen Indonesia, according to Bloomberg reports that cite unnamed sources. PT Indocement Tunggal Prakarsa is also reported to be interested. Bloomberg reports that LafargeHolcim could seek as much as US$2bn for the unit, which has 15.5Mt/yr of capacity across seven plants.
LafargeHolcim Dunkirk plant receives Euro3.5m
16 August 2018France: LafargeHolcim has announced a Euro3.5m investment in a new mixer for its clinker and slag mill located on the port of Dunkirk. The new equipment is intended to further increase the site's production, which has been steadily increasing since it was commissioned in 2012. The mill will manufacture of cement with 40% clinker and 60% ground iron slag. Commissioning is scheduled for January 2019.