Displaying items by tag: LafargeHolcim
LafargeHolcim spends Euro38m on upgrades to Polish cement plants
19 December 2017Poland: LafargeHolcim has spent Euro36m on upgrades to alternative fuels handling at its Kujawy cement plant. The investment includes preparing the kiln for the use of alternative fuels, building a new terminal, setting up a new automated laboratory and building a hall for storing and processing alternative fuels. The project is intended to adjust the plant’s kiln for processing alternative fuels and securing new alternative fuel sources. The cement producer aims to control the alternative fuels supply chain for its plant from source to kiln.
The company has also spent Euro2m on upgrades to its Małogoszcz cement plant. These included process optimisation and environmental improvements such as modernising the inlet channel to the rotary kiln cooler, renovating the furnace outlet and installing a new drive system for the mill. The stacks for two kilns were also renovated.
Holcim to spend US$120m on update to Malagueño cement plant
18 December 2017Argentina: Holcim Argentina plans to spend US$120m on an update to its Malagueño cement plant in Cordoba province. The investment will increase the unit’s production capacity by 45% or 0.73Mt/yr, according to La Voz del Interior newspaper. The project includes rebuilding a clinker production line at the site, installing a new cement mill and refurbishing packaging lines.
PPC to focus on consolidation in South Africa and expansion abroad
15 December 2017South Africa: Peter Nelson, the chairman of PPC, says that the company is not interested in merger or acquisition activity. Instead the cement producer will focus on its current business strategy by development projects in Sub-Saharan Africa, executing its ‘mega plant’ plan in South Africa and making further efficiency drives in its subdued domestic market. In an interview with Reuters he described talks with LafargeHolcim about a potential takeover as ones that, “…fell short on value”. "PPC is not looking to sell its assets, it's not looking to merge it's assets, it's looking to focus on its business, deliver cash flow and deliver shareholder value," said Nelson.
LafargeHolcim pulls out of talks with PPC
14 December 2017South Africa: LafargeHolcim has ended its talks with PPC regarding a possible transaction in Africa. The Switzerland-based building materials company originally said it was discussing a possible bid for PPC in October 2017. Fairfax Holdings stopped its bid for PPC in December 2017 and expressions of interest by CRH and Dangote Cement have also ceased.
Changes to management of Lafarge Spain plants
13 December 2017Spain: Vicente Pedro has been appointed as the new plant manager of Lafarge Spain’s Montcada i Reixac plant near Barcelona. He succeeds José Luis Coleto, who will take over the management of the Sagunto plant in Valencia, according to the Crónica Global newspaper.
Pedro trained as an industrial engineer at the Universitat Politècnica de València. He has worked for LafargeHolcim and its predecessor companies for over 30 years spending time at plants at Spain, Venezuela and Brazil. More recently he has managed the company’s capital expenditure projects in Spain.
France: Lawyers on behalf of the human rights group Sherpa have accused Lafarge of paying nearly Euro13m to armed groups including Islamic State between 2011 and 2015 in order to keep a cement plant operating during the Syrian civil war. They made the statement at a new conference about a preliminary inquiry into the affair, according to Reuters. The lawyers said that a large portion of the money went directly or indirectly to Islamic State and that the payments continued after Lafarge's Jalabiya cement plant was closed in September 2014. They used a figure taken from an internal report by Baker and McKenzie that was commissioned for LafargeHolcim.
Argentina faces cement shortage
12 December 2017Argentina: Cement plants are reportedly requiring 48 hours notice to process orders due to major growth in the construction sector driven by infrastructure development. Due to this materials such as cement and concrete are facing shortages, according to La Voz newspaper. Prices for building materials have rise by around 40%.
Norberto Ladea, the commercial director of Holcim Argentina, said that the company has expanded its production by approximately 13% year-on-year in 2017 with a cement production capacity of 4.8Mt/yr. It is currently planning its investment to bolster output in 2018.
Algeria to start exporting cement
11 December 2017Algeria: Trade Minister Mohamed Benmeradi says that Algeria will commence cement exports. An export of Ordinary Portland Cement will be made to Gambia via the port of Arzew, according to the El Moudjahid newspaper. In a separate statement LafargeHolcim Algeria said that it was exporting 16,000t of cement to West Africa from its plant at Oggaz.
Eric Olsen placed under formal investigation in Lafarge Syria probe
08 December 2017France: Eric Olsen, the former chief executive officer (CEO) of LafargeHolcim, has been placed under formal investigation as part of an inquiry into the company’s conduct in Syria, according to a source quoted by Reuters. He has also been placed under judicial supervision. Olsen had previously been questioned along with Bruno Lafont, the former CEO of Lafarge, and Christian Herraul, the former deputy managing director for operations.
Olsen was the head of human relations during the period the probe is covering. LafargeHolcim’s predecessor company Lafarge Syria allegedly paid terrorist groups in Syria to allow a cement plant to continue operating during the Syrian civil war. Olsen later became the CEO of LafargeHolcim when Lafarge merged with Holcim in 2015. However, he resigned in April 2017 following an internal review of the situation. At this time he said that his decision was motivated by his desire to draw a line under the affair. He added that he was ‘absolutely’ not involved in the case and had been unaware of any wrongdoing.
Former Lafarge boss Bruno Lafont questioned in Lafarge Syria probe
07 December 2017France: Bruno Lafont, the former chief executive officer (CEO) of Lafarge, has been questioned in an investigation into the company’s conduct in Syria. Lafont was interviewed, as well as the former human resources chief Eric Olsen and former deputy managing director for operations Christian Herrault, according to sources quoted by Agence France Presse.
The investigation is attempting to determine whether LafargeHolcim’s predecessor company Lafarge Syria paid terrorist groups in Syria and how much managers knew about the situation. Lafont was the CEO of Lafarge during the period the inquiry is examining. Olsen later became CEO of LafargeHolcim but resigned after the completion of an internal review into the affair in April 2017, despite not being found personally culpable or even aware of the situation.