Displaying items by tag: UK
Cementir plans to increase white cement business
17 March 2014Worldwide: Cementir Holding plans to close a deal within 12 months that could enhance its position in the white cement industry, according to Reuters.
Francesco Caltagirone, CEO of Cementir, said that the company is looking at potential sector acquisitions in the US, sub-Saharan Africa and the Far East. Cementir also plans to boost its waste management operations in Europe, beyond the markets in Turkey and the north of England where it is currently focused.
Production to restart at Cemex flood-hit plant
07 March 2014UK: Commissioning has started on the repaired plant at the flood-damaged Cemex cement works at South Ferriby, UK and production will be resumed imminently.
The breakthrough comes three months after the plant, which employs 150 staff, was put out of action by a tidal surge from the nearby River Humber. A Cemex spokesman said, "Commissioning has started on the cement mill, which has been upgraded and improved since the flood on 5 December 2013. It has been a very long and complex process but we hope production will resume very soon."
Normally the 76-year-old plant produces around 800,000t/yr of cement so the loss of production over three months will mount to 200,000t.
The local employees have been retained on full pay since 5 December 2013 when the tidal surge saw the River Humber burst its banks and swamp the plant with millions of litres of water. The most serious damage was caused to the site's electrical network.
Minerals Product Association publishes Environmental Product Declaration for UK cement industry
05 March 2014UK: The Minerals Product Association (MPA) has published its first Environmental Product Declaration (EPD). The EPD declares the UK cement industry's life cycle environmental impact and covers 100% of domestically produced cement. It builds on 10 years of sustainability information published in annual sustainability performance reports.
"Our new EPD demonstrates that we are meeting UK stakeholder and supply chain expectations by providing a detailed level of environmental footprint information," said Executive Director MPA Cement, Pal Chana.
The EPD is a standardised way of quantifying the embodied environmental impacts of a product or system over its lifetime. The information declared includes data on the environmental impacts of raw materials acquisition, energy use and efficiency, content of materials and chemical substances, emissions to air, soil and water and waste generation. Institut Bauen und Umwelt, the Institute for Construction and Environment, Europe's leading EPD programme operator, has independently verified and approved the UK Average Portland Cement EPD.
The publication of the UK average cement EPD is will allow the future production of EPDs for concrete products. The concrete industry will also be able to provide designers, contractors and clients with concrete EPD information to use in their project environmental assessment.
Competition Commission improves competition in the UK. Again.
22 January 2014Following a two-year investigation, the UK Competition Commission (CC) has concluded that the UK needs a new cement producer to further encourage competition. Lafarge Tarmac will be required to sell one of its five cement plants. Additionally the CC wants the HeidelbergCement subsidiary Hanson to sell one of its slag grinding plants to increase competition in the supply chain for ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBS).
The CC's competition investigation estimated that UK customers were cost at least Euro55m/yr between 2007 and 2012 due to high cement and GGBS prices, brought about by a lack of competition. According to Mineral Products Association (MPA) cement sales data, over the same period cement sales in the UK fell from 12Mt in 2007 to 8Mt in 2012.
Although it seems strange that the CC has acted again to support competition in the UK (just one year afterthe Lafarge Tarmac merger) the CC defended its actions in a letter to the December 2013 issue of Global Cement Magazine. According to Rory Taylor, the Lafarge Tarmac merger inquiry could only maintain pre-existing levels of competition, while the investigation's remit was to increase competition if it found a problem.
Explaining their administrative procedures provided little comfort for Lafarge Tarmac, which complained about the ruling. "Its analysis of industry profitability, which is central to its conclusion of Adverse Effect on Competition, is flawed, grossly overestimating the returns made. It has also failed to take into account the new business environment that has been established by our divestments - only 12 months ago - to create a new competitor (Hope Construction Materials), and the entry of new importers into the market."
One such importer, Quinn Cement, popped up this week with news that it is to invest Euro16m in its cement plant at Cavan, Ireland. It has hopes to capture 1% of the mainland British market, making it up to Euro9.6m in the process. Although the CC doesn't think that imports significantly effect cement prices in the UK, those Irish hopes have likely been boosted following the UK CC's decision. Whether it is in the interest of UK consumers remains to be seen. One measure of the CC's activity this time might be the time that passes before its next intervention in the cement industry.
Returning briefly to last week's column (MINT cement focus: Indonesia, GCW133), Holcim Indonesia has reported that its sales fell by 2% in 2013. Growth in the cement industry in Indonesia is by no means assured. Holcim will publish its full annual results for 2013 on 26 February 2014.
British watchdog to force HeidelbergCement to sell slag plant
20 January 2014UK: Britain's competition watchdog has asked HeidelbergCement to sell one of its three plants that produces ground granulated blast furnace slag in the UK. The Competition Commission said the move is intended to increase competition.
Aventas Group to spend Euro16m on Quinn Cement plant in Cavan
16 January 2014UK: Aventas Group (formerly part of Quinn Group of companies) is to invest Euro16m in its Quinn Cement plant in Cavan.
Aventas said that it has appointed contractors PJ Carey to convert the landmark cement plant, near Ballyconnell, to use solid recovered fuel, primarily cardboard, textiles and plastics. The fuel will replace more expensive South African coal and according to plant manager Barry King will reduce carbon emissions by 20%. 100 construction jobs will be created in the conversion. The investment is part of an overall spend of Euro30m - 50m which Aventas plans to make in upgrading and maintaining the plant over the next five years.
Aventas said confidence in the future of the plant has risen following the performance of the construction industry supplies division of the group. It recently opened a depot in Rochester from where it is hoping to triple its penetration of the British cement market. Aventas Group chief executive Paul O'Brien said the British market currently consumes about 10Mt/yr of cement, with Quinn Cement due to capture about 1% or Euro9.6m of that in 2014. The company hopes to triple its UK turnover in coming years.
UK Competition Commission to create new cement producer
15 January 2014UK: The Competition Commission (CC) has demanded that Lafarge Tarmac sell one of its cement plants in the UK to create a fifth cement company in the country to increase competition in the market. The CC also intends to increase competition in the supply chain for ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBS) by forcing Hanson to sell one of its GGBS production facilities. The CC is also introducing measures to limit the flow of information and data concerning cement production and price announcements.
"We believe that the entry of a new, independent cement producer is the only way to disturb the established structure and behaviour in this market which has persisted for a number of years and led to higher prices for customers," said CC Deputy Chairman and Chairman of the Inquiry Group, Professor Martin Cave.
The measures follow a two year investigation which found that both structure and the conduct in the cement sector restricts competition by aiding coordination between the three largest producers: Lafarge Tarmac, Cemex and Hanson. Competition problems also arose from the UK having only one domestic producer of GGBS in the UK (Hanson) with exclusive rights to use the output of Lafarge Tarmac, the single domestic producer of granulated blast furnace slag (GBS), which is the main raw material input into GGBS. The CC estimates that the lack of competition for both of these issues may have cost UK customers up to Euro60m/yr.
The final report follows the publication of the CC's provisional findings in May 2013 and an Addendum to the provisional findings and its provisional decision on remedies in October 2013.
Flooded Cemex plant in UK to reopen in February 2014
15 January 2014UK: Cement production is due to restart at Cemex's South Ferriby plant in February 2014. The 0.8Mt/yr cement plant was flooded on 5 December 2013 with water from the neighbouring Humber Estuary causing considerable damage to the site's electrical network, according to the Scunthorpe Evening Telegraph.
"From our other UK sources we have been able to ensure a continued supply to all of our customers since the flooding took place and will continue to do so, ensuring that all receive the excellent service they expect from Cemex UK," said a spokesperson for Cemex. "The work entailed clearing up the site from the debris and silt deposited by the flood water, drying out buildings and components and working closely with our insurers, developing and starting to implement a plan to get the plant back to production as soon as possible." Silos at the site were not damaged in the flooding.
Hope Construction Materials celebrates successful first year
06 January 2014UK: Hope Construction Materials celebrated its first anniversary on 6 January 2014. The company has sold 2Mm3 of concrete, 1.3Mt of cement and 4Mt of aggregates in its first 12 months.
Hope was launched in January 2013 after the acquisition of 180 nationwide operational assets, including concrete plants, quarries, depots and the UK's biggest cement plant in Hope Valley, Derbyshire.
In 2013 the firm turned over almost Euro361m, which Amit Bhatia, Chairman of Hope Construction Materials, believes is testament to the dedication of the 800-strong workforce. He said, "It was always going to take time to stablise the business and start to optimise the way we run things, particularly with the scope and size of the business, but we're pleased with our progress so far."
Hope has gained widespread recognition for its dynamic approach and has already released a range of performance products that provide solutions to help to improve speed and efficiency in construction. The company is also about to launch a 'new way of working' that will improve customer service, although it is not sharing further detail at the moment.
"We plan to push on from our solid foundations and continue to build on our standing as the country's leading independent in the sector," said Bhatia.
UK cement industry emissions rise slightly in MPA Cement Sustainable Development Report 2012
04 December 2013UK: Emissions from the UK cement industry have risen slightly according to the Sustainable Development Report 2012 from the Minerals Products Association (MPA) – Cement.
The MPA reported small rises in nitrogen oxides, sulphur dioxide and dust emissions compared to 2011 due to variety of factors. However, the MPA stressed that all emissions remained below the targets for the sector and limits required by the Environmental Permitting Regulations. Carbon dioxide emissions from cement kilns also rose compared to 2011 due to an increased production of CEM I type cement. Improvements were reported in 2012 year-on-year for lost time injuries and use of alternative fuels.
"Our sustainable development challenges are many and varied, but our strength lies in recognising what these are, setting them out clearly for external stakeholders to see, implementing the measures necessary to meet these challenges and reporting on progress. This first full sustainable development report for the UK cement industry is an important step along a journey that is leading us to a more sustainable future," Dr Pal Chana, Executive Director of the MPA, said. The report has changed from previous editions by commenting on the broader sustainable development aspirations of the UK cement industry in addition to reporting on the manufacturing process.