10 December 2019

Netherlands: Germany’s HeidelbergCement’s subsidiary Eerste Nederland Cement Industrie (ENCI) announced on 9 December 2019 the upcoming closure of its former 1.8Mt/yr integrated Maastricht plant in 2020. Het Belang van Limburg has reported that the Maastricht plant, which stepped down to grinding-only in March 2019 after 91 years’ kiln operation, received an insufficient supply of clinker from ENCI’s sister company CBR Cement’s 1.5Mt/yr Lixhe plant in Wallonia, Belgium to guarantee profitable production.

Clinker grinding continues at ENCI’s 1.4Mt/yr IJmuiden and 0.6Mt/yr Rotterdam grinding plants, each of which has better access to clinker imports due to their proximity to deepwater ports.

US: Colombia’s Cementos Argos has sold 28 ready-mix concrete plants. ValorFuturo has reported that Smyrna Ready Mix Concrete (SRM) has acquired the company’s Arkansas, Georgia, South Carolina and Virginia assets. Cementos Argos stated that the reason for the divestments was the failure of the plants to generate operational efficiency due to their small and isolated nature.

In 2018 Cementos Argos produced 5.3Mm3 of concrete at its 236 ready-mix plants in the US region, making it the second biggest domestic producer after Cemex. It ranked fourth for cement production over the period, supplying the US market with 4.7Mt of cement from its four integrated and three grinding plants.

Indonesia: Switzerland-based Sika has begun producing concrete admixtures and mortars at its Bekasi plant on the island of Java. “This new facility in Greater Jakarta will enable us to further expand our strong position relative to the rapidly growing demand for quality building materials in Indonesia,” said Sika Regional Manager Asia/Pacific Mike Campion. He noted a Euro293m infrastructure investment by the government of Indonesia, Asia’s fifth-largest construction market, which he predicted will grow at 7% for the next 10 years.

Malaysia: Cahya Mata Sarawak (CMS) has responded positively to the government’s announcement that it will be subdividing its annual contracts for road maintenance between new concessionaries besides CMS’s 51% subsidiary PPES Works in 2020. “Competition in any market naturally breads competitive efficiency. This can only be good for the public and road users,” said CMS Group Managing Director Isaac Lugun. “We maintain the lion’s share,” he added.

US: Ireland’s CRH’s subsidiary Ash Grove Cement has engaged the education technology services provider Zovio Employer Services for the development of its higher education opportunities programme in partnership with Ashford University. “This provides employees with access to education to gain the right skill-set to advance into management positions. We also see the programme as a tool to attract new talent,” said Darcy Pugh, Ash Grove Cement Employment and Compensation Manager. Ash Grove plans to offer a tuition assistance benefit to 3000 employees for bachelor’s or master’s degrees at Ashford University. The university will also provide some full tuition grants.