September 2024
US: The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has approved a final order settling charges, following a public comment period, that the proposed US$4.2bn merger of German cement producer HeidelbergCement and Italian producer Italcementi would likely be anticompetitive. Under the order, first announced in June 2016, the companies are required to divest to an FTC-approved buyer an Essroc cement plant and quarry in Martinsburg, West Virginia; seven Essroc terminals in Maryland, Virginia, and Pennsylvania; and a Lehigh terminal in Solvay, New York. At the buyer’s option, the order also requires the merged company to divest two additional Essroc terminals in Ohio.
Cementos San Marcos orders Loesche coal mill 17 August 2016
Colombia: Cementos San Marcos has ordered a vertical roller mill to grind coal from Loesche. The order follows a previous purchase of a LM 35.2+2 mill to grind cement. The new coal mill will replace an existing smaller mill and reuse its foundation. The classifier and the plant ducting equipment will also be part of the contract. The cement plant was designed as a two-phase project to start a conservative market entry with the aim to more than double production capacity to meet market needs within a short period of time. The new coal mill fits into phase two of this progression.
Martin Marietta elects new board members 17 August 2016
US: Martin Marietta Materials has elected two new directors to its board. John J Koraleski, former Chairman of the Board of Directors and CEO of Union Pacific Corporation, was elected to Martin Marietta's Board of Directors on 15 August 2016. Koraleski, aged 65 years, also served as Executive Chairman of the Board of Directors for Union Pacific from February 2015 until his retirement in September 2015. Koraleski will serve on Martin Marietta's Audit Committee, Management Development and Compensation Committee, and Executive Committee.
At its Annual Meeting of Shareholders in May 2016, Donald W Slager was elected to Martin Marietta's Board of Directors. Slager, aged 54 years, is President and CEO of Republic Services, as well as a member of its Board of Directors. Slager will serve on Martin Marietta's Finance Committee and Ethics, Environment, Safety and Health Committee.
The two new directors fill the seats previously held by Frank H Menaker, Jr and Richard A Vinroot, both of whom reached the mandatory retirement age provided in Martin Marietta's bylaws. They were not eligible for election at the 2016 Annual Meeting of Shareholders and retired from the Board after 23 and 20 years of service to the company, respectively.
Martin Marietta's 10-member Board of Directors now consists of nine outside directors.
Vivek Bhatia appointed CEO of ThyssenKrupp Asia Pacific 17 August 2016
Germany: Vivek Bhatia has been appointed as the CEO of ThyssenKrupp Asia Pacific with effect 1 October 2016. He succeeds Stefan Schmitt, who will move to ThyssenKrupp AG as Head of Human Resources Strategy.
Bhatia, aged 38 years, has been Head of Strategy, Markets and Development at the Regional Headquarters in Singapore since May 2014. Prior to this he advised industrial businesses on their strategy and operations, as part of the Boston Consulting Group for several years. He earlier gained experience in the oil and gas Industry as part of Engineers India.
Australia: Australian Bauxite has completed its second and largest shipment of cement-grade bauxite, comprising 35,913t, from its Bald Hill mine.
“We have now demonstrated to all our customers that we can load and ship large tonnage cargos of bauxite very efficiently from Bell Bay Port. It also demonstrates that our stockpiles of bauxite performs very well, having withstood the recent major floods in northern Tasmania, without degrading. This is another landmark step for the company,” said Australian Bauxite’s Chief Operating Officer, Leon Hawker.
The mining company intends to sell its bauxite products into three main markets including cement-grade bauxite for the production of high specification cement. It re-opened its Bald Hill Bauxite Project at Campbell Town in northern Tasmania in early August 2016 ahead of the scheduled date.
Arabian Cement to build US$9m petcoke mill 16 August 2016
Egypt: Arabian Cement plans to build a US$9m petcoke mill for its cement plant. It is preparing all the necessary legal and financial requirements for the project. The new mill will help the cement plant reduce its operating costs.
Holcim Indonesia builds terminal in Lampung 16 August 2016
Indonesia: Holcim Indonesia has built a cement terminal in Lampung at a cost of US$30.6m. The 4.7 hectare facility will be able to process up to 1Mt/yr of cement. Holcim Indonesia’s Finance Director Mark Schmidt said that the company plans to operate the terminal in near time, according to the Jakarta Globe. The cement producer wants to use the terminal to strengthen cement sales and distribution in Lampung and South Sumatra.
Oman Cement to start joint-venture with Raysut Cement 16 August 2016
Oman: Oman Cement has registered a new joint-venture company with Raysut Cement to operate in the Duqm Special Economic Zone Authority. The new Company is named Al Wusta Cement Company and it will set up a new cement plant following a feasibility report.
Raysut Cement upgrades gas supply station 16 August 2016
Oman: Raysut Cement is upgrading its gas supply station at its Raysut plant in Salalah. The installation will let the unit receive an additional 40,000m3/day of gas for use as fuel to increase cement production to about 140,000t/yr.
Other on-going upgrades by the cement producer include the implementation of the parent company’s joint venture project with Barwaaqo Cement Company in Somaliland. At Duqm Port, construction has been completed on the company’s cement handling terminal, which is expected to formally begin commercial operations in the third quarter of 2016.
Civil works on a new packing plant, which features a 150t/hr rotary packing machine with auto truck loader, is underway. The facility is expected to be commissioned by the end of October 2016. Work on the installation of 12,000t capacity silos is also in progress at the company’s Pioneer Cement in the UAE. The new facility will be commissioned by the end of November 2016.
Gulf Cement Company profit falls 12.7% 15 August 2016
UAE: Gulf Cement Company's profit fell by 12.7% year-on-year to US$3.65m in the second quarter of 2016, from US$4.27m in the first quarter of 2015. The decrease was attributed to the negative impact of investments in the first half of 2016.