September 2024
Alpacem Zement Austria appoints Christine Gröll as head of material flow management and process control 23 August 2023
Austria: Christine Gröll has taken over the role of head of material flow management and process control at Alpacem Zement Austria. The producer created the new role for Gröll, who will lead a dedicated team of eight people to achieve net zero CO2 cement production at the company’s Wietersdorf cement plant by 2035. The team will focus on alternative raw materials and alternative fuel (AF) substitution.
Gröll is an Ulm University-trained chemist with over four years’ experience working within Alpacem Zement Austria. Prior to that, she worked as a research associate for Schwenk Zement in Germany, on the development of its Celitement hydraulic binder.
Alpacem Zement Austria’s technical director Florian Salzer said "It fills us with particular pride that we were able to fill the new department with talented employees from our own company. This clearly underlines the potential that exists in our team and emphasises the extensive expertise that we have built up. We are also pleased that the department management is in the competent hands of Christine Gröll, who brings an incomparable mix of research drive and practical experience.”
New CFO for James Hardie Industries 23 August 2023
US: James Hardie Industries, the world's largest producer and marketer of high-performance fibre cement and fibre gypsum building solutions, has announced the appointment of Rachel Wilson as its Chief Financial Officer (CFO), effective 16 August 2023. She was appointed after Jason Miele stepped down as CFO. He will remain at James Hardie for three months as an advisor to the CEO for special projects, and will subsequently leave the organisation.
Wilson has joined James Hardie following a successful career of over 25 years in the global technology, business services and consumer products industries. Most recently, she served as Executive Vice President, CFO and Treasurer at R1 RCM. Previously, she held leadership positions at global companies such as Iron Mountain, Jarden Corporation and Avon Products. She earlier served in corporate finance and merger and acquisition investment banking roles at Citigroup and Morgan Stanley.
Commenting on the appointment, James Hardie Industries CEO Aaron Erter said "Rachel has deep experience in corporate finance, capital markets and leading and developing high performing teams, along with a demonstrated focus on driving profitable growth. Rachel is clearly a valuable addition to the leadership team and will help us as we pursue our strategic growth plans."
Wilson said "It's an honour to join James Hardie, a leader in the building products industry with an outstanding culture of business and product innovation. I look forward to working with Aaron and being part of this high-performing team. It is an exciting time to leverage our capabilities and to continue to drive our global growth."
Ambuja Cements’ open offer for increased Sanghi Industries stake to commence on 29 September 2023 23 August 2023
India: Ambuja Cements’ open offer to acquire an additional 26% stake in Sanghi Industries will run from 29 September 2023 to 13 October 2023. Press Trust of India News has reported the value of shares under the offer as up to US$767m. Ambuja Cements concluded a deal to acquire a 57% stake in Sanghi Industries, for the smaller sum of US$603m, on 3 August 2023.
China: Jiangxi Wannianqing Cement recorded a profit of US$36.6m during the first half of 2023, Reuters has reported. This corresponds to a year-on-year decline of 46%.
Hail Cement’s sales dip in first half of 2023 23 August 2023
Saudi Arabia: Hail Cement recorded sales of US$32.4m during the first half of 2023, down by 26% year-on-year. Mubasher News has reported that the producer recorded a net profit of US$6.53m over the six-month period, compared to a first-half loss of US$3.66m one year previously.
Coal price in Northern Pakistan drops to US$126/t 23 August 2023
Pakistan: Cement producers in Northern Pakistan have reported a 13% drop in the price of coal to US$126/t. The Pakistan Today newspaper has reported that this is due to the Afghan government lowering taxes on exports of coal from Afghanistan. The Taliban reduced its royalties on coal exports by 12% to US$30/t. Meanwhile, it reduced customs duties on coal exports by 33%, also to US$30/t.
Northern Pakistan is comprised of Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab. In 2022, regional cement plants were over 70% reliant on Afghan coal. That year, they paid coal prices of US$170 – 200/t.
Germany: Menzel Elektromotoren has completed internal construction of its upcoming Hennigsdorf motor plant and will now commence relocation of equipment from its existing Berlin facility. Commissioning is scheduled for early 2024. The 24,000m2 Hennigsdorf site will also double as company headquarters.
Menzel Elektromotoren assured customers that “The production and shipping of industrial motors in the high output range will continue without interruption.”
Uzbekistan: Anhui Conch Cement inaugurated its new 2.3Mt/yr Tashkent cement plant at Kiziloy on 21 August 2023. The plant cost US$320m and will produce 30% of its cement for export. UzReport News has reported that the plant will directly employ 300 people.
West China Cement raises sales in first half of 2023 22 August 2023
China: West China Cement recorded sales of US$605m during the first quarter of 2023, up by 5.6% year-on-year from US$573m in the first half of 2022, Reuters has reported. Nonetheless, its net profit dropped by 19% to US$72.9m from US$90.6m.
Tanzania: The Tanzania Fair Competition Tribunal (FCT) has ruled that Heidelberg Materials subsidiary Scancem International cannot acquire Tanga Cement from AfriSam at present. The Fair Competition Committee had previously approved the acquisition to proceed in February 2023. In its latest ruling, the FCT found that the commission had not been within its powers to set aside a previous court ruling of the FCT, dated September 2022. The FCT acknowledged that the market situation may have changed since its first ruling, but underlined the need for legal procedure.
Judge Salma Maghimbi said “The act or conduct of the two respondents did not send a good message to the public, nor to potential investors who would have been interested in coming to invest in our country.”