September 2024
Nigeria: The Cement Company of Northern Nigeria (CCNN) says it has received formal approval from the Securities Exchange Commission and the Federal High Court for its merger with Kalambaina Cement. It added that the scheme of the merger was effective from 24 December 2018. New CCNN shares have been issued to and allotted to Kalambaina Cement’s shareholders at an agreed ratio.
Russia: South Ural Mining and Processing Company has purchased a 77% stake in Gornozavodsktsement in Perm region. It intends to buy the rest of the company at a later date, according to the Kommersant newspaper. The acquisition was supported by Gazprombank.
Architecture and Construction Ministry supports Belorussian use of commodity exchange 02 January 2019
Belarus: The Architecture and Construction Ministry has supported the country’s use of a commodity exchange to sell cement. Deputy Architecture and Construction Minister Alexander Sidorov said that his ministry was prepared to support an increase in supply to the exchange if demand allowed, according to the Belarusian Telegraph Agency (BelTA). It was previously announced that the country was planning to make 0.2Mt/yr of 10% of the country’s cement exports available to purchase via the Belarusian Universal Commodity Exchange (BUCE) from the start of 2019.
Grupo Polpaico signs renewable energy deal with Colbún 02 January 2019
Chile: Colbún has signed a deal with Grupo Polpaico to supply the cement producer with 183GWhr/yr of renewable energy for a 10 year period. Cementos Polpaico will start using renewable energy at its Cerro Blanco integrated plant and its Coronel cement grinding plant in 2019 to allow energy efficiency upgrades to be implemented. Other plants in the group’s portfolio will start using the renewable energy supply by 2022.
RKW ranked second in employer study 01 January 2019
Germany: The RKW Group came second in a study into ‘Germany's Most Sought-After Employer 2018’ by the FAZ Institute and the IMWF Institute for Management and Economic Research. The institutes looked at the 5000 largest companies in the country and scored them by quality, performance, success, sustainability, corporate culture and values.
The RKW Group is a family-owned company headquartered in Frankenthal, Germany and a manufacturer of film solutions for hygiene, agricultural and beverage sectors. It also produces packaging for powdery goods. In addition, the company makes films and nonwovens for medical applications, for the chemical and converting industries as well as for the construction sector.
Fives sets up new subsidiary in Middle East 31 December 2018
UAE: Fives Group’s Mineral Business Line has set up a new subsidiary in the Middle East to support customers with services and technical assistance. Based in Dubai and referring to the Services Department, the new division aims to support Fives' customers through a local presence and by offering its services including upgrade and revamping projects, technical assistance, supply of spare parts, on-site machining and so on.
Ashaka Cement spends over US$4m on community projects 28 December 2018
Nigeria: Ashaka Cement has spent over US$4m on community projects in Gombe state since 2010. The funding has been invested in social initiatives near its Ashaka cement plant and Maiganga coal mine, according to the Daily Independent newspaper. Its projects include training young people in vocational trades and engineering. It also distributed 5000 safety vests to schoolchildren at a community day.
Retired workers demand 10% share of Soboce 27 December 2018
Bolivia: A group of retired workers who used to work for Sociedad Boliviana de Cemento (Soboce) have asked for a 10% share in the cement producer. They have made their request to the company’s largest shareholder, the businessman and politician Samuel Doria Medina, according to the La Razon newspaper. They were allocated a 10% share in the business in 1975. However, the pensioners allege that Doria Medina cancelled their shares using false documentation. Doria Medina holds a 49% share in the company. He sold the other 51% share for US$300m to Holding Cementero, the largest shareholder of Consorcio Cementero del Sur, which is part of Gloria Group in 2014.
Bega cement terminal wins government award 27 December 2018
Lithuania: The Bega cement terminal has won a ‘Product of Lithuania’ award from the government. Minister of Economy Virginijus Sinkevičius and the President of the Lithuanian Confederation of Industrialists (LPK) Robert Dargis presented a medal to Laimonas Rimkus, the general manager of Bega, according to the Vakarų Ekspresas newspaper. The joint venture with local cement producer Akmenes Cementas was commissioned in early 2018. The terminal plans to increase its exports of cement to 0.35Mt/yr by 2020.
Cement import tariff upheld by Caribbean Court Of Justice 26 December 2018
Barbados: The Caribbean Court Of Justice has ruled in favour of Trinidad Cement on maintaining a 60% tariff on imports of cement. The subsidiary of Mexico’s Cemex and its own subsidiary Arawak Cement complained that import company Rock Hard Cement was only being taxed by 5%, according to the Nation News newspaper. However, the case will continue as the ruling only refers to hydraulic cement. It is unclear what classification of cement that Rock Hard Cement is importing.