Displaying items by tag: Aggregates

Germany: The Federal Cartel Office has approved the takeover of Heinrich Teufel by Holcim Deutschland. The subsidiary of Switzerland-based Holcim said it had agreed to acquire the ready-mix concrete and aggregates in July 2021. The purchase is intended to increase the company’s presence in southern Germany.

US: Hanson Aggregates has purchased 577ha of land near Buckeye, Arizona. The Phoenix Business Journal newspaper has reported that the company will use the land to produce ready-mix concrete and rock products and. Martin Marietta Materials agreed to acquire Germany-based HeidelbergCement’s US West regional business, which included Hanson Aggregates, in May 2021 for US$2.3bn.

Germany: Switzerland-based Holcim has agreed to acquire ready-mix concrete and aggregates producer Heinrich Teufel. The Strassburg, Baden-Württemberg-based company employs 160 people across its operations in southern Germany. No value for the purchase has been disclosed and the transaction will be subject to regulatory approval.

Europe, Middle East and Africa regional head Miljan Gutovic said "The acquisition of Heinrich Teufel will strengthen our footprint in southern Germany in aggregates and ready-mixed concrete. We were especially impressed by their shared commitment to advancing the circular economy. We look forward to warmly welcoming the Heinrich Teufel colleagues joining our team.”

France: Cemex France has inaugurated a multi-service green building materials outlet and recycling centre at Genevilliers in Paris, Île-de-France. The company says that the facility will stock its reduced-CO₂ Vertua concrete range. It will also receive construction waste, excavated earth and rubble for use in concrete production or resale as aggregates. The company will offer complete traceability of waste received, and non-recyclable waste will be used in quarry restoration.

France North director of materials Alain Plantier said, "Developing construction in high-growth urban locations requires circular economy solutions which mitigate climate change and save natural resources while improving the wellbeing of inhabitants." He added “Cemex is uniquely positioned to provide integrated solutions for building and maintaining more sustainable and resilient cities, and this new site demonstrates this perfectly. Clients in Paris need low-carbon construction solutions which perform throughout their life cycle. Working together with our clients, this site will help to reduce the carbon footprint of new projects in line with Cemex’s Future In Action strategy – committed to net zero CO₂.”

Poland: Switzerland-based LafargeHolcim subsidiary Lafarge Polska has launched Aggneo, a recycled aggregate recycled from demolition-sourced concrete. The producer says that Aggneo offers high consistency and a lower density than mined aggregates, resulting in material savings. Besides reducing waste, the product also lowers the carbon footprint of delivery by 66%, according to the company. The building materials producer aims to manufacture 1Mt/yr of recycled aggregated by 2030.

US: Aggregate producer Vulcan Materials Company has agreed to buy US Concrete for US$1.29bn.The transaction has been unanimously approved by the boards of directors of both companies and is expected to close in the second half of 2021, subject to US Concrete shareholder approval, regulatory clearance and other customary closing conditions.

Tom Hill, Chairman and chief executive officer of Vulcan Materials Company, said, "US Concrete is an important Vulcan customer in a number of key areas, and this transaction is a logical and exciting step in our growth strategy as we further bolster our geographic footprint.”

US Concrete runs 27 aggregates operations serving California, Texas and the Northeast US. It shipped 12.6Mt of aggregates in 2020. Vulcan also said that the acquisition represented a ‘natural’ addition to Vulcan's business. The deal also adds US Concrete’s ready-mixed concrete operations to Vulcan's existing concrete business.

Germany: HeidelbergCement has completed a comprehensive Concrete Sustainability Council (CSC) certification campaign at its 10 cement plants, 12 concrete plants and five aggregates sites underwent the certification process. One cement plant– the Lengfurt, Bavaria, plant - and two concrete plants achieved Platinum certification. The Lengfurt cement plant is the first German cement plant to do so.

Senior manager sustainable construction and public affairs Christian Artelt said “CSC certification allows production sites to gain a holistic understanding of their sustainability performance.” He added “Our successful engagement in CSC certification highlights our commitment to sustainability.”

Greece: HeidelbergCement subsidiary Halyps Building Materials has agreed to sell its aggregates business and two ready-mix concrete plants to Heracles Group, part of Switzerland-based LafargeHolcim. Heracles Group said that the acquisition would enable it to better serve the growing Athens metropolitan area and key infrastructure projects regionally. The value of the deal is undisclosed.

LafargeHolcim’s Europe, Middle East and Africa regional head Miljan Gutovic said, “I am excited about the opportunities and growth prospects of this acquisition in the Attica region of central Greece. It will provide additional support towards our net zero ambition with our leading range of sustainable building solutions such as EcoPact green concrete.” Heracles Group launched EcoPact on the Greek market in April 2021. In the first four months of 2021, LafargeHolcim completed four other bolt-on acquisitions.

HeidelbergCement remains active in the market through its subsidiary Halyps Cement. The company operates the 0.7Mt/yr Apropyrgos cement plant in Athens. Chief executive officer Dominik von Achten said, "We are pleased that the transaction has been successfully signed.” He added that the realignment is the next step in the group’s portfolio optimisation as part of its Beyond 2020 strategy. In January 2021, its subsidiary Suez Cement departed from the Kuwait cement market with the sale of its majority stake in Hilal Cement.

El Salvador: Holcim el Salvador, part of Switzerland-based LafargeHolcim, has invested US$4.0m in the first four months of 2021 in establishing three new 70m³/hr-capacity ready-mix concrete plants and one aggregates plant. The La Prensa Grafica newspaper has reported that the plants have increased the company’s concrete production capacity by 60%. The concrete plants are situated at Apopa, La Paz and Sonsonate, enabling the producer to serve a wide area. The new plants have generated 100 direct and indirect jobs. As part of the investment, the company acquired 22 new concrete trucks. It plans to establish two further concrete plants at Santa Ana and in eastern El Salvador in 2021.

Concrete and aggregates manager Guillermo Torres said “We intend to have national coverage for all builders of all types and sizes.” He added “We have seen a rebound in the construction sector. The main bet is always high-rise, medium and high-end housing, small-scale shopping centres with open concepts, textile industrial buildings plus government investment in roads and maintenance and extension.”

Germany: Cemex Zement, part of Mexico-based Cemex, has bought a 400t/hr floating bucket chain dredger. The company plans to use the vessel in its aggregates operations on the River Elbe around Rogätz, Saxony-Anhalt. It includes a dewatering screening machine, a fine sand recovery system and a conveyor belt that transports the processed sands and gravels ashore. The dredger replaces an older 350t/hr model which has been in action since the mid-1990s. The company said that the purchase is in line with its strategy to enhance its vertically integrated positions near growing metropolises. Elbe operations supply aggregates to produce concrete for the Berlin market.

Central Europe vice president of materials Rüdiger Kuhn said "With this important investment, our company strengthens its position in the metropolitan market of Berlin and secures the long-term availability of valuable mineral raw materials for its customers."