Displaying items by tag: Cemex

Dominican Republic: Cemex has signed an agreement to sell its operations in the Dominican Republic to Cementos Progreso Holdings and partners for US$950m. The sale includes a cement plant with a capacity of 2.4Mt/yr, 12 concrete plants, a quarry and two distribution centres, as well as export businesses to Haiti.The divestment is expected to finalise in the fourth quarter of 2024, pending closing conditions.

Fernando Gonzalez, CEO of Cemex, said "This transaction advances us significantly in our portfolio rebalancing strategy which is focused on reducing our exposure in emerging markets and redeploying capital into growth investments in priority markets, primarily the US."

Heidelberg Materials inaugurated a plant near Katowice in Poland this week for separating and sorting demolition concrete. This gives us the chance to catch up with the state of construction and demolition waste (CDW) for the cement and concrete sectors and consider the differences between the strategies of the multinational heavy building materials companies in Europe and the US.

The new CDW recycling unit has a capacity of up to 100t/hr. Heidelberg Materials says that it is the “first company in the industry to introduce high-quality, selective concrete separation at this scale.” The company is using its proprietary ReConcrete process to sort out fractions from the CDW including sand, gravel and, finest of all, recycled concrete paste (RCP). That last one is particularly valuable because it can either be used as an alternative raw material for clinker production by replacing limestone or as a secondary cementitious material. Heidelberg Materials is also promoting the potential use of RCP as a carbon sink over the lifetime of a concrete structure via ‘enforced carbonation.’ The RCP is exposed to raw exhaust gases from cement production allowing it to both mineralise CO₂ and act as a clinker substitute. To further explore this option Heidelberg Materials is building an industrial pilot at its Górażdże plant to test the concept with construction expected by the end of 2024.

Both Holcim and Heidelberg Materials have been visibly busy buying up more aggregate recycling companies over the last nine months since Global Cement Weekly last reported on CDW. Holcim acquired Germany-based Mendiger Basalt in January 2024, Switzerland-based Cand-Landi Group and UK-based Land Recovery in June 2024, and Belgium-based Mark Desmedt in July 2024. It also said at the start of the year that it aimed to conclude 15 - 20 new acquisitions in 2024 with a focus on CDW companies in Belgium, France, Germany and the UK. Heidelberg Materials bought UK-based B&A Group in May 2024 and US-based Highway Materials and Aaron Materials in July 2024. Holcim has set itself a target of recycling 12Mt/yr of CDW by 2030 by using its ECOCycle technology. It reported 8.4Mt/yr in 2023 and hopes to reach 10Mt/yr in 2024.

Some of the recycling companies mentioned above are based in the US but the pace of CDW acquisitions have generally been faster in Europe. In the US, meanwhile, the heavy building materials producers have tended to buy more general aggregates companies. Heidelberg Materials announced on 30 July 2024 that it was buying Albany-based Carver Sand & Gravel. This followed the companies mentioned above and Texas-based Victory Rock, also in July 2024. Holcim said in its first half-year results for 2024 that it had ‘executed’ a bolt-on acquisition in the US that would strengthen its aggregate and ready-mixed concrete business. Cemex also revealed a joint-venture agreement with sand and gravel supplier Couch Aggregates and marine bulk product distributor Premier Holdings in July 2024. It said that the move was part of its “ongoing strategy to accelerate growth in the US and expand its aggregates business.” A big recent deal in the sector was the merger of the US-based operations of Summit Materials and Cementos Argos that completed in January 2024. Although at the time we concentrated on the cement-side of the transaction, it also gave the organisation just under 5Bnt of aggregate reserves.

It may be a stretch to call what’s going on here a trend. Yet the large heavy building materials companies do appear to be acting differently in the US and Europe with regards to aggregate companies and CDW recyclers. The main drivers here are the strength of the US market and the stricter environmental legislation in Europe. Higher population density in Europe compared to the US may also be playing a part in the differences in speed of adoption between the two markets. The ongoing Holcim spinoff demonstrates the differences between the two market regions in bold terms. In short, the company has decided to split itself in two in order to meet the different needs of each market. As for CDW, the trickle of acquisitions keep coming and momentum is steadily building.

Mexico: Cemex has reported its first-half results for 2024. Net income fell by 15% to US$230m, although earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) increased by 2% to US$965m. Sales remained flat at US$4.5bn. They rose in Mexico by 13%, to US$2.7bn, and in Central and South America and the Caribbean by 3%, to US$879m. However, they fell in the US by 2%, to US$2.6bn, and in Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia by 8%, to US$2.24bn.

Fernando Gonzalez, CEO of Cemex, said "These results demonstrate the effectiveness of our commercial management and growth strategy. The price contribution of our products continues to outpace our input cost inflation."

Colombia: Cemex Colombia has appointed Juana María Serna as Commercial Vice President. She previously worked as the Vice President for Strategic Planning for Cemex Colombia & Peru and the VP for Builders and Urbanization Solutions for Cemex Colombia from late 2020. Earlier in her career she worked for Cemex Group in Mexico, becoming Global Customer Experience Director in 2018. She started working for Cemex in Colombia in 2007. Serna holds an undergraduate degree in Architecture and a Master of Business Administration from the Universidad de Los Andes in Bogotá.

Mexico: Regenera, a subsidiary of Cemex, has launched a pilot project at its Broquers Ambiental plant in Querétaro to transform the city’s organic waste into alternative fuel using a drying process known as ‘biosecado’. This initiative makes Querétaro the first zero waste municipality in Mexico, according to the company. The plant now processes almost 90% of the municipality’s waste, transforming over 8000t monthly into biomass to reduce the amount of material sent to landfill.

Vice president of urban solutions at Cemex Mexico, Antonio Balmori, said "This project that we started today at our Broquers Ambiental plant excites me very much because it will take the city of Querétaro to the next level in waste management, where we will seek to take advantage of 100% of the urban solid waste generated in the municipality."

Bangladesh: Bengal Cement has appointed Khandker Ataur Rahman Rifat as its chief operating officer. He has been working as the Group Chief Marketing Officer for Metrocem Group since 2019, according to the Business Standard newspaper. Prior to this Rifat, held roles with Hyundai Cement, Cemex, Meghna Group, LafargeHolcim Bangladesh and Aman Cement dating back to the mid-1990s. He holds a PhD in social science and business and a master of business administration qualification from the University of Dhaka.

Trinidad & Tobago: Trinidad Cement (TCL) has appointed Gonzalo Rueda Castillo as its General Manager and Roberto Adrian Villarreal Villarreal as its Group Strategic Planning Manager.

Rueda succeeds Guillermo Rojo de Diego as General Manager. As part of the role, Rueda will also oversee the operations of TCL’s business units in Trinidad, Barbados and Guyana. Rueda has over 25 years professional experience, and most recently held the position of Vice President – Commercial at Cemex Colombia.

Villarreal will replace Gustavo Alejandro Ruiz Silva as Group Strategic Planning Manager. Ruiz will take up another position within the Cemex Group. Villarreal has been domiciled in the Caribbean for approximately 10 years, and most recently held the position of General Manager with responsibility for the operations of TCL’s business units in Barbados and Guyana, namely, Arawak Cement Company Limited and TCL Guyana.

Australia: Woodside Energy and Cemex have invested US$6.7m in Melbourne-based KC8 Capture Technologies to support its efforts in achieving net zero emissions via carbon capture and storage.

KC8 is partnering with Cement Australia to construct a commercial demonstration plant in Gladstone, Queensland, aiming to capture 15t/day of CO₂. A partnership with Cemex aims to capture over 100t/day of CO₂ at one of its major plants. Additionally, KC8 plans a commercial pilot at the US Department of Energy’s National Carbon Capture Centre to capture 10-15t/day of CO₂ from natural gas combustion flue gas. The initiative has also secured US$6m from Low Emission Technology Australia and US$11.26m from the US government.

Executive director Greg Ross said "The funds will be used to expand KC8’s team and expedite deployment of its technology into hard-to-abate industries, such as cement – through a number of key projects."

Spain: Mondi has launched the 'SolmixBag', a sustainable packaging solution, in collaboration with Cemex in the Balearic Islands of Ibiza, Mallorca and Menorca. The single-layer paper bag is designed to store and transport dry mortar, dissolving in the mixing process and integrating with the cement to reduce waste. The Balearic Islands have strict legal requirements on landfilling, waste incineration and extended producer responsibility, which have reportedly initiated the partnership.

Commercial Director at Mondi, Fabio Barbieri, said "This is an exciting step in the trajectory of SolmixBag, which offers an easy and convenient solution to use on construction sites. The product launch brings our MAP2030 goals to life by effectively reducing waste, and also illustrates our collaborative approach.”

Philippines: Cemex has sold its Philippine cement brands to the Consunji family for US$12.55m. Cemex Holdings Philippines revealed that APO Cement and Solid Cement repurchased the brands from Cemex Innovation Holding in Switzerland. APO Cement, based in Naga, Cebu, acquired the ‘Apo Cement’ brand for US$8.2m, while Solid Cement, located in Antipolo, bought the ‘Rizal’ and ‘Island’ trademarks for US$4.53m. This follows Cemex's strategic withdrawal from the Philippines, completing the sale of Apo Cement and Solid Cement to DMCI Holdings, Dacon and Semirara Mining and Power of the Consunji family for US$305.6m in April 2024.