Displaying items by tag: Deal

Mexico: Cemex has signed a five-year agreement with India-based HCL Technologies for information technology (IT) services related to employee services, increased automation and analytics. HCL will work on IT managed services, infrastructure and application services and end-user support. It will also collaborate with Neoris, a subsidiary of Cemex, on customer services and supply chain resiliency. HCL will use its DryICE and Software products, along with various other automation products.

“Cemex selected HCL Technologies because we have a vision of working smarter to cater to the global company’s fast-growing operations,” said Fausto Sosa, vice president of Information Technology of Cemex.

US: Australia-based Boral has agreed to sell its US fly ash business to Eco Material Technologies for US$755m. The parties expect to conclude the transaction by the start of 2023. The proceeds of the sale will add to Boral’s surplus capital.

Boral’s chief executive officer Zlatko Todorcevski said “Together with the sale of our North American building products business and our stake in Meridian Brick, we will have divested the North American businesses for more than US$3bn.” He added “This is a significant milestone that supports our strategy to refocus on our construction materials business in Australia.”

Nepal: Udayapur Cement has commenced a US$4.2m upgrade and capacity expansion of its cement plant at Jaljale. The work includes replacing the shell of its 20m rotary kiln by the end of February 2021 and installing a reinforcement suspension preheater system, according to the Kathmandu Post newspaper. It will expand the plant’s capacity by 38% to 0.4Mt/yr from 0.29t/yr. The plant’s current equipment dates to 1988. Company spokesperson Laxman Pokharel said "Since the machines are old, we face frequent problems." He added that this has led to increased costs.

The Nepal government has agreed to loan Udayapur Cement US$34.4m, 80% of the project’s budget.

Europe: US-based CASE Construction Equipment has won a contract to supply Cemex with a new fleet of backhoe and wheel loaders for its building solutions operations in the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Poland, Spain and the UK.

Europe regional mobile equipment fleet and category manager Craig Hooper said “As one of the world’s largest building solutions providers, Cemex is committed to leading on the path to a low carbon economy and is closely evaluating all areas of its business to make efficiency improvements. The vehicles we use as part of our work are a key part of this and we are pleased to have agreed this contract with CASE for these vehicles, which will provide a significant sustainability benefit to Cemex’s European operations. They incorporate advanced technology alongside lower fuel consumption due to an improved power to weight ratio. We look forward to working with CASE to explore other opportunities to enhance the eco-credentials of our fleet.”

Nigeria: Mangal Industries has signed a contract with China-based Sinoma International Engineering for the delivery of a 3Mt/yr new integrated cement plant in the northern state of Kogi. The Daily Independent newspaper has reported that the plant will cost US$600m and generate ‘thousands’ of jobs when commissioned in early 2024. Sinoma International Engineering will also build a dedicated 50MW power plant for the plant.

Mangal Industries’ chair Alhaji Dahiru Mangal said “This investment is part of an ambitious investment programme under implementation by Mangal Industries. The factory will rely on the best available technology for cement production in line with highest environmental standards.” He added “Mangal is investing strategically in the Nigerian cement industry, to bridge the huge infrastructure and housing deficit in the largest economy of the region. This investment reinforces Mangal’s commitment to Nigeria’s infrastructural and economic development, and reflects its confidence in the favourable outlook of the economy in the country and the region.”

Turkey: Sormas Refrakter has agreed to sell 85% of its shares to RHI Magnesita for Euro38.8m. The Turkey-based refractory manufacturer has a production capacity of 60,000t/yr. The companies expect to conclude the deal in the first half of 2022

RHI Magnesita said "With an enlarged product portfolio, further potential exists from this opportunity to deliver full-line service solutions to customers in Turkey.”

Kenya: National Cement has awarded a contract to Sinoma International Engineering for the construction of power plants with a total capacity of 35MW. Gelonghui News has reported that the supplier will provide a biomass-fuelled power plant and waste heat recovery (WHR) plant with a combined capacity of 10MW and a further 25MW power station. It previously delivered a WHR system for the producer in 2019.

India: Shree Cement has hired FLSmidth to supply a 11,5000t/day kiln line for its planned Nawalgarh, Rajasthan, cement plant. The line will consist of a six-stage preheater and a three-support kiln. The supplier will also deliver an OK vertical roller mill, which it says has a 5 – 10% lower energy consumption than a standard vertical roller mill. The project focuses on sustainable productivity and emissions control. Shree Cement has opted for JetFlex burners to give the lowest possible nitrous oxide emissions for various fuel types.

Shree Cement managing director Prashant Bangur said “Based on the experience of working with FLSmidth on the installation of a 9,000t/day pyro system at the Raipur, Chhattisgarh, cement plant earlier this year, we felt confident about approaching Carsten Riisberg Lund and his team regarding the Rajasthan project.” He added “Being recognised as a Sustainability Champion by the World Economic Forum is a testament of our emphasis on sustainability at every stage of our operations. The new line will push that agenda even further in terms of lowering the benchmarks on energy consumption and emissions, and thereby reducing our environmental footprint.”

FLSmidth also supplied a second OK mill for Shree Cement’s operations in Kolkata, West Bengal.

Chile: Unacem has completed its acquisition of Spain-based Cementos La Unión’s Chilean cement business. The value of the asset, including assumed debts, was US$23m. The business consists of the 0.3t/yr San Antonio grinding plant and two ready-mix concrete plants with a total capacity of 336,000m2/yr.

US: The US Department of Energy has selected Central Plains Cement to receive US$5m-worth of funding to realise its plans for a cryogenic carbon capture (CCC) installation at its Sugar Creek, Missouri, cement plant. Contify Energy News has reported that the system will initially have a capacity of 30t/day of CO₂, with a view to eventually capturing 95% of the plant’s flue gas’ CO₂ content. The Eagle Materials subsidiary will receive US$5m in funding from the US Department of Energy for the project. The sum is part of a raft of a total US$45m-worth of grants to help towards decarbonising heavy industry and natural gas power. Chart Industries will carry out the work.

Chart Industries CEO and President Jill Evanko said that the company’s CCC model increases cement production costs by just 24%, compared to 38% - 130% for other types of system. She added “We are delighted that public and private entities recognise Chart as a leader in carbon capture technologies and products; we view this award as well as our third quarter 2021 commercial activity as meaningful steps and accelerators toward capturing - pun intended - a significant share of our anticipated US$6bn total addressable market for carbon and direct air capture in 2030.”

The St Louis Post newspaper has reported that Holcim US’s Ste-Genevieve, Missouri, cement plant is also among facilities chosen to receive funding for carbon capture and storage (CCS) installations.