Displaying items by tag: Deal

Brazil: CSN Cimentos is reviewing alternative options to raise funds to pay for its acquisition of LafargeHolcim Brasil’s cement assets after cancelling its planned initial public offering (IPO). The O Estado de São Paulo newspaper has reported that the producer abandoned the planned IPO of US$500m – US$1bn-worth of shares due to stock market turbulence. The value of the deal was US$4bn.

Benelux: Belgium-based building supplies chain EcoBati has signed a distribution agreement with France-based Hoffmann Green Cement Technologies. The producer will supply its H-Iona clinker-free cement for EcoBati to sell online and in its shops in Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands.

Hoffmann Green Cement Technologies owners Julien Blanchard and David Hoffmann said "Signing a distribution agreement with an international specialist in ecological materials shows the competitive edge and relevance of our H-Iona cement within the context of the fight against global warming. We are therefore delighted with the signing of this partnership that allows us to benefit from the EcoBati network’s strategic retail outlets and provide a response to the exponential demand for sustainable cement. We intend to sign more such partnerships in the future in order to spread our responsible vision of the construction sector and contribute to the environmental transition."

Bolivia: Fábrica Nacional de Cemento (FANCESA) has received an order for 8000t of clinker from Chile. The Correo del Sur newspaper has reported that the company previously delivered 1000t of clinker to Chile-based Cbb’s grinding operations in the country. The producer says that it is in the process of securing a supply contract for 80,000t/yr of clinker with its Chilean customer.

France: Lafarge France has awarded a contract to Germany-based Inform for the supply of its transport optimisation software across its 160 aggregates locations and 900-truck fleet. The software uses algorithms to analyse scheduling decisions in real-time and identify those that are ideal for minimising costs and maximising service and on-time performance.

Supply chain projects head Kevin Perrault said “We have been using Inform’s transport optimisation software for over 25 years in our aggregates business.” He added “We pride ourselves in delivering the best possible service to our customers, and upgrading our operations to the latest version is a key element to help us achieve our goals and to remain competitive in the industry.”

Colombia: Cementos Argos has signed a contract with Klaveness Digital for the supply of the latter’s CargoValue cement terminal logistics platform throughout its supply chain. The move follows a successful trial project carried out by the parties during the second quarter of 2021. Cementos Argos says that it solidifies its digitisation agenda to preserve its strong market foothold in the Americas.

Trading and business intelligence senior director Gabriel Ballestas said “Our business model is focused on the customer and on creating added value for our stakeholders. CargoValue has enabled us to digitise existing processes to improve visibility and make better decisions throughout the supply chain towards that goal.” He added “This wider rollout will improve collaboration between stakeholders and allow us to identify and improve supply chain efficiencies between sites.”

US: Cemtech Materials will produce cement using bauxite residue supplied under a new contract signed with New Day Aluminium Holdings subsidiary Noranda Alumina. Noranda Alumina has executed a letter of intent with Cemtech to sell it 60,000t of bauxite residue starting in the fourth quarter of 2020. The bauxite will be used in the cement production process as the raw material for iron, replacing other current iron bearing raw materials.

Noranda Alumina chair and chief executive officer (CEO) David D’Addario said, “We are focused on continuously improving the sustainability of our business and reducing our environmental footprint on our path to a zero residue refinery, and look forward to helping our partners in the cement industry to achieve their aligned goals.”

The deal follows a beneficial use approval from the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality. Noranda Alumina is located in Gramercy, Louisiana. It produces smelter grade alumina for the production of aluminium and chemical grade alumina for non-metallurgical applications.

Philippines: LafargeHolcim’s sale of its 86% stake in Holcim Philippines to San Miguel Corporation for US$2.15bn has fallen through after the Philippines Competition Authority (PCC) failed to approve the deal within 12 months of its conclusion. Reuters News has reported that the agreement, dated 10 May 2020, covered the exchange of four integrated plants and one grinding plant. LafargeHolcim has been divesting assets to pay off debt. The sale of its Holcim Philippines stake would have completed its withdrawal from the South-East Asia market, where its operations across Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and the Philippines had been valued at US$4.90bn.

LafargeHolcim has said that three of its four integrated Philippines cement plants have been able to resume operations following the lockdown due to the coronavirus outbreak. It says that it will ‘focus on strengthening operations in the Philippines.’

Ireland/UK: Quinn Building Products has launched ‘Self Build with Quinn,’ an initiative aimed at promoting thermal efficiency and sustainability in self-builders’ product choices with a range of bundles and discounts on Quinn building products and technical support with dedicated account management. Quinn Building Products Product and Specification Manager Jason Martin said, “Self Build with Quinn can help self builders achieve the balance between their hopes for a high-performance home which is better for the environment and provides comfortable, economical living with their budget.”

Russia: Eurocement has announced the continuation of its cooperation agreement with construction company PIK Group in 2020. The 30.7Mt/yr-capacity cement producer, Russia’s largest, sold 0.2Mt of cement to PIK Group in 2019, bringing the total volume exchanged in the course of their cooperation to 0.8Mt. Eurocement sales vice president Ilya Kosykh said, “We guarantee our customers stable cement performance and uninterrupted deliveries of building materials on time.”

Belgium: Cembureau, the European Cement Association, has called on the European Union’s (EU) Green Deal to incentivise investment in low-carbon technologies, provide long-term legal certainty and foster the industry’s global competitiveness. It said that the new proposal to tackle climate change showed ‘great promise’ and ‘ambitious vision’ but that this needed to be converted into action to support a successful industrial transformation.

The association is concerned about a new carbon border adjustment mechanism. In its view, “the replacement of the existing carbon leakage measures by an untested mechanism would create considerable uncertainty and risks.” Instead it called on the EU to look at a design that complements the existing carbon leakage measures and is fair for third country importers and EU producers.

Aspects of the European Green Deal that the association praised included the recognition that the cement industry is ‘indispensible’ to the European economy. It also liked the European Commission’s (EC) emphasis on the circular economy that fits with work the sector is doing already from alternative fuels usage to recycling concrete.

"The European Green Deal is our new growth strategy – for a growth that gives back more than it takes away. It shows how to transform our way of living and working, of producing and consuming so that we live healthier and make our businesses innovative. We can all be involved in the transition and we can all benefit from the opportunities,” said EC president Ursula von der Leyen in relation to the new policy proposal.

The EC published its recommendations on how to help energy-intensive industries meet the EU’s 2050 climate target in late November 2019. Its key suggestions were to create markets for climate-neutral and circular products, develop large-scale pilot projects on clean technologies and switch to alternative climate-neutral energy and feedstock sources. It added that the pilot projects should be supported by EU funds and given easier access to private financing. These recommendations will be presented to the EU member states, the EU Competitiveness Council and the European Parliament in early 2020.