Displaying items by tag: France
LafargeHolcim and Witteveen + Bos launch 3D Printing Hackathon
06 November 2020France: Switzerland-based LafargeHolcim and Netherlands-based Witteveen + Bos have launched the 3D Printing Hackathon, an event in which engineering, architecture, and materials science students will compete to develop a new product leveraging 3D concrete printing technology to solve major problems in construction.
LafargeHolcim will supply concrete and provide technical mentorship to contestants. The company said that, while construction accounts for 40% of global carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, 1.6bn people are altogether without adequate housing. “Building more with less accelerates the speed of construction and reduces a building’s footprint. Leading the way in green building solutions, LafargeHolcim is actively deploying 3D printing towards addressing these challenges.” Research and development head Edelio Bermejo added, “We need to join forces to make this ground-breaking technology a reality. Join us on this exciting adventure!”
The group is offering a prize pool of Euro15,000 and operational support for full-scale implementation of the winning 3D printing solution.
Vicat shows nine-month sales and cement sales growth
04 November 2020France: Vicat recorded net sales of Euro2.07bn in the first nine months of 2020, up slightly from Euro2.06bn in the first nine months of 2019. Sales rose in Africa by 23% to Euro198m from Euro161m, in Europe (excluding France) by 8% to Euro317m from Euro294m and in the Americas by 7% to Euro471m from Euro442m.
Cement sales constituted 51% of sales at Euro1.05bn, up by 5% from Euro991m. Cement volumes rose by 8% to 18.0Mt from 16.7Mt, while concrete volumes fell by 2% to 6.65Mt from 6.78Mt.
Chair and chief executive officer (CEO) Guy Sidos said, “The impact of the Covid-19 outbreak on the group's operating profit was eliminated by the end of July 2020. The good momentum observed since then, particularly in the group's most recent operations in India and Brazil, leads us to envisage that operating profit may increase significantly at constant scope and exchange rates in 2020. Nevertheless, the group is continuing its efforts to reduce structural costs, signified by the relocation on 1 October 2020 of its head office to l’Isle d'Abeau in Isère.”
Fives acquires Dufieux
29 October 2020France: Milling and process equipment supplier Fives has acquired Dufieux, a “high-tech machine-tool designer and manufacturer” and developer of the Milling Mirror System (MMS). The company says that Dufieux’s activities complement Fives’ machine-tool offerings for the cement and general industry markets, which are sold through the Forest-Liné, Liné Machines, Giddings & Lewis and Cincinnati ranges. No amount for the acquisition has been disclosed.
High-precision machines division president Raphaël Constantin said, “Despite a difficult situation, we are continuing our efforts to develop effective, innovative and more environmentally friendly solutions which are better suited to future production requirements. Dufieux’s offering supplements our range of high-performance machine-tools, which already includes an unrivalled portfolio of technologies. This will also strengthen our capacity for innovation and industrial flexibility.”
Paris council halts Lafarge France Bercy expansion plans
08 October 2020France: The council of Paris has voted to withdraw permissions for a planned expansion to LafargeHolcim subsidiary Lafarge France’s Bercy concrete plant after protesters captured footage of a slurry spill that the company called ‘exceptional.’
Finanznachrichten News has reported that the council also voted to launch a “mission to reassess cement and building materials production by 2040” to preserve the local environment, as a result of which it expects the city to shift its reliance to imports of cement and concrete from surrounding areas.
Suez Cement appoints Grant Thornton Financial Consulting as financial advisor ahead of share evaluation
07 October 2020Egypt: Suez Cement has approved the appointment of Grant Thornton Financial Consulting as a financial advisor as it prepares for a fair value study of its shares. This follows a desire expressed by Heidelberg Cement France, the parent company of Simon France. which directly and indirectly owns 55% of Suez Cement shares, for the submission of a bid to fully buy the company’s shares, according to the Daily News Egypt newspaper. In late September 2020 Suez Cement approved the launch of a tender offer to acquire a 100% stake in its subsidiary, Egyptian Tourah Portland Cement.
Hoffmann Green Cement Technologies to supply low-CO2 concrete to social housing project
07 October 2020France: Social housing developer Immobilière 3F says that it has signed a contract with construction company Groupe GCC for the use of Hoffmann Green Cement Technologies' 78% reduced-carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions concrete for the construction of an 85-unit housing project in Saint-Leu-la-Forêt, Île-de-France.
Groupe GCC says that it participated in the development of the concrete as part of a three-year development partnership agreement with Hoffmann Green Cement Technologies signed in July 2020.
France: Hoffman Green Cement Technologies recorded a net loss of Euro 4.41m in the first half of 2020, up by 320% year on-year from a loss of Euro1.04m in the first half of 2019. Its revenues nearly tripled to Euro96,000 from Euro33,000.
Co-founders Julien Blanchard and David Hoffman said, “The first half of 2020 was very active, notably on the industrial and commercial fronts. We continued our actions in all of our strategic areas under sometimes delicate conditions as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. The rollout of our industrial plan is progressing in line with our objectives. We have used this period to integrate additional resources that will enable us to accelerate our development in the coming months and years.” They added, “Thanks to the recent resumption of building sites activity and more generally of the construction sector, we have been able to reactivate our commercial negotiations and have signed a number of new contracts since July 2020.”
Eqiom relocates headquarters to Courbevoie
11 September 2020France: Eqiom has announced the relocation of its headquarters to Courbevoie, Hauts-de-Seine Department from Levallois-Perret, also in Hauts-de-Seine Department. The company said that “new working methods favouring digital work, the agility of group work and the importance of good life practices” compounded the decision to move. It added, “The transfer operation was completed in just three days with no major surprises.”
LafargeHolcim defends itself against River Seine pollution finding
02 September 2020France: LafargeHolcim has said that Lafarge Béton is not responsible for the discharge of ‘particles of cement, treatment liquids and plastic microfibers’ from its Bercy concrete plant in Paris Department. The La Télégramme newspaper has reported that the plant has been under environmental inspection since late August 2020. The company says that the pollution resulted from a single incident ‘caused by malicious parties’ who knew of the on-going investigation.
The mayor of Paris has contacted the public prosecutor to request a criminal action against LafargeHolcim.
Imerys to buy majority stake in Haznedar
12 August 2020France: Imerys has signed an agreement to buy a 60% stake of Haznedar Group, a Turkey-based monolithic refractories and refractory bricks producer for the cement, steel, iron and petrochemical markets. The acquisition is expected to conclude in the fourth quarter of 2020 subject to approval by competition authorities. No value for the deal has been released.
The acquisition will add basic and acidic refractory bricks to Imerys’ product range and extend its industrial footprint with a production base in Turkey. It is also expected to strengthen its position within the Turkish market. The business will be consolidated in Imerys’ High Temperature Solutions business area, part of its High Temperature Materials & Solutions segment.