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Gorazdze Cement has been approved this week by the local authorities to buy Duda Kruszywa and Duda Beton. Aggregate and concrete acquisitions are outside the remit of this column, but Poland still deserves attention as a European country that has seen construction growth in recent years.

Approval by the Polish Competition and Consumer Protection Office (UOKiK) for the Gorazdze purchase is relevant due to cartel fines that were issued to seven cement companies, including Gorazdze Cement, in 2013. At that time Lafarge had its fine absolved, Gorazdze's was reduced but the other producers had to pay 10% of their annual turnover. As part of the Duda purchase, Gorazdze is expected to sell a concrete unit in Olszowa to avoid market overlap.

Polish cement production hit a high of 18.6Mt in 2011 according to Polish Cement Association (SPC) data. In its annual report for 2011, Lafarge attributed the surge to European Union (EU) funding for infrastructure projects and a deficit in housing. The multinational cement producer reported a 27% increase in domestic sales that year. Since then production fell to a low of 14.5Mt in 2013 before picking up. Cement production for the first nine months of 2015 is a little ahead of 2014 year-on-year.

Poland's cement production capacity is 16.8Mt/yr. The industry comprises 11 cement plants that are run by eight producers. As mentioned in the Global Cement Lafarge-Holcim Merger report, the country already has two cement plants from a CRH subsidiary, Grupa Ożarów. This is pertinent because the country offers a view of how LafargeHolcim might act in competition with CRH in a national environment.

In 2014 CRH noted that cement volumes grew by 6% in the country and its Europe Heavyside sales increased by 4% year-on-year to Euro3.93bn. In the first half of 2015 CRH reported selling 'non-core' businesses from its Europe Heavyside division in Poland amongst other territories. It also reported that whilst a solid general economy and construction growth helped sales, it was under price pressure in all of its main product lines.

Interestingly, LafargeHolcim announced in late September 2015 that it was implementing a new three-year strategy in Poland. The plan is to offer its clients logistic, design and consulting services in addition to cement, concrete and aggregate sales. The choice of Poland to test this strategy in with its clear competition from CRH is instructive as this situation is now duplicated in several markets throughout Central and Eastern Europe. Lafarge too reported a 'competitive' environment in its first quarter results for 2015 before the merger with Holcim completed. Yet it noted that its cement volumes had contracted compared to the same period in 2014. This is in contrast to the SPC data for the first quarter of 2015 that suggests that cement production rose slightly compared to the same period in 2014. However, Lafarge did expect construction activity to pick up for the rest of 2015 due to infrastructure tenders based on a new EU infrastructure plan. SPC data on cement production suggests that this may be correct. LafargeHolcim's and CRH's cement plants are in slightly different parts of the country which may also explain reported differences in sales volumes in 2015.

So, we have a picture of CRH streamlining its business in Poland to help grow profits. LafargeHolcim, meanwhile, is broadening its offer with 'soft' businesses to complement its heavy divisions. The results will be worth watching.

Colombia: ThyssenKrupp Industrial Solutions has received an order to build a cement clinker production line from Cementos Argos, the biggest cement producer in Colombia and one of the largest in the Caribbean. The new 4300t/day facility will be built in Sogamoso, around 200km north-east of the capital Bogotá, in the province of Boyacá. The contract is worth around Euro100m.

ThyssenKrupp Industrial Solutions is supplying all components for clinker production as well as quality assurance and monitoring systems. Startup of the line is planned for the end of 2017.

Jens Michael Wegmann, CEO of the Industrial Solutions business area, said, "With our highly-efficient cement plants we are contributing to a resource-friendly infrastructure expansion across the world. To even better leverage the growth potential of the emerging economic regions in the future we are pushing forward the integration and regionalisation of our operations worldwide."

The main components are a 1200t/hr primary crusher for limestone, a 500t/hr secondary crusher for raw material and a 40,000t capacity circular blending bed. The raw material will be ground in a QUADROPOL QMR2 roller mill with a throughput of 355t/hr and stored in a 7000t homogenising silo.

The kiln line comprises a five-stage, single-string preheater with PREPOL AS-MSC calciner, a POLFLAME-VN rotary kiln with sinter zone burner and a POLYTRACK clinker cooler. A further QUADROPOL QMK2 roller mill with a throughput of 26t/hr of coal will be supplied for preparing the fuel. A POLCID process control system and a POLAB APMplus laboratory automation system will be installed for quality monitoring and control.

During construction and commissioning, ThyssenKrupp Industrial Solutions will provide construction management services, consulting services and supervision. During operation of the plant the company will provide assistance in the form of operation and maintenance support services as well as training of operating personnel.

India: ACC has reported a 40% drop in its consolidated net profit to US$17.7m for the quarter that ended on 30 September 2015 as it was hit by a sales decline and subdued prices. It had posted a net profit of US$29.5m during the same period of 2014.

ACC's total consolidated income fell marginally to US$428m in the July - September 2015 quarter from US$432m in the same period of 2014. Its total expenses grew to US$405m from US$395m in the 2014 quarter. ACC said that cement sales were poor during the July - September 2015 quarter and added that the pace of India's economic revival has been slower than expected. ACC's cement sales fell to 5.61Mt from 5.62Mt in the same period of 2014.

"With subdued construction activity in most of the monsoon season, the industry witnessed weak off-take of cement in the quarter. As a result, our cement volumes were correspondingly flat. Selling prices were subdued," said ACC. While sales here was almost flat, there was improvement in input and energy costs.

Vietnam: Vietnam Cement Industry Corporation (Vicem) sold 16.3Mt of cement and clinker in the first nine months of 2015, up by 1.5% year-on-year. Of the volume, 14.9Mt of cement and clinker was sold on the domestic market, up by 8.6% year-on-year, while 1.44Mt was exported, down by 39.4% year-on-year.

In the third quarter of 2015, Vicem's cement and clinker sales grew by 6.2% to 5.61Mt, of which 5.27Mt of cement and clinker was sold on the domestic market, up by 11% year-on-year, while 337,000t was exported, down by 37% year-on-year. Vicem's cement production grew by 10% year-on-year to 4.97Mt in the third quarter of 2015, while its clinker output rose by 8% to 4.34Mt.

Vicem plans to produce 4.42Mt of clinker and 5.45Mt of cement in the fourth quarter of 2015, down by 0.8% and 5.7% respectively year-on-year. It also aims to sell 6.07Mt of cement in the fourth quarter, raising its full-year target to 22.4Mt. In 2014, Vicem's clinker production grew by 0.7% to 16.5Mt while its cement output rose by 10.3% to 18.5Mt.

US: Lehigh Hanson has named Jon Morrish as its new President and Chief Executive Officer with effect from 15 October 2015 to replace Daniel Harrington after 20 years with the company.

Harrington had been the president and CEO of Lehigh Hanson since 1 January 2010. Lehigh Hanson said in a press release that Harrington had helped lead the company through the economic downturn in 2008.

"Harrington's many contributions and industry knowledge played a key role in positioning the company for future growth," said Lehigh Hanson's press release.

Morrish will join the company's managing board in February 2016 and was appointed to the top post at Lehigh Hanson after being the President of the South Region. He has been with the company since 2009. Before being President of the South Region, Morrish was the Managing Director of the company's UK cement business.

Germany: HeidelbergCement has appointed three new Managers to its board with effect from 1 February 2016.

A new executive position will be created for the African / Eastern Mediterranean region. Hakan Gurdal from Turkish Sabancı Holding, previously responsible for the Turkish company's jointly-operated business with HeidelbergCement, will step into this new role. Jon Morrish will head HeidelbergCement's North American business. The third newcomer is Kevin Gluskie, who will lead the HeidelbergCement's business operations in the Asia-Pacific region.

Tanzania: Dangote Cement has signed two agreements that will enable its US$600m cement plant in Tanzania to generate 150MW from coal.

One agreement is with Tancoal. Dangote Cement has also signed a coal prospecting licence for a site in Mbinga. However, the plant will first run on diesel until it is able to generate its own electricity from coal.

The deals ends a year-long dispute between the government and the cement plant after Tanesco failed to provide electricity. The plant was considering importing coal from South Africa, which was a cheaper option than buying it from the area.

The cement plant is expected to reduce cement prices by 50% once production commences in early 2016. It will take advantage of the growing construction industry, which contributes 12.5% to the country's GDP. It will offer more than 1500 direct jobs and 9000 indirectly.

India: Aditya Birla Group's UltraTech Cement has reported 3% year-on-year growth in its consolidated net profit at US$65.8m for the quarter that ended on 30 September 2015, helped by increased sales and better operating margins.

UltraTech Cement's total income rose by 4% to US$927m in the quarter. Its domestic cement sales volume increased by 5% year-on-year. While operating costs were lower due to lower energy costs, the benefit was partially offset due to the District Mineral Foundation levy in terms of provisions of the Mines and Minerals (Development) Amendment Act, 2015.

UltraTech said that its capital expenditure programme is on track. During the quarter, it commissioned a 1.6Mt/yr grinding plant in Jhajjar, Haryana and a 1.6Mt/yr grinding plant in Dankuni, West Bengal. "As a result, the cement capacity is enhanced to 64.7Mt/yr in India. The company also commissioned a 2Mt/yr bulk terminal on outskirts of Pune. With the further commissioning of a 5MW waste heat recovery system in Rawan, Chhattisgarh, power generation from waste heat recovery is augmented to 53MW," said the company in a statement.

UltraTech Cement expects cement demand to pick up in the October 2015 – March 2016 period. "With the governments' focus on infrastructure development, housing sector, smart cities and roads, among others, UltraTech Cement is well positioned across the country to meet the expected rise in demand and participate in the next phase of growth in the country," said UltraTech Cement.

Poland: The Polish Competition and Consumer Protection Office (UOKiK) has approved the acquisition of Duda Kruszywa and Duda Beton by Gorazdze Cement provided that Gorazdze sells the concrete unit in Olszowa to avoid limiting market competition. Both Duda Kruszywa, which is an aggregate producer, and Duda Beton, a producer of ready-mixed concrete, are currently owned by the Opole-based firm JD.

Indonesia: Semen Indonesia sealed an agreement on 15 October 2015 with Semen Kupang to build a 1.5Mt/yr cement plant in Kupang, East Nusa Tenggara in order to boost its distribution efficiency. The US$148m plant will cater to the cement needs in the areas around Kupang. Construction is expected to start in 2016 and cement production is expected in 2018.