Displaying items by tag: GCW414

France: Lafarge France plans to launch a reusable cement pallet scheme in October 2019. The new single-size wooden pallets for bagged cement will be reinforced for use at least six times. They will be used at all of the company’s sites across its range of bagged cement products. The pallets will also include Lafarge branding. A saving of 7500t/yr of wood is anticipated. The scheme is part of the Lafarge 360 initiative.

Ireland: CRH has agreed to sell its Europe Distribution business to private equity funds managed by Blackstone for Euro1.64bn. The business comprises CRH’s entire General Builders Merchants business in Europe, including its Sanitary Heating and Plumbing business. It supplies building materials to professional builders, specialist contractors and DIY customers through a network of local and regional brands across six countries in Western Europe. The divestment follows a strategic review of the business in 2019. The transaction is subject to regulatory approval.

India: Emami Group has chosen Arpwood Capital and Credit Suisse to manage the sale of its cement business. It is seeking a sale value of around US$1bn according to sources quoted by the Business Standard newspaper. However, the company is still deciding the size of the stake it wants to sell. UltraTech Cement was reported to be in talks to buy a stake in Emami Cement in late June 2019.

Germany/US: Germany’s Baltrader and US-based United Bulk Carriers (UBC) have launched the Cement Carrier Alliance (CCA) to cooperate the marketing of their respective fleets of pneumatic cement carriers. The aim of the deal is to offer a wider range of vessel sizes to existing and new customers while enhancing marketing to current and developing markets. The two companies operate 15 self-discharging cement carriers with a range of 3000 – 15,000DWT vessels.

Both companies will remain independent entities each operating out of their own offices while offering continuity in their customer relationships. CCA will be jointly represented by the UBC office in Philadelphia and the Baltrader office in Hamburg.

Netherlands: Holcim Nederland Bouwmaterialen has recevied certification from the Concrete Sustainability Council (CSC) for its five concrete plants. The certification process was handled by Kiwa Netherlands.

Kenya: Savannah Cement is set to complete US$50m upgrade to its grinding plant at Athi River by the end of 2019. It is installing a second 1.2Mt/yr mill at the unit supplied by Denmark’s FLSmidth, according to the Kenya Broadcasting Company. Contractors are also installing belt conveyors, storage silos, a packing plant and dust filters as part of the new vertical roller mill line.

The cement producer made the announcement at an event celebrating its seventh anniversary. The existing mill at Athi River has a production capacity of 1.2Mt/yr.

Nepal: Flooding has damaged the Huaxin Narayani Cement plant being built at Benighat Rorang Rural Municipality in Dhading. Rising water from the Malekhu River caused around US$90,000 damage to the construction site, according to the Himalayan Times newspaper. The deluge wrecked a storeroom and swept away five vehicles. Work on the US$137m project started earlier in 2019.

Australia: Southern Cross Cement, a joint venture between Brickworks, Neilsen Group and Neumann Group, is planning to open a 0.2Mt/yr terminal by October 2019. The US$60m unit will import cement from south east Asia, according to the CourierMail newspaper. It is anticipated to supply 10% of Queensland market. A 12,000t/day mechanical ship unloader will be installed at the site.

Ireland: Local environmental activists have accused the Irish Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) of ignoring European Union (EU) NO_x emission limits by granting an exemption to Irish Cement’s Limerick integrated plant. Limerick Against Pollution group alleges that the plant has been allowed a limit of 800mg/m3 despite a EU directive reducing the limit to 500mg/m³, according to the Limerick Post newspaper.

Romania: LafargeHolcim has signed an agreement with Oresa to buy Somaco, precast concrete producers. The transaction will allow LafargeHolcim to develop its position on the Romanian building materials market, where the company is already present in the cement, ready-mix concrete and aggregates segments. No value for the transaction has been disclosed. It is subject to regulatory approvals and is expected to close in late 2019.

“This is our sixth bolt-on acquisition this year and we are delivering on our commitment to further develop our Solutions & Products business segment as part of Strategy 2022 – ‘Building for Growth.’ The acquisition enables LafargeHolcim to enter Romania’s fast growing precast concrete market and to become an integrated solutions provider for our local customers,” said Jan Jenisch, chief executive officer (CEO) of LafargeHolcim.

Somaco operates five precast concrete plants and one plant for aerated blocks in Romania. The company reported net sales of Euro56m in 2018 and has 750 employees. It has a portfolio of precast products for bridges, tunnels, subways and logistics platforms and supplies products for the residential sector.