Displaying items by tag: Germany
Robecco announces death of Robert Becker
26 February 2024Germany: Robecco has announced with sadness the death of its founder and managing director Robert Becker, following a short, serious illness. The company said that Becker’s legacy will continue to influence it. It said that it will be happy to answer any questions or concerns of customers or partners.
Robecco said “Robert Becker was not only an outstanding entrepreneur, but also an extraordinary person who shaped our company with his commitment, his vision and his tireless efforts. His legacy will live on in our hearts and in the DNA of our company.” It added “Despite the heavy loss, we assure you that business will continue as usual in all areas of the company. We are determined to honour the legacy of Robert Becker and to continue his legacy.”
Heidelberg Materials may follow other groups with US listing
26 February 2024Germany/US: Heidelberg Materials CEO Dominik von Achten spoke during the producer’s 2023 results presentation about ‘various scenarios’ to maximise the benefits of its high valuation in the US. Börsen-Zeitung News has reported that the company is considering a possible listing in the US. Alternative scenarios include the launch of an initial public offering (IPO) there.
Heidelberg Materials grows sales in 2023
22 February 2024Germany: Heidelberg Materials reported sales growth of 0.4% in 2023, to €21.2bn. The group saw its profits grow by 21%, from €1.72bn to €2.09bn. During the year, the company reduced its specific CO2 emissions per tonne of cementitious material by 3% from 551kg to 534kg and lowered its clinker factor from 72% to 70%.
Chair Dominik von Achten said "In the 150th year of our company's history, we have once again shown that we can deal with change and crises. I am extremely proud of our teams around the world, who have remained firmly focused on our targets and have once again done an extraordinary job." He added "We are entering 2024 with optimism. Although the general economic conditions in the construction sector remain challenging, we anticipate growth in revenue and earnings also in the current year. Our shareholders are benefitting from this growth thanks to the progressive dividend and the new, comprehensive share buyback programme.”
Peter Erbel appointed as Country Manager, Germany at CheckProof
21 February 2024Germany: Sweden-based CheckProof has appointed Peter Erbel as its Country Manager, Germany. Erbel previously worked for FLSmidth and associated companies from 2007 to 2023 in sales, product and project management roles.
CheckProof is a software-as-a-service company supplying heavy industry markets including aggregate, asphalt, cement, ready mix concrete and heavy machinery. The company says it has seen strong, continual growth in Germany and appointing Erbel is planned to support existing clients and grow the business in Germany, Switzerland and Austria. CheckProof has clients in 38 countries.
Cemex and Orcan Energy extend waste heat recovery partnership
15 February 2024Mexico/Germany: Cemex and waste heat recovery (WHR) systems developer Orcan Energy plan to scale up WHR technologies supplied by Orcan Energy at multiple Cemex sites globally. This new multi-site portfolio approach extends an existing partnership, through which the companies trialled Orcan’s systems for electricity generation at Cemex Deutschland’s Rüdersdorf cement plant in Germany.
Cemex’s Europe, Middle East, Africa and Asia regional president Sergio Menéndez said “We already have an initial collaboration with Orcan. Based on the modularity of their solution, Orcan offers the flexibility of both installation and contracts. Thanks to this crucial flexibility, we can adapt to any upcoming changes in our plants. The approach enables us to reduce carbon emissions right now without limiting ourselves in implementing any future technologies such as carbon capture, utilisation and storage. This partnership will help us achieve our sustainability targets and contribute to our aim to use all available heat.”
Orcan Energy’s chief executive officer Andreas Sichert said “We are looking forward to entering this large-scale decarbonisation partnership with Cemex after our initial cooperation in Germany. This step is a testament to Cemex’s forward-looking strategy and the company’s commitment to achieving net zero. For Orcan Energy, this is another milestone in scaling the business internationally with global enterprises. We are proud to be the partner of choice for the cement industry. Our large footprint across the industry shows the economic capability and the technical excellence of our modular and flexible solution, especially in view of uncertain future economic and regulative developments.”
Germany: Orcan Energy has expanded its Kiel plant in order to produce its waste heat recovery (WHR) systems entirely on-site. The expansion aims to meet increased global demand, in line with Orcan Energy's strategy to help reduce CO2 emissions from cement and other industries.
Orcan Energy CEO Andreas Sichert said "The decision to expand our in-house production capacity in Kiel reflects our commitment to growth and innovation in Germany. With roots in Munich and a range of global projects, we can promote sustainable change around the world from Germany. I look forward to working together with my colleagues in Kiel to contribute to a profitable and sustainable energy future."
Heidelberg Materials is a Climate A-Lister
06 February 2024Germany: Sustainability disclosure organisation CDP has named Heidelberg Materials on its Climate A List 2024 for its corporate transparency and climate performance. The group also received an A- rating for Water Security. Heidelberg Materials’ product and process innovation efforts toward CO2 emissions reduction include carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS) projects aimed at capturing 10Mt of CO2 by 2030.
Heidelberg Materials’ chief sustainability officer Nicola Kimm said "We are honoured to be included in CDP’s Climate A List and to be recognised for our efforts in decarbonisation. This also demonstrates our leadership in the industry – both in breakthrough technologies such as CCUS, and when it comes to sustainable products. We will continue to drive the transition to low-carbon construction."
Germany: Heidelberg Materials has launched EvoBuild, a new brand for its range of low-carbon and circular products. It intends to apply globally consistent criteria and tiering for its sustainable products and aims to set new standards for decarbonised products. All countries in which the company is present will gradually integrate their sustainable products into the EvoBuild portfolio.
Dominik von Achten, chair of the managing board of Heidelberg Materials, said “After rolling out our new corporate brand Heidelberg Materials in more than 20 countries, harmonising our strong sustainable product portfolio on a global level is the next logical and important step.” He continued, “We recently introduced our EvoZero brand for the world’s first carbon captured net-zero cement. Now, we are adding EvoBuild to the Evo brand family with a new framework for all products that are characterised by their special contribution to carbon reduction and circularity. This also reflects the strong focus of our business activities on sustainable solutions for our customers.” Nicola Kimm, the chief sustainability officer at Heidelberg Materials added that creating the brand was, “an important step towards achieving one of our key targets on the way to net zero as we aim to generate 50% of our revenue with sustainable products by 2030.”
Products in the EvoBuild range will be available in all business lines and are either low-carbon (cement and concrete), circular (concrete) or feature a combination of both attributes. Low-carbon products must provide a CO₂ reduction of at least 30% compared to the reference value. Circular products must contain at least 30% recycled aggregates, or they must reduce material requirements by at least 30%.
Germany: Heidelberg Materials will stop producing clinker at its 700,000t/yr Hanover cement plant in Lower Saxony later in 2024, and transition the plant to grinding-only. The producer took the decision following a ‘significant drop’ in its cement sales, amid local low construction activity and a market shift towards lower-cement materials. Nonetheless, it intend to raise its capacity utilisation at its 1Mt/yr Ennigerloh, 900,000t/yr Geseke and 400,000t/yr Paderborn cement plants in neighbouring North Rhine-Westphalia. These will supply clinker to the Hanover grinding plant in future. Heidelberg Materials says that the plant's strategic location will ensure its continued importance in regional cement supply. Part of the 120-strong workforce at the Hanover plant will remain at the new grinding plant. The company will collaborate with the works council to find ‘acceptable solutions’ for the remainder of the team, possibly including intra-group transfers to other divisions and locations.
The Calix consortium’s on-going LEILAC 2 carbon capture project will now move from the Hanover plant to another Heidelberg Materials plant. Australia-based Calix is collaborating with Heidelberg Materials to identify a suitable new site as quickly as possible.
Göktuğ Aktaş appointed as Director - Africa, Mediterranean and West Asia at Heidelberg Materials
24 January 2024Germany: Heidelberg Materials has appointed Göktuğ Aktaş as its Director - Africa, Mediterranean and West Asia. He previously worked as the Performance Manager (Northern and Eastern Europe-Central Asia) for the group from late 2018. Prior to this he worked for Türkiye-based Akçansa from 2011 in quality management roles becoming Country Production and Quality Manager (RMC & Aggregates) in 2017. Aktaş is a graduate in science and civil engineering from the Istanbul Technical University and the University of Buffalo in the US. He also holds an administration in business administration (MBA) qualification from Istanbul University.