Displaying items by tag: Germany
Germany: ThyssenKrupp has decided not to sell the cement division of its subsidiary ThyssenKrupp Industrial Solutions after failing to receive a ‘convincing’ offer. The Handelsblatt newspaper has reported that the group is still exploring options for individual subsidiaries under its restructuring programme. It reportedly aims to establish a looser group structure under which individual units enjoy a high degree of independence.
The Germany-based engineering company stared to try and sell the various division of its plant-building business in 2020. However, the source quoted by Handelsblatt also says that orders in ThyssenKrupp’s current financial year, since October 2020, have been recovering, with a several new projects. Separately, Denmark-based FLSmidth said in mid-January 2021 that it had entered into non-binding negotiations with ThyssenKrupp over the possible acquisition of its mining business.
Steffen Haack appointed as executive board member responsible for engineering at Bosch Rexroth
20 January 2021Germany: Bosch Rexroth has appointed Steffen Haack as its executive board. His tasks include the engineering activities of the company and responsibility for the three business units which constitute the Industrial Hydraulics division. Haack will retain his role as head of the Industrial Hydraulics business unit. He succeeds Heiner Lang as head of Engineering, who left the company at the end of 2020.
Haack, aged 54 years, holds a doctorate degree in fluid technology and he began his career at Bosch in 1996. Since 2017, he has been managing the Industrial Hydraulics business unit, for which he will continue to remain responsible. He was previously a member of the executive board of Bosch Rexroth from 2015 to 2017. In addition to his professional activities, Haack is a member of the executive board of the Fluid Technology Association at the Mechanical Engineering Industry Association (VDMA) and the advisory board of the German Mechanical Engineering Summit.
Other appointments include the decision to place executive board member Marc Wucherer in charge of the Factory Automation division, another unit previously managed by Lang. Wucherer has been responsible for sales and for the three hydraulics business units Industrial Hydraulics, Large Hydraulic Drives, and Large Projects since 2017. Responsibility for these three hydraulics units will be transferred to Haack.
Germany-based Bosch Rexroth is a supplier of drive and control systems for many industries including cement, mining and materials handling.
Continental unifies belts and services under Continental brand
20 January 2021Germany: Continental has strategically sharpened its conveying solutions and services profile by unifying all products, technologies and services under the Continental brand. The company said that the unification complements an optimisation and extension of the portfolio in both belts and digital products. In 2021 it will launch drone-based monitoring services for conveyor systems.
Conveying solutions services head Andreas Bakenhus said “We see fast-changing requirements in our markets. A few years ago, our customers asked for high-quality, long-life belts. Now, construction, industry and mining companies are looking for safety, quality, efficiency and productivity gains. Our customers are requiring integrated solutions covering the entire value chain around a belt from commissioning, consulting and training to digital monitoring and on-site maintenance. Additionally, energy-optimised belts, new business models and sustainability aspects will play a crucial and competitive role in the future.” He concluded “Basically, we understand it as our job to offer service levels that allows our customers to fully concentrate on their core business.”
Conveying solutions head Hannes Friederichsen said “Decisive drivers are our customers. In this way, our customers and partners will benefit from a stronger and trusted global product portfolio from a single source. Thus, we will further be joining forces to continue our customer-centric business approach.”
FLSmidth enters negotiations with ThyssenKrupp over acquisition of its mining business
15 January 2021Germany: Denmark-based FLSmidth has entered into non-binding negotiations with ThyssenKrupp over the possible acquisition of its mining business. Mining is one of ThyssenKrupp subsidiary ThyssenKrupp Industrial Solutions’ major businesses, alongside cement. This business segment reported net sales of Euro2.9bn in its 2020 financial year, a small decline from the sales figure in 2019 despite the coronavirus pandemic.
INFORM expands management team
13 January 2021Germany: INFORM has appointed four new co-chief executive officers (CEO) alongside Adrian Weiler, the company’s CEO since 1986, who will continue in his leadership role. Andreas Meyer, Matthias Berlit, Peter Frerichs and Jörg Herbers all assumed their new roles at the start of 2021. The four new executives hold over 75 years in leading positions at the company. Their appointments are intended to hasten the company’s development.
INFORM is a provider of artificial intelligence (AI) driven optimisation software for digital decision making and agile operations that was founded in 1969. In the construction materials industry is has a particular focus on improving supply chains and logistics. The company has its is headquarters in Aachen, Germany with a North American regional office in Atlanta, Georgia in the US and an Australian office in Sydney.
REEL to buy Möller from FLSmidth
04 January 2021Germany: France-based REEL has agreed to acquire handling and lifting systems specialist Möller (also known as FLSmidth Hamburg GmbH) from Denmark-based FLSmidth for an undisclosed amount. The company employs 60 people and has reported sales of Euro400m/yr.
FLSmidth Cement President Carsten Riisberg Lund said, “The sale of Möller is part of an on-going process aimed at reshaping FLSmidth’s cement division. Consistent with the corporate strategy we announced earlier this year, we are pursuing a more focused cement portfolio. The new owner has a strong focus on the aluminium and related sectors and is therefore a natural fit for Möller’s future.”
HeidelbergCement considering selling assets in California
23 December 2020US: HeidelbergCement is considering selling assets in California. Bloomberg News reports that it is working with Morgan Stanley on a potential divestment and it hopes to raise around US$1.5bn. It is reportedly approaching competitors including Martin Marietta Materials, Cemex, CRH, Summit Materials and LafargeHolcim, as well as companies in China and Latin America. The first bids are not expected until early 2021.
The Germany-based building materials company operates three integrated cement plants in California, as part of its Lehigh Hanson subsidiary, in addition to concrete and aggregates units. Divestment of these assets would focus the company instead on markets in the East Coast, Midwest and Canadian regions of North America.
In July 2020 HeidelbergCement announced that it had reduced its value of its assets by Euro3.4bn following a review. It blamed this on reduced demand for building materials due the coronavirus pandemic and the devaluation of its Hanson subsidiary in the UK, in part related to the UK’s exit from the European Union.
Steffen Haack appointed by Bosch Rexroth as executive board member responsible for engineering
16 December 2020Germany: Bosch Rexroth has appointed Steffen Haack as its executive board member responsible for engineering from the start of 2021. His tasks will include managing the engineering activities of the company and responsibility for the three business units which constitute the Industrial Hydraulics division. He will take over the role as Head of Engineering from Heiner Lang, who will leave the company by the end of 2020. Haack will retain his role as head of the Industrial Hydraulics business unit. Marc Wucherer, aged 51 years, will be put in charge of the Factory Automation division.
Haack, aged 53 years, holds a doctorate degree in fluid technology. He started his career at Bosch in 1996. Since 2017, Haack has managed the Industrial Hydraulics business unit, for which he remains responsible. Previously, he was a member of the executive board of Bosch Rexroth from 2015 to 2017. In addition to his professional activities, Haack is a member of the Executive Board of the Fluid Technology Association at the Mechanical Engineering Industry Association (VDMA) and the Advisory Board of the German Mechanical Engineering Summit.
Germany-based Bosch Rexroth is a supplier of drive and control technologies for a variety of industries including cement.
Norway: The Norwegian Parliament has voted in favour of the government’s proposed grant of funding for industrial scale implementation of full-scale carbon capture and storage (CCS) at HeidelbergCement subsidiary Norcem’s Brevik cement plant. Work on the project is expected to start immediately, with the goal of starting CO2 separation from the cement production process by 2024. The end result will be a 50% cut of emissions from the cement produced at the plant. The group said that the installation will contribute to its CO2 emissions reduction target of 30% between 1990 and 2025.
Norcem chair and HeidelbergCement Northern Europe regional general manager Giv Brantenberg said, “HeidelbergCement highly appreciates the successful cooperation with the Norwegian authorities. The Brevik CCS project clearly shows the importance of industry and public sector to find common solutions in the fight against climate change.”
HeidelbergCement chair Dominik von Achten said, “We are delighted about the final approval of the Norwegian parliament for our breakthrough CCS project in Norway.” He added, “To meet national and international climate targets, CO2 separation is an important cornerstone. Our CCS project in Brevik will pave the way for our industry and other sectors.”
Lanwa Sanstha Cement’s Hambantota cement plant on course for June 2021 commissioning
10 December 2020Sri Lanka: Lanwa Sanstha Cement says that its upcoming 2.4Mt/yr Hambantota cement plant is on schedule for commissioning in June 2021. The total investment in this first phase of the project is US$70m. The Daily News newspaper has reported that the second phase of the project will consist of an expansion of the plant’s production capacity to 3.6Mt/yr at an additional cost of US$10m. Germany-based Gebr. Pfeiffer and Siemens have supplied the plant’s production equipment, while Denmark-based FLSmidth is supplying its packaging equipment.
Chair Nandana Lokuwithana said, “This facility will serve to benefit the construction industry tremendously by delivering products of premium quality to the market. The plant is the first of its kind in Sri Lanka to use cutting-edge European technology to yield optimum outcomes while being environmentally conscious through continuous monitoring.”