
Displaying items by tag: Holcim Romania
Romanian cement producers fined for alleged price coordination
10 January 2025Romania: The Competition Council has fined Holcim Romania, Romcim and Heidelberg Materials Romania a total of €43.7m for allegedly coordinating pricing policies during the period of 2017–2018, according to Economedia Romania. Holcim Romania was fined €18.2m, Romcim €13.3m and Heidelberg Materials €12.2m.
The Council found that the companies exchanged non-public commercial information regarding prices, discounts and payment terms through customers, which was used to establish commercial strategies regarding pricing policy. Bogdan Chirițoiu, president of the Competition Council said that “The behaviour led to reduced competition, which generated an increase in cement prices compared to neighbouring countries.”
Holcim has since responded, saying that it will appeal the fine imposed and calling the decision ‘unfounded’ in a recent press release.
Bogdan Dobre, CEO of Holcim Romania & Market Head Moldova, said “Holcim Romania rejects the conclusions of the investigation report and declares that it has acted and continues to act in accordance with the competition rules. We consider the decision to be unfounded, therefore Holcim Romania will exercise its right of defense before the courts and will challenge the sanction issued by the Romanian competition authority.”
Romania: Holcim Romania has successfully upgraded pyroprocessing and cement grinding equipment at its Câmpulung cement plant in Argeș County. Germany-based KHD Humboldt Wedag supplied equipment for the upgrade. For the plant’s pyroprocessing line, this included a downcomer duct, water injection system and induced draught fan, as well as an upgrade to the clinker cooler. Meanwhile, the grinding line has received a new SKS Z 2500 dynamic separator, cyclones, process ducts and separator fan. The supplier says that the upgrade has increased the Câmpulung plant’s clinker capacity and the efficiency of its operations. The work took 14 months to complete from the signing of the contract in mid-2023.
Holcim Romania to invest in Campulung cement plant
09 October 2023Romania: Holcim Romania has committed to an investment of over Euro25m to increase the production capacity of its cement plant in Campulung by approximately 20%. This would represent an expansion from 0.76Mt/yr to 0.9Mt/yr, according to the Argeşul newspaper. The company says that the investment will address both the existing need for more cement in the domestic construction market. It will also enhance the sustainability of the plant’s operation, streamline logistics and reduce the volume of CO2 emissions from the long-distance transport of building materials constructions.
Romania: Holcim Romania has appointed Claudiu Anghel as the plant manager of its Campulung cement plant. Anghel took up the post in May 2023 when the previous manager, Cornel Banu, was promoted to the role of Industrial Director of Holcim Romania & Moldova, according to the Diplomat Magazine. Anghel has worked for Holcim and its subsidiaries in Romania, Azerbaijan Russia and Slovakia in electrical engineering roles for over 20 years. He worked as a project manager for electrical and automation for CRH Slovakia in the late 2010s before returning to work for Holcim Romania in managerial positions from 2019.
Romania: Holcim Romania says that it has received Euro15.7m-worth of funding from the Romanian government. Romania Insiders News has reported that the company declined comment on its intended use of the funds.
Holcim Romania controls 3.5Mt/yr-worth of integrated production capacity across three cement plants in Argeș, Bihor and Cluj counties.
Holcim Romania named Leader of the Sustainable Transition in the Construction Industry 2022
09 December 2022Romania: Finance magazine Capital has named Holcim Romania as its Leader of the Sustainable Transition in the Construction Industry 2022 in recognition of the company’s CO2 reduction initiatives.
Holcim Romania’s sustainability director Edmund Piess said “We are happy to receive recognition for our effort to build responsibly and sustainably. The Holcim Group has committed to the net-zero emissions target; to achieve this ambitious target, we place sustainability at the heart of our strategy.” Piess concluded “We are aware of the impact of industry and the increase in consumption on climate change, which is why we have launched our ECOncept business model to build sustainably and responsibly.”
Holcim Romania’s ECOncept model comprises ECO Solutions, including 40% reduced-CO2 ECOPlanet cement, ECO Services and ECO Score impact evaluations.
Romania: Holcim Romania has published four new environmental product declarations (EPD) for its products, including ECOPlanet cement and ECOPact concrete. It says it is the first construction materials manufacturer in the country to do so. The subsidiary of Switzerland-based Holcim first started makings its EPDs available in 2014 for cement, concrete and aggregate products. These were revalidated in 2019 and again in 2022.
Holcim Romania acquires General Beton Romania
11 July 2022Romania: Holcim Romania has announced its acquisition of independent ready-mix concrete market leader General Beton Romania. The latter operates eight batching plants with a total of 160 employees. Its markets include Arad, Bucharest, Constanta and Sibiu. Holcim Romania says that it plans to use the acquisition to grow its ECOPact green concrete’s footprint.
Europe, Middle East Africa regional head Miljan Gutovic said “General Beton provides an excellent addition to our strong and diversified ready-mix concrete operations. Over more than two decades, General Beton has been a long-standing Holcim partner as well as a growing and highly successful business. I am delighted to welcome them to the Holcim family.”
Holcim Philippines appoints Horia Adrian as head
24 February 2021Philippines: Horia Adrian has been appointed as the president and chief executive officer (CEO) of Holcim Philippines. He succeeds John Stull will be reassigned to another position within LafargeHolcim Group after three years in the post.
Adrian is a graduate of the masters degree programme in business administration at Anjou University in South Korea and of the bachelors and masters programme in mechanical engineering at ‘Dunărea de Jos’ University in Galați in Romania. He joined the LafargeHolcim Group in 2000 as a project manager for Holcim Romania’s Ready-mix and Aggregates Division. Between 2004 and 2010 he was the sales, marketing and logistics director, and respectively the CEO, of Garadagh Cement in Azerbaijan. He later became the CEO of Romania and Market Head Emerging Europe in 2018.
Bogdan Dobre appointed as new general manager of Holcim Romania
13 January 2021Romania: Holcim Romania has appointed Bogdan Dobre as its chief executive officer (CEO). He suceeds Horia Adrian, who has held the post for the last three years.
Dobre started working for Holcim Romania in 2000. Originally he worked as Regional Cement Sales Manager before later becoming National Cement Sales Manager and eventually Commercial Director for the company in 2013 until 2020. He graduated from the Organic Chemistry Faculty within Bucharest University and holds an Executive Master of Business Administration (EMBA) from Tiffin University, US.