Displaying items by tag: Italy

Netherlands: Royal Cement Benelux, part of Royal El Minya Cement and the Sesco Group, has acquired a new 18,500m² facility in the port of Schiedam near Rotterdam. The new facility, which includes 13,500m2 combined office, storage and operating space will be the company’s second European location. Available on the premises is 160 M1 Quay, which can receive ships up to 15,000dwt.

“The opening of Royal Cement Benelux’s new Schiedam facility is an important step towards the ambition to develop the European market,” said Martin Bakker, general manager of Royal Cement Benelux. The company intends to target its white cement products from the terminal to Germany by barge, to several locations in Belgium and the Netherlands by inland rivers and to the UK by sea.

The new location is intended to be first of several expansions for the company in 2020. Royal Cement Benelux says it wants to take former business in Western Europe from CBR since it stopped white cement production. The group is also opening an Italian terminal.

Nigeria: The Lagos State Commissioner for Health Akin Abayomi has said that an Italian national employed as a consultant by Lafarge Africa was Nigeria’s ‘patient zero’ in the international coronavirus outbreak. No further cases have yet been recorded. Vanguard newspaper has reported that the consultant, who flew in to the country from Milan via Istanbul and attended a meeting in Ewekoro, Ogun State, before staying at a guesthouse there, has been confined to a treatment facility in Yaba, Lagos State. Abayomi praised the astuteness of medical staff in Yaba for isolating the patient overnight after he began to show symptoms after his second day in the country.

Italy: Cementir Holding, a Caltagirone Group company, closed 2019 with revenues of Euro1.21bn, according to the consolidated preliminary results examined yesterday by the board of directors chaired by Francesco Caltagirone Jr. This represents a year-on-year rise of 1.2% compared to 2018.

Cementir’s gross operating margin grew by 10.6% to Euro263.8m. Cement and clinker volumes, however, fell by 3.4% to 9.5Mt. On a like-for-like basis, cement and clinker sales were down 5%. The company attributed this to a ‘negative trend’ in Turkey, partially balanced by the positive performance of Belgium and Denmark. Ready mixed concrete sales also fell due to the effects of the Turkish economy. Overall ready mixed concrete sales fell to 4.1Mm3/yr, a drop of 16.4% year-on-year.

France: Vicat’s sales were reduced in 2019 by poor markets in Turkey and, to a lesser extent, Switzerland and Egypt. Its sales fell by 1% year-on-year to Euro2.74bn in 2019 from Euro2.58bn at constant scope and exchange rates. Its cement sales volumes dropped by 2% to 22.4Mt from 22.8Mt but its concrete volumes grew by 1.1% to 9.1Mm³ from 9.0Mm³. Its earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) decreased slightly to Euro156m.

“Strong growth in France, the US, Africa and Kazakhstan helped offset difficult market conditions in Turkey and Egypt. Furthermore, in line with our strategy of targeted acquisitions, the purchase of Ciplan in Brazil, in January 2019, allowed the group to continue its international growth in a region offering strong potential by integrating teams and assets of the highest quality,” said chairman and chief executive officer (CEO) Guy Sidos.

The group performed well in France, the US and Italy, especially due to the acquisition of Ciplan in Brazil. Sales in Turkey suffered from a generally poor economic situation. Competition in Egypt and a downturn in the precast concrete market in Switzerland caused problems in these countries respectively.

UK: Langley Holdings recorded a 42% year-on-year fall in profit in 2019 to Euro59.9m from Euro103m in 2018. There was a 3.3% decline in sales year-on-year to Euro820m from Euro848m. The company attributed its profit drop to its Marelli Motori acquisition and reorganisation of the Italy-based motor and generator producer. Langley Holdings Chairman Tony Langley said, “The group is now poised for the next phase of its development.”

Italy: Buzzi Unicem’s consolidated sales rose by 12% year-on-year to Euro3.22bn in 2019 from Euro2.87bn in 2018. The company saw a rise in cement sales volumes of 4.3% year-on-year to 29Mt from 28Mt. The company attributed the boost to its 0.9Mt integrated Testi plant in the Veneto region of Italy, which it commissioned on 1 July 2019, and two new grinding plants in Italy and Germany.

UK: InterBulk Group delivered a batch of Italcementi’s I.tech Ali-Na sulphoaluminate binder produced at its 0.3Mt/yr Guardiaregia cement plant in Molise, Italy to fellow HeidelbergCement subsidiary Hanson’s concrete plant in Hull, UK, on 28 January 2020. Hanson will use the low-environmental-impact binder in the production of fast-setting premixes for the UK market.

US: Eagle Materials has received clearance from the Federal Trade Commission for its November 2019 acquisition of Kosmos Cement, which operates the 1.7Mt/yr integrated Louisville plant in Kentucky, as well as raw materials reserves and seven cement terminals, from Mexico-based Cemex and Italian Buzzi Unicem for US$665m. Eagle Materials board chair Mike Nicolais said the acquisition was ‘timely in light of our plans to separate our Heavy Materials and Light Materials businesses into two independent, publicly traded corporations.’ It will pay using existing funds and a loan withdrawn for the purpose.

Italy: Buzzi Unicem’s 1.3Mt/yr Vernasca plant in Piacenza will receive a Cleanker Project pilot system for carbon capture and storage (CCS). The installation is EU-funded as part of Horizon 2020, a seven-year research and innovation framework programme, and its success will be closely monitored for possible implementation at other cement plants in the EU and beyond.

Italy: In the nine months to 30 September 2019, Buzzi Unicem’s net sales rose by 13.4% year-on-year to Euro2.42bn from Euro2.14bn. Cement volumes rose 5.7% to 22.1Mt from 20.9Mt in the corresponding period of 2018. The company said that “Growth was continually mitigated by weakened manufacturing activity due to reduced investments and political and economic uncertainty.”